October

2006 International Biotechnology Information Conference

Dates: October 15-21, 2006

Locations: Iowa and Nebraska

The 2006 International Biotechnology Information Conference is an event that the Council and its partners have identified as an opportunity for showcasing the realities of the agricultural infrastructure to international decision makers and opinion influencers. This year’s conference was held in Des Moines, IA, and Omaha, NE, bringing together 75 key decision makers and public opinion leaders from over 20 countries.

The Council designed a forum in which participants gained a solid understanding of modern agricultural biotechnology, its potential to improve food security worldwide, and the importance of economic considerations as they apply to the development of biosafety regulations. The Council identified leaders who would benefit from firsthand exposure to the use of modern agricultural biotechnology and gave them the opportunity to inter act with growers and others throughout the value chain.

This conference presented opinion leaders with factual scientific information so that they will make more informed decisions regarding biotechnology as the global debate evolves. As a result, regulatory structures in key regions will become more open to the transboundary movement of products derived from agricultural biotechnology.

September

SEA Regional Biotechnology Communicators Workshop

Dates: September 4-7, 2006

Locations: Philippines

Many key decision makers in South East Asia have proven susceptible to the spread of misinformation of biotech for human and animal health as well as the environment. As a result, the legal requirements for the registration of biotech events are at best time consuming, and in many cases constitute a non-tariff barrier for shipments of grains. The ability to effectively communicate the issues surrounding both biotech seeds and foods—to both local and government stakeholders—will ultimately lead to the enhanced support for regulatory approval and commercialization.

To address these constraints, Council staff and membership collaborated with the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) to host a regional biotechnology communications workshop. This event targeted policy makers and public relations liaisons in South East Asia on biotechnology and risk communication. It also incorporated basic information in key elements such as risk assessment, economic impacts of biosafety regulations and site visits to encourage participants to use science-based information in policy decisions and communications efforts. The workshop provided participants with skills to speak on the issues that surround biotechnology, allowing them to present factual information about genetic modification in agriculture.

April

2006 International Media Biotechnology Study Tour

Dates: April 2 - 12, 2006

Locations: St. Louis, Missouri; Weslaco, Texas; Houston, Texas; Chicago, Illinois

The U.S. Grains Council sponsored travel for a group of foreign media representatives to make firsthand observations of the management, science and acceptance of agricultural biotechnology in the U.S. and around the world through direct contact with growers, regulators, researchers and industry.

The tour consisted of visits to farms, grower organizations, research facilities, seed companies and grain handling facilities throughout the U.S. The tour concluded in Chicago, Illinois where the journalists attended the BIO 2006 Annual International Convention. Here journalists were introduced to the latest in modern agricultural biotechnology and the breadth of its presence in today’s society.

For more information on BIO 2006, visit www.bio.org/events/2006/

Visited Facilities:

Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

Monsanto Company

Articles and Broadcasts

Below you will find links to newspaper or magazine articles and television or radio broadcasts that were published as a result of information gathered during the 2006 International Media Biotechnology Study Tour.

Translated versions of articles will be posted as they become available.

Executive Producer, RCN Radio
Colombia

Reporter, Milenio
Mexico

Reporter, Canal Once
Mexico

Reporter, El Financiero
Mexico

Editor, Bisnis Indonesia News
Indonesia

Journalist, Lidové Noviny Newspaper
Czech Republic

Reporter, Le Figaro
France

Journalist, Revista Semana
Colombia

Editor, OOO "RITs Severo-Vostok"
Russia

Editor, OAO "Izvestia"
Russia

Senior Staff Writer, The Standard News (Kenya), Biosafety News, and SciDev
Kenya

March

COP/MOP 3 Side Event

Dates: March 14, 2006

Locations: Curitiba, Brazil

A panel of international growers presented their views on biotechnology at a side event during the Third Conference of the Parties serving as a Meeting of the Parties of the Parties (COP/MOP 3) of the Biosafety Protocol (BSP).

ASIA: Philippine Grower Perspective, Edwin Paraluman
SOUTH AMERICA: Brazilian Grower Perspective, Almir Rebelo
NORTH AMERICA: U.S. Grower Perspective, Darrel McAlexander
AFRICA: South African Grower Perspective, Chief Advocate Mdutshane

Panelists:

Edwin Paraluman, Philippines
Edwin lives in General Santos city of the Philippines and his family’s livelihood depends on farming. He tills five hectares of corn and 3 hectares of rice. Edwin is on the Board of Directors of the Biotech Coalition of the Philippines and is the President of Nursery Farmers Irrigators Association. He is the son of a farmer, the second oldest in his family and the eldest among the boys. He is married with two daughters.

Chief Advocate Mdutshane, Republic of South Africa
Chief Advocate is a great, great descendant of Amanci tribe and has been a traditional leader in his tribe in the Eastern Cape province of the Republic of South Africa since 1998. He started farming in 1998 specializing in maize and livestock, and he is also involved in many community development initiatives as well as business related matters to uplift the standard of living of many.

Darrel McAlexander, USA
Darrel's ancestors farmed in southwest Iowa for over 100 years. Darrel has worked on the family farm since he was a child. He has served on Fremont County Extension for eight years, is active in the Iowa Corn Promotion Board and is an advising member of the U.S. Grains Council. He and his wife Jackie have been married for nearly 40 years. They have two daughters, both married, and three grandchildren.

Almir Rebelo, Brazil
Almir is a grower advisor and president of Friends of the Earth, a Brazilian grower organization.