The American Soybean Association (ASA) today announced support for a report prepared by the Subcommittee on Basic Research of the U.S. House of Representatives' Agriculture Committee, that found immense benefits and scientifically sound regulation of agricultural biotechnology. The report is titled, "Seeds of Opportunity: An Assessment of the Benefits, Safety, and Oversight of Plant Genomics and Agricultural Biotechnology."

"ASA welcomes this new report that reconfirms, and reassures consumers, that agricultural biotechnology is soundly tested and regulated," said ASA President Marc Curtis, a soybean producer from Leland, Miss. "This report adds to a wide range of reports and studies that have looked in-depth at biotechnology and found it to be safe for consumers and the environment, and of great potential benefit."

The House Subcommittee report says years of research and experience demonstrate that plant varieties produced using biotechnology, and the foods derived from them, are just as safe as similar varieties produced using classical plant breeding. The report says the promise of agricultural biotechnology is immense, and advances in this technology will result in crops with a wide range of desirable traits that will directly benefit farmers, consumers, and the environment and increase global food production and quality.

The report found that the current generation of pest-resistant and herbicide-tolerant agricultural plants produced using biotechnology has reduced chemical inputs and improved yields for American farmers. The report says future adoption of new varieties will continue this trend and will solve intractable pest problems, help protect the environment, and lower costs to consumers.

According to the report, widespread use of pest-resistant crop varieties developed using agricultural biotechnology is unlikely to accelerate the emergence of pesticide-resistant insect strains and may actually be more effective in preventing their emergence when compared to spray applications of similar pesticides.

The report found that the concept of "substantial equivalence" in the regulation of foods developed using agricultural biotechnology is scientifically sound and provides a useful historical baseline for judging safety. And, the report says there is no scientific justification for labeling foods based on the method by which they are produced. Labeling of agricultural biotechnology products would confuse, not inform, consumers and send a misleading message on safety.

"ASA is pleased that in addition to its findings, the report makes recommendations that re-enforce sound science as the basis for oversight and policies affecting biotechnology products, labeling and marketing," said Curtis.

The House Subcommittee report recommends that Federal regulatory oversight of agricultural biotechnology should be risk-based and guided by the characteristics of the plant, its intended use, and the environment into which it is to be introduced, not by the method used to produce it.

The report says the FDA should maintain it current science-based policy on labeling of foods created using biotechnology as described in its 1992 Statement of Policy. There is no scientific justification for special labeling of food products developed using agricultural biotechnology, as a class.

The report recommends the Administration should work to ensure that markets for products of agricultural biotechnology are not restricted by scientifically unsound measures. The United States should not accept any international agreements that violate scientific principles and limit trade in, or mandate labeling of, a plant or food product based on the method used to develop it.

And, the House Subcommittee report says the Administration, industry, and scientific community have a responsibility to educate the public and improve the availability of information on the long record of safe use of agricultural biotechnology products and research activities.

The report points out that almost without exception, the crop plants in use today have been genetically modified. The development of new plant varieties through selective breeding has been improving agriculture and food production for thousand of years. The report says the development of the science of genetics in the 20th century was a tremendously important factor in the plant breeding programs that have produced the remarkable diversity of fruits, vegetables, and grains that we enjoy today and that provide food security for the poor nations of the world.

The report emphasizes that biotechnology has had an uninterrupted record of safe use, and it will be a key element in the fight against malnutrition worldwide. In addition, the merging of medical and agricultural biotechnology has opened up new ways to develop plant varieties with characteristics to enhance health.

"ASA commends the House Agriculture Committee and Subcommittee Chairman Nick Smith for their efforts to objectively examine issues surrounding agricultural biotechnology," said Curtis. "We all benefit from the continued responsible management of biotechnology, because our future is one where every consumer has the potential to benefit, many times over, from the variety of great accomplishments that will come from the biotech industry."