ASA raises concerns about post-patent registration of AG biotech traits

The American Soybean Association (ASA) participated in a meeting of the AgBiotech Planning Committee (ABPC) in Washington, D.C. and raised its concerns about the status of international registrations of ag biotech traits after their patents expire.

The patent for Roundup Ready soybeans is due to expire in 2014, and patents for soybean, corn, and other commodity biotech traits will expire over subsequent years.

Unless countries that require periodic re-registrations, including China and the European Union, adopt commercially viable thresholds for the presence of deregistered traits, U.S. shipments of soybeans and other crops would face possible rejection if registrations are not maintained.

At the ABPC meeting, ASA proposed establishment of a working group to develop recommendations for how to address this potential problem. Representatives of other farm organizations, the grain trade, and seed/tech companies indicated support for this initiative.

The meeting also included discussion of concerns being raised by organic farming interests over how to manage the "coexistence" of organic and biotech crops. Some organic supporters want to certify their products as "GM-free," as opposed to meeting the current 5 percent tolerance under the Organic Standards Act.

ASA and other ABPC members plan to meet with U.S. Department of Agriculture officials in the near future to discuss the direction of their review of the "coexistence" policy.