USSEC worked with the Czech Grain & Feed Association to share scientific and market information on the special characteristics of U.S. soybean meal as compared with soymeals of other origins and other types of protein-rich ingredients. USSEC consultants Professor Gonzalo Mateos and Dr. Jan van Eys presented this data to top local commodity traders, livestock growers and compound feed manufacturers in Prague.
Dr. van Eys also introduced the commodity traders, livestock growers and compound feed manufacturers to the most current analytical procedures for soybean products used by the international leaders in the feed industry.

The Czech professionals were interested in the developments in the global soymeal markets and asked for price projections, which were presented to them by USSEC consultant Lola Herrera.
The USSEC team also talked about the European Commission’s (EC) proposal that would give member states the right to restrict or ban the use of biotech products in their territory. Jerzy Kosieradzki, USSEC Northeast European consultant, made the Czech customers aware that governments of exporting countries, along with industry and NGOs, were concerned that it would lead to disruption of trade through an ‘opt out’ on imports and seriously harm European livestock and poultry producers and the feed industry, ultimately resulting in higher prices for supplies. The current approval system could be compromised during the proposal legislative debate. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has also warned that the proposal could impact Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations with the European Union (EU).

USSEC’s Czech partners were encouraged to demand a clear definition of the use mentioned in the proposal and work at both national and international levels to prevent this harmful “opt out” legislation.
Josef Svoboda, Director General of the Czech Grain & Feed Association met with USSEC reps after the event and said that the seminar provided local industry members with a great deal of professional information delivered in an easy to understand format.