# Advisory Committee on Biotechnology & 21st Century Agriculture (AC21) Meeting: March 8-9, 2004

**Fourth Plenary Meeting**

**March 8-9, 2004**

Oasis Room\
Sphinx Club\
1315 K Street, NW\
Washington, DC 20005

**Draft Agenda**

**Meeting Objectives:**

-   Review a draft introduction to the report examining the impacts of
    agricultural biotechnology on American agriculture and USDA over the
    next five to ten years;

-   Review the progress of two workgroups, one on potential issues,
    concerns, and benefits and a second on scenario-setting;

-   Provide workgroups guidance in adapting the information they have
    developed into chapters of the committee report;

-   Consider preliminary presentations and introductory discussions
    related to trends in public versus private biotechnology research
    and implications for public research; and

-   Discuss the progress of a work group drafting a separate report for
    the committee's consideration on the issue of the proliferation of
    traceability and mandatory labeling regimes for
    biotechnology-derived products in other countries, the implications
    of those regimes, and what industry is doing to attempt to address
    those requirements for products shipped to those countries.

**Day I**

8:30 --- Coffee Available

9:00-9:15 --- Welcome

-   Dr. Michael Schechtman, Designated Federal Official, USDA

-   Dr. Patricia Layton, Chairperson

9:15-9:30 --- Review December 4-5, 2003 Meeting Minutes and Outline
Agenda

-   Facilitators

    -   Cynthia Sulton, HW&W

    -   Abby Dilley, RESOLVE

9:30--10:00 --- Review draft introduction to report examining the
impacts of agricultural biotechnology on American agriculture and USDA

10:00--11:00 --- Discussion of progress of workgroup on Issues,
Benefits, and Concerns

11:00--11:15 --- Break

11:15-12:00 --- Discussion of how to adapt the information developed on
Issues, Benefits, and Concerns into a chapter of the committee report

12:00-1:30 --- Break for Lunch

1:30-3:15 --- Discussion of progress of workgroup on Scenario-Setting

3:15-3:30 --- Break

3:30 --- Public Comment

5:00 --- Adjourn

**Day II**

8:30 --- Coffee Available

9:00-10:30 --- Introduction and Presentations on Trends in Public versus
Private Biotechnology Research

-   Introduction (Michael Schechtman)

-   Michael Ruff, USDA, ARS, "Turning government innovations in
    agricultural biotechnology into marketable products"

-   Randy Woodson, Purdue University, "Publicly funded agricultural
    biotechnology research and the challenges to bringing products to
    market"

10:30-10:45 --- Break

10:45-12:30 --- Further presentations on Trends in Public versus Private
Biotechnology Research and committee discussion

-   David Ervin, Portland State University, "University-Industry

-   Relationships in Agricultural Biotechnology: Filling the\
    Information Gaps"

-   Anatole Krattinger, Cornell University, "Challenges in bringing
    public sector biotechnology products to developing country farmers"

12:30-1:45 --- Break for Lunch

1:45-2:45 --- Discussion of progress of work group on other countries'
traceability and labeling regimes for biotechnology-derived products.

2:45-3:30 --- Guidance to work group on how to adapt the information
developed on traceability and labeling into a report

3:30-3:45 --- Break

3:45-4:45 --- Discussion of Work Plan and Next Steps

4:45-5:00 --- Summary of Fourth Plenary Session

5:00 --- Adjourn