soybean field

USSEC is Participating in ISGA Mission to the EU

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United Soybean Board (USB) chairman Bob Haselwood, USSEC board member and ASA secretary Ron Moore, USSEC Marketing Director - Market Access/Freedom to Operate Roz Leeck, and USSEC consultants Benno van der Laan and David Green will take part in the International Soybean Growers Alliance (ISGA) mission to the EU from November 14-22. The USSEC team will attend meetings in East Midlands, UK; Copenhagen, Denmark; Berlin and Bonn, Germany; and Brussels, Belgium.
U.S. and South American soybean farmers will discuss biotechnology acceptance and the implications of biotech approval delays with government officials, industry partners and other key influencers in Europe. U.S and South American farmers represent more than 95 percent of the world’s soybean exports. Although they normally battle for international market share, they work together through the ISGA to advocate for a science-based and more predictable biotech approval process.
“Soybeans are part of a global market,” said Mr. Haselwood. “We need a collaborative effort across the U.S., South America and the European Union to work toward timely approvals for new biotech traits. These traits will help us continue to supply a safe, reliable and abundant food supply for the world’s consumers.”
A study released during an ISGA trade mission earlier this year showed that a three-year postponement in global approval of biotech-enhanced soybean traits any time in the next 10 years would cost farmers and consumers nearly $19 billion, compared with typical approval timelines.
“The global supply chain is a powerful economic engine that benefits not only farmers and consumers but also stakeholders at each stage in between,” Mr. Moore stated. “The soybeans we grow create jobs in the U.S. and in each of our export markets. These economic benefits can’t be fully realized without a fully functioning biotech approval process.”