Members of the soy family, including the American Soybean Association (ASA), United Soybean Board (USB) and the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) are in Europe this week participating in the 19th annual meeting of the International Oilseed Producers Dialogue (IOPD). The IOPD is an informal gathering of oilseed producer groups from around the world. Discussions have included how oilseed producer groups can work together to support market access issues, biofuels and the establishment of low-level presence (LLP) policies for biotech crops that would facilitate trade. A common challenge that producers in North and South America, as well as those in Europe are confronting, is action by governments to reduce the number of crop protection products needed by growers to fight weeds and pests.

Following the meeting of all oilseed groups (soybeans as well as rapeseed/canola and palm oil), representatives of the soy-producing nations will meet as the International Soybean Growers Alliance (ISGA). ISGA members will map out a work plan for the year ahead on the key market access and freedom to operate issues they wish to address, then meet with European Union (EU) Commission officials in Brussels to press the Commission to provide final approval of the three pending soy events that have been stalled in the EU’s approval process since January. Members of ISGA include Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Paraguay, the United States and Uruguay.