III

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. RES. 120

Requesting that the President raise the issue of agricultural biotechnology

at the June G–8 Summit meeting.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

JUNE 14, 1999

Mr. ASHCROFT (for himself, Mr. HARKIN, Mr. GRASSLEY, Mr. HELMS, Mr.

BINGAMAN, Mr. BOND, and Mr. FITZGERALD) submitted the following

resolution; which was considered and agreed to

RESOLUTION

Requesting that the President raise the issue of agricultural

biotechnology at the June G–8 Summit meeting.

Whereas biotechnology is an increasingly important tool in

helping to meet multiple agricultural challenges of the

21st century;

Whereas genetically modified crops are helping to control

weeds, insects, and plant diseases to increase crop yields

and farm productivity, and to enhance the quality, value,

and suitability of crops for food, fiber, and other uses;

Whereas agricultural biotechnology promises environmental

benefits by reducing, or perhaps eliminating, the need for

chemical pesticides, by improving the efficient utilization

of fertilizer, thereby protecting water quality, and by conserving topsoil by reducing the need for tillage;
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•SRES 120 ATS

Whereas in recent years farmers have rapidly adopted agricultural biotechnology, with worldwide acreage of genetically modified crops growing from 4,300,000 acres in

1996, to 69,500,000 acres in 1998, which is more than

a 16-fold increase;

Whereas American farmers planted biotech crops on about 38

percent of the soybean acreage, 25 percent of the corn

acreage, and 45 percent of the cotton acreage, and within

a few years over half of the agricultural crops grown in

this country may be genetically modified;

Whereas increased agricultural productivity attained through

greater use of biotechnology, in both developed and developing countries, holds a great deal of potential for meeting the nutritional needs of the world’s population, of

which at least 800,000,000 currently suffer from hunger

or malnutrition;

Whereas despite the widespread adoption and extensive global

benefits of biotechnology, marked differences among

countries in their regulatory approaches are limiting substantially the use of, and trade in, agricultural biotechnology products;

Whereas an open international trading system for products

derived from plant and animal agricultural biotechnology

would make a broad array of improved products more affordable, including agricultural and food products, pharmaceuticals, and consumer products such as apparel,

paper, cosmetics, soaps, and detergents;

Whereas because of the importance of international trade to

the strength of the farm economy and the entire food and

agriculture sector, any unwarranted restrictions on trade

in biotechnology products could seriously disrupt the
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•SRES 120 ATS

farm economy and unjustifiably force farmers to choose

between using agricultural biotechnology and exporting

their production; and

Whereas the threat to agricultural production and trade from

restrictions on products derived from modern biotechnology has become serious enough to warrant the attention of world leaders: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that—

2 (1) as the world trading system moves toward

3 a reduction of tariff and nontariff barriers, all coun4 tries should work to ensure that scientifically un5 founded new barriers are not erected;

6 (2) the President should raise at the June

7 1999, G–8 Summit the important issues sur8 rounding the use of, and trade in, agricultural bio9 technology ; and

10 (3) as world leaders prepare for a new round of

11 negotiations on agriculture in the World Trade Or12 ganization, the G–8 Summit is an appropriate forum

13 to seek a consensus with the major trading partners

14 of the United States regarding—

15 (A) recognition of the global benefits of ag16 ricultural biotechnology, especially in meeting

17 the nutritional needs of millions of people in de18 veloping countries;
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1 (B) increasing consumer knowledge and

2 understanding of agricultural biotechnology and

3 its benefits; and

4 (C) the adoption of rational, scientifically5 based systems for the regulation of bio6 technology products and for eliminating unjusti7 fied barriers to the use of biotechnology prod8 ucts in international trade.

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