Corn Growers, U.N. Officials Talk Biotechnology

May 21, 2002

United Nations' delegates and representatives from the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) met in St. Louis to discuss U.S. biotechnology policies and the 2002 farm bill and "found some common ground on biotech," said one official. Representing the United Nations were Ariel Fernandez of Argentina and Jon Erlingur Jonasson of Iceland. They met with NCGA Biotech Working Group Chairman and Assumption, Ill., corn grower Leon Corzine and NCGA Director of Development Tom Slunecka.

"We found some common ground on biotech," Corzine said. "Both men understand the potential benefits and they're comfortable with the science itself and the safety of biotech-derived food products, but they are worried about possible long-term environmental issues. "We were able to address their concerns by discussing our 'Know Before You Grow' programs and our insect-resistance management (IRM) practices," Corzine continued. "This was a great opportunity to voice our opinions and let people know our views and that's always important."

Discussion on the new farm bill also took place. "They liked the parts concerning the extra conservation spending," Corzine said. "In Argentina, they are taking more public lands to use as farmland, whereas in the United States, we're doing the exact opposite to improve our conservation."

NCGA has hosted several international visitors to discuss issues affecting the nation's corn growers. Most recently, NCGA met with agriculture representatives from Taiwan and France.