Europe, Russia Views Toward Biotech Crops Still Di
9/7/2004 CHICAGO (Dow Jones)--U.S corn and grain leaders recentlyreturned from a trip to Europe and Russia and said attitudes concerningbiotechnology remain deeply divided on the continent, the National CornGrowers Association and U.S. Grains Council said Thursday in a joint pressrelease.A delegation of nine NCGA and USGC members spent nearly two weeks inItaly, Austria, Hungary, Poland and Russia. While there, delegationassessed the attitudes toward biotechnology, and the effects of theEuropean Union's new traceability and labeling requirements, the releasesaid.The issues of this trip were different than when the NCGA and USGCwent four years ago, the groups said in the release. Initially, Europeansargued biotech acceptance was a food safety issue, Dee Vaughan, NCGApresident, said in the release."Now they're arguing that biotech crops can't co-exist with organiccrops, and we're addressing that concern," Vaughan said in the release.Helen Inman, NCGA biotech working group chair, said European farmersrecognize the promise of biotechnology, but due to consumer attitudes viewit as a "hopeless endeavor."Inman explained that the farmers are worried there won't be a marketfor crops developed by biotechnology because of a widespreadmisunderstanding and fear of biotech products.In addition to the negative attitudes, not using biotech crops is moreaffordable due to government funding, according to the release. In Europe,the Common Agricultural Policy and member states offer price incentivesfor conventional and organic grains. Terry Wolf, chairman of U.S. GrainsCouncil, said in the release that this is causing E.U. growers to foregobiotechnology's potential benefits.
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