12-4 IAN AC - 21

12-4 IAN AC - 21

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
Knowing that genetically engineered crops would probably press a lot of buttons worldwide, to say nothing of within the United States,the Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century Agriculture (AC21) was originally established in February, 2003 and first met in June, 2003. Under its Charter, the committee is charged with examining the long-term impacts of biotechnology on the U.S. food and agriculture system and USDA, and providing guidance to USDA on pressing individual issues, identified by the Office of the Secretary, related to the application of biotechnology in agriculture. The AC21 is a broad-based committee representing a wide range of interests and agricultural expertise.

The AC21 has been revived by Agriculture Secretary Vilsack to focus on developing practical recommendations for strengthening coexistence among different agricultural production methods. The Committee will meet 3 or 4 times per year in public session to discuss this topic.

Here is Agriculture Secretary Vilsack : "If folks want to use genetically modified or genetically engineered crops, to increase productivity and to meet increased demand domestically and globally, they ought to be able to do that as long as they can do it in an appropriate way. If you want to be an organic producer and take advantage of that high value opportunity, you ought to be able to do that as well which is why we formed a program called AC 21 at USDA to try to look at ways in which producers could essentially coexist more effectively by understanding the various production methods and making sure that risks are minimized."

Previous Report12-3 IAN Wyatt on Ethanol
Next Report12-5 IAN Examining spuds