US & EU - US Agriculture Secretary was in the European Union last week, emphasising the importance of agricultural trade in negotiations over the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP). Stumbling blocks to progress appear to include GM crops, hormones in beef and food processing technology.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was in Europe last week meeting with agricultural trade officials and stakeholders to expand US agricultural trade and to emphasise the importance of agriculture’s role in the T-TIP currently being negotiated, according to the US National Chicken Council in its Washington Report.
Mr Vilsack met with officials in Brussels, Luxembourg, Paris and Dublin to make the US case on disputed issues in farm trade, as the Obama administration and European Union work on negotiations in T-TIP.
The US Agriculture Secretary stressed the benefits that the trade agreement could have on both the US and EU economies.
However, grounds for disagreement on agricultural issues are numerous including issues regarding genetically modified (GM) crops and food processing techniques.
Meeting with reporters, Mr Vilsack said that if “sound science” shows such products and practices to be safe, European consumers should have the option of purchasing the food that results.
He said: “If we are truly interested in feeding the world, truly interested in doing so with less pesticides and chemicals and truly interested in doing so with more inclement weather and more intense weather patterns because of climate change, we are going to have to adopt science.”
Read more: Thorny Issues Revealed in US-EU Trade Talks - The Pig Site
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was in Europe last week meeting with agricultural trade officials and stakeholders to expand US agricultural trade and to emphasise the importance of agriculture’s role in the T-TIP currently being negotiated, according to the US National Chicken Council in its Washington Report.
Mr Vilsack met with officials in Brussels, Luxembourg, Paris and Dublin to make the US case on disputed issues in farm trade, as the Obama administration and European Union work on negotiations in T-TIP.
The US Agriculture Secretary stressed the benefits that the trade agreement could have on both the US and EU economies.
However, grounds for disagreement on agricultural issues are numerous including issues regarding genetically modified (GM) crops and food processing techniques.
Meeting with reporters, Mr Vilsack said that if “sound science” shows such products and practices to be safe, European consumers should have the option of purchasing the food that results.
He said: “If we are truly interested in feeding the world, truly interested in doing so with less pesticides and chemicals and truly interested in doing so with more inclement weather and more intense weather patterns because of climate change, we are going to have to adopt science.”
Read more: Thorny Issues Revealed in US-EU Trade Talks - The Pig Site
No comments:
Post a Comment