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[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 120 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

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;
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 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
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
            (1) as the world trading system moves toward a reduction of 
        tariff and nontariff barriers, all countries should work to 
        ensure that scientifically unfounded new barriers are not 
        erected;
            (2) the President should raise at the June 1999, G-8 Summit 
        the important issues surrounding the use of, and trade in, 
        agricultural biotechnology ; and
            (3) as world leaders prepare for a new round of 
        negotiations on agriculture in the World Trade Organization, 
        the G-8 Summit is an appropriate forum to seek a consensus with 
        the major trading partners of the United States regarding--
                    (A) recognition of the global benefits of 
                agricultural biotechnology, especially in meeting the 
                nutritional needs of millions of people in developing 
                countries;
                    (B) increasing consumer knowledge and understanding 
                of agricultural biotechnology and its benefits; and
                    (C) the adoption of rational, scientifically-based 
                systems for the regulation of biotechnology products 
                and for eliminating unjustified barriers to the use of 
                biotechnology products in international trade.
                                 <all>
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