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BIO Applauds International Support of Agricultural Applications of Precision Biotechnology

The following statement may be attributed to Joseph Damond, Executive Vice President, International Affairs for the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, in response to the United States and 12 other nations signing on to the International Statement on Agricultural Applications of Precision Biotechnology. The joint statement supports policies that enable agricultural innovation, including genome editing.

“Precision biotechnology tools like gene editing hold tremendous promise to advance agriculture globally and help countries achieve key milestones in the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, such as zero hunger, clean water and climate action. Public and private researchers around the world are using these tools to make food healthier, more resilient, abundant and affordable, and to better protect the environment and animal welfare. BIO continues to work with partners around the world to build a policy and business environment where innovative tools can be deployed to reduce hunger and poverty, as well as meet other societal needs.

“BIO applauds the U.S. government, and those of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Jordan, Paraguay, Uruguay, Vietnam, as well as the Secretariat of the Economic Community of West African States, for their strong support of agricultural applications of precision biotechnology, and encourage additional countries to join the global effort to enable precision biotechnology innovations, such as genome editing.   

“This effort sends a strong message that governments intend to cooperate to embrace science and risk-based policies and avoid arbitrary and unjustifiable barriers to trade.”