November 30, 2000

Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman Wednesday asked the public to comment on what, if any, additional steps USDA should take to facilitate the marketing of biotech crops and help segregate these products from non-biotech products. A notice was to be published in today's Federal Register inviting public comment on how USDA should help facilitate the marketing of grains, oilseeds, fruits, vegetables and nuts in today's marketplace that includes biotech and non-biotech crops.

"In order to protect our domestic and foreign markets and ensure public confidence, it's essential that we improve our ability to identify and track genetically modified farm products," said Glickman, in remarks to USDA's Advisory Committee on Agricultural Biotechnology. "We want to provide a forum where the best ideas on this subject can be presented."

Some of the questions USDA seeks comment on include should USDA be involved in accrediting, reviewing or certifying the performance of food company identity-preserved systems? Should USDA establish biotech or non-biotech crop definitions as part of the current U.S. quality grades and standards? Should USDA expand its accreditation of laboratories to detect biotech grains and oilseeds to other biotech crops?

Glickman also said that USDA's Grain Inspection Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) will open a new biotechnology accreditation lab in Kansas City, Missouri, in January to help standardize the identification of biotechnology-derived grains. The facility will review, upon request and for a fee, laboratories testing grain for the presence of biotechnology-derived grain and will accredit those laboratories that meet performance standards.

In addition, the lab will enable GIPSA to evaluate test kits against the manufacturer's performance specifications for determining the presences of biotechnology-derived grains in bulk grain to ensure that these tests are accurate and reliable. Glickman said USDA would move ahead with several biotechnology research projects that the Committee recommended earlier

One project will evaluate several classes of the next generation of genetically transgenic plants -- ornamental grasses and plantation-grown trees -- with a focus on their potential impact on the environment and agriculture. Another project is a thorough evaluation of the use of sterility systems in controlling the spread of genetically altered organisms.

The third project is a study, in cooperation with the Food and Drug Administration, on USDA's role in evaluating food safety issues that might be raised by biotechnology, including how potential health risks may influence USDA's responsibilities and procedures for ensuring the safety of meat and poultry products.

Glickman created USDA's Advisory Committee on Agricultural Biotechnology last year to advise him on a broad range of issues relating to agricultural biotechnology and to bring together the many diverse voices and opinions regarding this technology. The committee is composed of a cross-section of individuals from government, academia, agri-businesses, ethicists, environmental and consumer groups.

In a further step to seek input from experts, Glickman last year also asked the National Academy of Sciences to form a Standing Committee on Biotechnology to review USDA's biotech approval process and evaluate ways in which it might be strengthened. USDA is one of three federal agencies, along with the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, primarily responsible for regulating biotechnology in the United States.

In a separate statement to reporters after his address, REUTERS reports Glickman said USDA is reviewing the conduct of Aventis SA the maker of StarLink gene-spliced corn that contaminated the nation's corn supply. "Generically, we are looking at the (Aventis) conduct involved in the disclosures and all sorts of things," Glickman said, adding that there was no formal investigation underway at USDA. "At this stage I would not want to comment on any penalties one way or another," he told reporters. "I suspect the company, whether it's with private litigation or whatever, is not out of the woods on this matter."