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   *     Gilbert A. Leveille, Ph.D., Vice President, Nabisco Foods Group  ((https://web.archive.org/web/19970506023101/http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/ANSWERS/ANS00424.html))
+==== Destroying Precautionary Principle ====
+On May 13, 2003, U.S. Trade Representative [[:Robert Zoellick]] and Agriculture Secretary [[:Ann Veneman]] announced that the United States, Argentina, Canada, and Egypt would file a WTO case against the European Union over its illegal 5-year moratorium on approving agricultural biotech products.
+=== House Resolution 252 HR252 ===
+This an important discussion. Maybe it would be reasonable, Mr.  Speaker, to start out trying to explain what is biotechnology?
+Gregor Mendel discovered dominant and recessive traits in plants in the mid 19th century. He started taking two quality plants and crossing them to see if you could come out with an improved variety. So we have
+had cross-breeding, we have had hybrid breeding ever since. Now we have finished gene cataloguing of an agricultural plant called the Arabidopsis, a mustard plant.
+But with 25,000 genes, you just took your chances when mixing two plants together. Sometimes the product turned out poisonous or allergenic. Sometimes it was very undesirable for a raft of other reasons.
+**Now we have the scientific technology to pick out one single gene and decide what characteristics are going to evolve from that gene, and instead of taking your chances by mixing 25,000 or 30,000 genes of two plants, you pick out one gene because you want a certain characteristic. You put it into that other plant and predetermine what is going to happen as a result**.
+Now, there is a lot of scare of what might happen generations from now.
+[[Page 14269]]
+Look, the possibilities in developing countries are so tremendous.
+That is why our whip mentioned that the day after tomorrow I am holding a hearing on biotechnology. The Speaker is going to lead off the testimony in that hearing on the potential and safety of biotechnology.
+We are going to have [[:Rita Calwell]] from [[:NSF]] come to tell us about the implementation of what we put in my NSF bill in terms of working with African scientists, developing products that are going to help their
+particular country. And if we get into Africa, eventually, science and biotechnology are going to prevail. We are going to have Mr. Natsios, the administrator of AID, say how important it is that we do not
+restrict this technology for developing countries.
+Vote for this resolution and vote to let science, not emotion, rule the future of agricultural biotechnology.
+On May 12th, the Speaker of the House and members of Congress joined with the Bush Administration to challenge the European Union's import ban on genetically modified (GM) crops. WTO rules, while allowing countries to reject imports on the basis of health and environmental concerns, require that any such policy be supported by scientific evidence.
+However, the EU has refused to process new applications for trade of transgenic food crops since 1998 without even attempting to demonstrate any compelling scientific reasons. It is estimated that over $300 million annually in U.S. corn exports alone are being lost.
+Even EU Enviroment Commissioner [[:Margot Wallstrom]] has admitted that, ``We have already waited too long to act. The moratorium is illegal and not justified.''
+While the EU stance on GM crops is an unfair economic burden on American farmers, it is also an unjust burden on the world's poorest continent. With approximately 180 million undernourished people, Africa stands to benefit tremendously from GM crops.
+The EU is exploiting Africa's dependence on the EU market to stall acceptance of GM crops. For example, with its population literally starving last year, Zambia rejected 23,000 metric tons of U.S. food aid because Europe might reject future Zambian corn exports. EU pressure is even impeding research on new transgenic crop varieties important to bringing Africa closer to sustainability.
+The Speaker of the House, [[:USAID]] Administrator, and leading scientists will testify at my Research Subcommittee hearing this Thursday. We will examine barriers to plant biotechnology in Africa and new government programs supporting partnerships with African scientists in Africa.
+The U.S. challenge moves us one step closer to removing unfair barriers that hurt American farmers and deny the people of Africa a tool for combating hunger. Please support H. Res. 252. ((https://web.archive.org/web/20220912215130/https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CRECB-2003-pt11/html/CRECB-2003-pt11-Pg14266.htm))
 ==== Biography ====