USDA APHIS Grain Commodity Sector Meeting

NAEGA and NGFA concerns were central to most of the discussion at 4^th Grain Sector Stakeholder meeting with the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (APHIS) leadership.  The importance of deploying the most trade supportive measures as part of regulatory implementation, including incorporating new and innovative practices like those provided for in the regulatory coherence and rapid response provisions in the Trans Pacific Partnership negotiated text was emphasized by NAEGA.  We were able to build upon excellent collaboration with top officials of this key USDA agency on electronic phyto certificates; developing SOPs on protocols and exit strategies when the agency becomes aware of biotech wheat plant material propagating after field trials (as has occurred in Oregon, Montana and most recently Washington state); the importance of the U.S. government getting buy-in from its international counterparts on appropriate premarket regulatory review of plant breeding innovation including transgenic/GMO events; and resolving current sanitary/phytosanitary trade-related issues including those with Mexico, Vietnam, China, Korea, India, and Russia.