Grassley Praises Trade Case Affirming Safety of Agricultural Biotech Products
M E M O R A N D U M
To: Reporters and Editors
Re: WTO agricultural biotech case
Da: Friday, Sept. 29, 2006
Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, with jurisdiction over international trade, today made the following comment over the findings of a World Trade Organization (WTO) panel that the European Union (EU) moratorium on the approval of agricultural biotech products violates the WTO obligations of the European Union. The panel also found that the bans on agricultural biotech products by six EU member states violate WTO rules. In 2004, Grassley urged the U.S. Trade Representative to bring this case.
“I’m extremely pleased, but not surprised, by this outcome. EU officials have admitted that agricultural biotech products are safe, so it’s clear that these EU policies aren’t based on science. The EU’s moratorium and the product bans by individual EU member states have caused real harm for U.S. farmers, including Iowa farmers. I hope the European Union and the individual EU members states will come into quick compliance with the WTO’s findings by removing these anti-biotech regulations that are based on political science, not sound science.”
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