Former Congressman Heads Biotech Panel

January 24, 2000

Former Rep. Dennis Eckhart (D-OH) has been named chairman of an advisory committee on agricultural biotechnology. The committee will advise the Secretary of Agriculture on policy related to the creation, application, marketability, trade and use of agricultural biotechnology. A total of 38 members was named.

Eckhart was a member of Congress for 12 years, first elected in 1980. He served on the House Energy and Commerce and Small Business Committees. He currently is an attorney in Washington.

The panel holds its first meeting March 29-30 in Washington. Members include farmers, professors, scientists and representatives from companies with an interest in biotechnology.

"It is my hope that this group, which brings together people with a range of perspectives and experiences, will engage in the kind of thoughtful and civil debate on biotechnology that our country now needs," Glickman said.

A REUTERS article notes that critics have said biotech crops, designed to ward off pests and weeds and even provide more nutrients, can damage the environment or human health, create "super bugs" that may become even harder to control. Supporters says there has been no proof that biotech crops are harmful and that the technology will be the only way to provide enough food for an expanding world population.