Presented by Shannon Schlecht, USW Director of Policy
2011 HGCA Grain Market Outlook Conference

Prudent Application of Technology Benefitting Producers and Customers

U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) supports the eventual commercialization of biotech wheat, and while this goal is at least a decade away for the United States, USW continues to work in concert with industry partners to develop a comprehensive strategy to address the concerns of our loyal overseas customers.

In preparation for the future commercialization of biotechnologically-derived wheat, we take the following positions:

1. We support and will work to ensure the ability of wheat producers to make planting and marketing choices based on economic, agronomic, and market factors.
2. We support the ability of our wheat customers to make purchases on the basis of specific traits. We commit ourselves to the principle that our customers' needs are vitally important.
3. We support and will assist in the development by all segments of the industry of an orderly marketing system to assure delivery of non-transgenic wheat within reasonable tolerances to markets that require it.
4. We urge the adoption of a nationally and internationally accepted definition of biotechnologically-derived products.* We also urge international harmonization of scientific standards and trade rules.
5. We support voluntary labeling of food products, provided it is consistent with U.S. law and international trade agreements and is truthful and not misleading. We oppose government-mandated labeling of wheat products in both the U.S. and international markets based upon the presence or absence of biotechnologically-derived traits that do not differ significantly from their conventional counterpart.
6. We support the establishment of a reasonable threshold level for adventitious or accidental inclusion of biotechnologically-derived traits in bulk wheat or wheat food products in both U.S. and international markets.
7. We are confident that biotechnology will deliver significant consumer and producer benefits and we support continued biotechnology research, and product and market development. We invite valued and interested customers to join with us in a working partnership to explore the emerging biotechnology industry.