Press Releases

Agriculture Committee Announces Subcommittee Assignments for the 108th Congress

Washington, DC: The Agriculture Committee today released Subcommittee assignments for the 108th Congress. Under the Rules of the House Agriculture Committee, the Chairman, Rep. Bob Goodlatte, and Ranking Minority Member, Rep. Charlie Stenholm, of the Full Committee serve as ex officio Members of each Subcommittee. Additionally Rep. John Boehner will continue in his position as Vice Chairman of the Full

Committee.Subcommittee assignments in their entirety are listed on the following links:

Conservation, Credit, Rural Development and Research

General Farm Commodities and Risk Management

Specialty Crops and Foreign Agriculture Programs

Department Operations Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry

Livestock and Horticulture

DATE February 21, 2003

GOODLATTE PRESSES EU TO DROP MORATORIUM ON IMPORTATION OF GENETICALLY ENHANCED FOOD
Meets in Brussels with EU Trade Commissioner

: - In a meeting this week with European Union (EU) Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte pressed the EU to drop their moratorium on the importation of genetically enhanced foods. He cautioned though, that the moratorium should not be replaced with new regulations on traceability and labeling, which Goodlatte says are unworkable, costly and do not improve food safety. Goodlatte and Lamy met at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium.

The European Union has had a moratorium on agricultural biotechnology for over four years. This moratorium may have influenced some developing countries, many in southern Africa which is presently in the throws of a severe famine, to reject much needed U.S. food aid because the shipments contained corn produced with biotechnology. These corn products are the same products that Americans have been using for years.

“The politicizing of agricultural biotechnology must end, so that we can return to providing food aid to the hungry as soon as possible,” Goodlatte said. “The EU’s policy is not based on sound science, and it is harmful not only to American agriculture but to those people throughout the world who are in the grip of starvation.”

Goodlatte joined the Speaker of the House along with several other members of Congress last month in writing a letter to President Bush in support of the U.S. government taking a case against the EU to the World Trade Organization (WTO) to protest the restrictions against importation of products produced through biotechnology. Goodlatte also met recently with EU Agriculture Commissioner, Franz Fischler, and raised similar concerns.

“Agricultural biotechnology can raise crop productivity, increase resistance to pests and disease, develop tolerance to adverse weather conditions, improve the nutritional value and taste of some foods, and enhance the durability of products during harvesting or shipping,” Goodlatte said. “We must continue this dialogue with the European Union so that this potential can be realized throughout the world.

America’s farmers and ranchers produce the safest most bountiful food supply on the globe. They seek only to share this bounty with those who need it most, while at the same time having fair access to all markets. I am committed to continuing to work towards making that goal a reality.”

Goodlatte was in Brussels as part of a Congressional delegation in Europe over the President’s Day recess.

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