WASHINGTON, May 2, 2012 -Over the last three years,
Republicans have pointed to what some view as the Obama Administration’s attack
on conventional agriculture and what they describe as an onslaught of new
regulations that stifle ingenuity and the American entrepreneurial spirit.
But it appears that the man who campaigned on a strong
science-based platform in 2008 wants the public to know that those criticisms
aren’t true. Despite all of the promotion of organic food production, and
concerns about co-existence, the Obama administration whole-heartedly embraces
genetic engineering and other promises associated with biotechnology - at least
that appears to be the case from the National Bioeconomy Blueprint, released by
the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) last week, and an executive
order promoting international regulatory cooperation, released Tuesday.
The “blueprint”
outlines steps that federal agencies will take to drive the bioeconomy ‑
economic activity powered by research and innovation in the biosciences ‑ and
details ongoing efforts across the Federal government to realize this goal. The
document outlines five “strategic imperatives” with the potential to generate
new markets and economic growth:
1.
Support R&D investments that will provide the
foundation for the future bioeconomy.
2.
Facilitate the transition of bioinventions from research
lab to market, including an increased focus on translational and regulatory
sciences.
3.
Develop and reform regulations to reduce barriers, increase
the speed and predictability of regulatory processes, and reduce costs while
protecting human and environmental health.
4.
Update training programs and align academic institution
incentives with student training for national workforce needs.
5.
Identify and support opportunities for the development
of public-private partnerships and precompetitive collaborations—where
competitors pool resources, knowledge, and expertise to learn from successes
and failures.
Biotechnology
has already had a huge positive impact, the document said.
“In 2010, revenues
from genetically modified plants and microbes, a single economic indicator of
the U.S.bioeconomy, were estimated in one assessment to account for
approximately $300 billion in U.S.revenues, equivalent to more than 2% of gross
domestic product.”
The
blueprint also cites a recent report from the National Research Council, which estimates
that through the use of biotechnology-enabled control of corn rootworm, 10
million acres of farmland produced $231 million in additional annual revenue
from crop yield gains, reduced insecticide use by 5.5 million pounds annually,
and eliminated 5.5 million gallons of water annually from the farming process. Most
recently, the NRC report says, in December 2011, drought tolerant corn was
approved by the USDA, and strategies to improve other crops for
drought-tolerance are underway. For more on the blueprint, click HERE.
The White House also released an executive order Tuesday
directing the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs and the
Office of Management and Budget to convene a working group with USTR and
federal agencies to discuss international regulatory cooperation issues to “address unnecessary differences in
regulatory requirements between the United States and its major trading
partners.” For more on the order,
click HERE.
The executive order appears to be consistent with direction
outlined in the “Bioeconomy Blueprint,” noted Cathy Enright, Executive Vice
President, Food and Agriculture with the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), which applauded the
Blueprint.
BIO’s Director of
International Affairs, Matt O’Mara added that it’s “vital for the U.S. government to lead on international regulatory
cooperation, particularly in the area of agricultural biotechnology and
emerging technology.”
#30
Original
story printed in May 2nd, 2012 Agri-Pulse Newsletter.
