ASA director Kevin Scott, a producer from Valley Springs, S.D. and a director of USSEC took part in a Biotech Working Group outreach mission to the EU to press for timely approvals of biotech soybean events and in particular the high oleic soybean traits currently going through the EU’s approval system. Scott was joined on the mission by fellow USSEC director and USB director, Jimmy Sneed, a producer from Hernando, Miss. and consultants David Green and Benno van der Laan.

The mission began in Brussels where the team had 17 meetings in just less than two days, with a number of government representatives from EU member states; European Commission officials from the departments which cover Trade, Consumers & Health (including biotech) and Agriculture as well as industry representatives from the feed, biotech and trader sectors. A briefing meeting also was held with USDA FAS Brussels.

After Brussels the team split into two groups with Scott visiting Paris and Berlin for meetings with industry groups and high level officials, including the agricultural advisor to Chancellor Merkel. Sneed traveled to Rome and Warsaw for similar meetings. The pan-EU program was designed to meet with contacts in four cities which are major players in the EU biotech issue, but also have less than positive positions on approvals of new biotech crops.

“Our main message at every meeting was for the EU to follow its own legally mandated timelines for approvals and base decisions on science and not politics,” said Scott. “We pointed out that it takes the EU on average more than four years to approve a biotech event – longer than any other major exporting region. With an increasing number of soybean traits coming forward for commercialization there is a serious danger of trade disruption to imports if there are delays in approvals for crops already being grown in exporting countries.

“I was very encouraged by the reaction from many of those we met, particularly the interest in the high oleic soybean events. A number of the government representatives we met were very supportive of scientific methods for assessing and approving biotech crops, but were often caught in a ‘political need’to vote against or to abstain. Overall, there was an appreciation of the potential loss of imported soy which would adversely affect EU livestock and poultry production. I was impressed with the good reputation that our US soybean industry has in the EU. ASA, USB and USSEC are well received as informed and credible partners in the biotech debate.”

In total the team held 45 meetings in all locations and in all meetings shared the updated biotech soybean pipeline chart which highlighted an increasing number of traits coming forward to commercialization.