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Bayer will not release traits without China’s import approval

Liam Condon, Bayer CropScience CEO Trade acceptance is a highly sensitive issue in agriculture.  Liam Condon, CEO of Bayer CropScience tells Brownfield his company will not release traits for sale in the U.S. until receiving import approval from China. (Photo courtesy of ZimmComm)

“At the moment, our policy is very clear.  If our traits are not deregulated in China, as a major importing market, we will not launch our traits in the U.S. because we don’t believe that there is an adequate stewardship system in place to prevent those traits might end up in China.”

Condon remains positive that China will change its approval process soon, but in the end, innovation cannot be stopped.  If it takes many years, he told Brownfield, growers might get together and decide to change stewardship policy within the U.S.

“We can’t prevent innovation being launched in the U.S. because China’s not deregulating on time.”

Condon said any such stewardship system needs to be watertight and would take a great deal of time and effort to perfect.  In the short-term, he doesn’t see any changes in his company’s policy, and said American farmers he met with during last week’s Corn Soy Future Meeting in Frankfurt, Germany are pleased with Bayer’s policy.

 

AUDIO:  Conversation with Liam Condon about trade acceptance.

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