The American Soybean Association (ASA) congratulates North Dakota Governor Ed Schafer on his unanimous Senate confirmation as Agriculture Secretary. The ASA looks forwarded to working with Secretary Schafer on timely and important issues, including the Farm Bill, world trade negotiations and biotechnology approvals, all issues he can positively impact in the coming months.

"ASA strongly supports enactment of a new Farm Bill, rather than a one-year or longer extension of the 2002 Act," said ASA President John Hoffman, a soybean grower from Waterloo, Iowa. "USDA discussions with Congress are critical to attaining a new Farm Bill."

Soybean growers also have key concerns in the Doha Round of World Trade Organization negotiations. "ASA is committed to working with USDA and the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office to significantly improve market access for soy and livestock farmers, as well as to eliminate trade-distorting differential export taxes used by some of our competitors," Hoffman said.

As Agriculture Secretary, Schafer can also take an important role in pressuring the European Union (EU) to implement a timely and science-based approval system for biotech-derived agricultural products. ASA supports the decision of U.S. trade officials to temporarily suspend action to withdraw concessions for the failures of the European Union to bring its biotech approval process into compliance with the WTO panel ruling. However, ASA warns of dire consequences for European livestock industries if the EU doesn’t speed up its approval process.

"Timely approvals of biotechnology are a major concern for soybean growers, especially since there are three pending biotechnology events scheduled for planting in 2009, and a full pipeline of new soybean events making their way toward commercialization over the coming years," Hoffman said.