IV

108TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. RES. 252

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives supporting the United

States in its efforts within the World Trade Organization (WTO) to

end the European Union’s protectionist and discriminatory trade practices of the past five years regarding agriculture biotechnology.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MAY 22, 2003

Mr. BLUNT (for himself, Mr. HASTERT, Mr. DELAY, Ms. PRYCE of Ohio, Mr.

GOODLATTE, Mr. STENHOLM, and Mr. CARDOZA) submitted the following

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives supporting the United States in its efforts within the World

Trade Organization (WTO) to end the European Union’s

protectionist and discriminatory trade practices of the

past five years regarding agriculture biotechnology.

Whereas agriculture biotechnology has been subject to the

strictest testing, based on sound science, by the United

States Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug

Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency

prior to commercialization or human consumption;

Whereas Americans have been consuming genetically-modified

corn and soybean products, which are subject to a rig-
2

•HRES 252 IH

orous Federal review process, for years with no documentation of any adverse health consequences;

Whereas, according to recent studies, biotechnology has made

substantial contributions to the protection of the environment by reducing the application of pesticides, reducing

soil erosion and creating an environment more hospitable

to wildlife;

Whereas agriculture biotechnology holds tremendous promise

for helping solve food security and human health crises

in the developing world;

Whereas there is objective and experience-based agreement in

the scientific community, including the National Academies of Science, the American Medical Association, the

Royal Society of the United Kingdom, the French Academy of Medicine, the French Academy of Sciences, the

joint report of the national science academies of the

United Kingdom, the United States, Brazil, China, India

and Mexico, twenty Nobel Prize winners, leading plant

science and biology organizations in the United States

and thousands of individual scientists, that biotech foods

are safe and valuable;

Whereas European Union decisions on agriculture and food

biotechnology are being driven by policies that have no

scientific justification, do not take into account its capacity for solving problems facing mankind, and are critical

of the leading role of the United States in scientific advancement;

Whereas since the late 1990s, the European Union has opposed the use of agriculture biotechnology and pursued

policies which result in slowing the development and support of genetically-engineered products around the world;
3

•HRES 252 IH

Whereas the five-year moratorium on the approval of new agriculture biotechnology products entering the European

market has no scientific basis, effectively prohibits most

United States corn exports to Europe, violates European

Union law, and clearly breaches World Trade Organization (WTO) rules;

Whereas since its implementation in October 1998, the moratorium has blocked more than $300,000,000 annually in

United States corn exports to countries in the European

Union;

Whereas the European Union’s unjustified moratorium on

agriculture biotech approvals has ramifications far beyond the United States and Europe, forcing a slowdown

in the adoption and acceptance of beneficial biotechnology

to the detriment of starving people around the world; and

Whereas in the fall of 2002 it was reported that faminestricken African countries rejected humanitarian food aid

from the United States because of ill-informed health and

environmental concerns and fear that future exports to

the European Union would be jeopardized: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives supports

2 and applauds the efforts of the Administration on behalf

3 of the Nation’s farmers and sound science by challenging

4 the long-standing, unwarranted moratorium imposed in

5 the European Union on agriculture and food biotech prod6 ucts and encourages the President to continue to press

7 this issue at the G–8 Summit in June 2003.

Æ