CLA President: We Need More Global Agricultural Harmonization
August 16, 2012 CropLife America (CLA) president and CEO Jay Vroom called on approximately 500 attendees from around the world to focus more attention on the advancement of crop protection regulatory harmonization while speaking at the Farm Chemicals International Trade Summit August 6-8 in Miami, FL. To provide the most benefit to consumers and level the playing field for the world’s farmers, industry and regulators need to collaborate further to provide growers with timely and uniform access to the latest technology. In addition to technological advancement, the regulation of pesticide residue limits, or maximum residue levels (MRLs), must become more uniform throughout the world to encourage trade and streamline food monitoring processes.
“While stakeholders within the CropLife network have worked on registration requirement harmonization for more than two decades, additional forces have prevented the amount of progress the world needs,” Vroom noted. “Agriculture is one of the world’s most competitive and innovative industries, and considering that roughly 1 billion people do not have enough to eat every day, industry growth is imperative. As the global population continues to grow, the need to revise and streamline both the national and international regulation of agricultural technology, from crop protection chemicals to crop biotechnology, needs to become a priority.”
The three-day Trade Summit focuses on global issues affecting agriculture, and CLA’s Vroom participated in sessions that updated attendees on regulatory and trade issues for crop protection products in various countries. Topics ranged from the protection of water quality and biological diversity, to evolving human health testing requirements such as immunotoxicity and endocrine effects, as well as market trends and agricultural productivity forecasts.
During the Trade Summit, Vroom welcomed many international visitors to the U.S. and reminded them that America takes its intellectual property (IP) laws and regulations seriously. “Thank you for observing U.S. IP laws which have fostered great innovation that has benefited people everywhere. Through many existing and evolving trade agreements, the U.S. also seeks to gain greater harmonization of the rules and enforcement of IP protection. Partnership in these endeavors is welcome, and with additional collaboration between countries on innovation, technology and regulation, agriculture can reach new heights of productivity and efficiency.”
Farm Chemicals International is a sister publication to CropLife magazine. For more information on the Trade Summit, visit www.fcitradesummit.com.
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