The funds must be made available and we look to our strong relationships with international agencies for associated commitments. Technology is rapidly affecting trade. The truth is, it always has. But now, the impact of technology stretches from the farm to the supermarket shelf. It impacts on every step in growing and processing and very importantly attracts the attention of consumer groups.
Technical change is unstoppable.
Genetically Modified Organisms are here to stay. Therefore, our challenge is to influence this technology change to see that we have some equity in benefits from the progress, and that the technology is distributed fairly to all farmers. Already many countries are experiencing the lack of access to new seeds and crops due to Plant Variety Rights or patented genetic engineering processes. The issues of access, cost and legislative responses are now worldwide problems for fair resolution. Our policy paper touches the issues, but we have much more serious debates and outcomes to deal with.