Coexistence focus of USDA biotech advisory committee
Farm and Ranch September 6, 2011 A reformed USDA Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century Agriculture, or AC21, met last week. The panel had been dormant since 2009 but Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack resurrected it and made new appointments. The focus of the meeting was coexistence among different agricultural production methods; conventional, organic and genetically engineered crops. Addressing that issue to the committee was Secretary Vilsack. Vilsack: “Each of you comes to this particular conversation I know from a particular point of view or particular experience in you lifetime that you bring to this table. We made a concerted effort to try and create an AC21 committee that was representative of the diversity of thought and attitudes about agriculture at every level in this country.” The 22 members of the advisory committee represent the biotechnology industry, the organic food industry, farming communities, the seed industry, food manufacturers, state government, consumer groups, the medical profession and academic researchers. The Secretary says the group will be responsible in assisting USDA in addressing elusive answers to some longstanding questions. Vilsack: “This is a very specific charge and very specific responsibility we are asking you to embrace, which is, is there a compensation mechanism or mechanisms plural, if so how would you implement them. And once you have established that, that will help inform any further conversation about other steps that could potentially taken that would allow folks to get along.” I’m Bob Hoff and that’s the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on Northwest Aginfo Net.
