Chairman Conaway Criticizes European Union Proposal Allowing Member States to Impose Arbitrary Barriers to Trade

House Committee on Agriculture Chairman K. Michael Conaway (R-TX) issued the following statement on the European Commission’s proposal to allow EU countries to ignore science-based safety and environmental determinations made by the European Union and “opt out” of imports of products of biotechnology.

“Today’s announcement by the European Union that it will allow individual member states to impose arbitrary moratoria on products of agricultural biotechnology ignores the scientific consensus regarding the safety of these products and flies in the face of existing trade agreements” said Chairman Conaway said.  “At a time when Europe and the United States are engaged in negotiations to expand market opportunities for producers on both continents, this decision raises serious questions regarding Europe’s commitment to these negotiations.”