Plant Biotechnology

National Ag Day is a day to recognize and celebrate the abundance provided by agriculture. And today’s modern agriculture practices are more beneficial than ever before for the environment, the economy, food security and consumers.

As the use of agricultural biotechnology increases globally, people need information about food production that is truthful, so they can form opinions based on facts, not fear.

“I’ve never been a farmer,” Bill Gates confessed at The Chicago Council’s Symposium on Global Agriculture and Food Security. “Until recently, I rarely set foot on a farm.”

All programs at the BIO World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing are open to attendance by members of the media. Complimentary media registration is available to editors and reporters with valid press credentials working full time for print, broadcast or web publications.

Despite the fact that U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack believes that the regulation of genetically engineered agricultural products must be science-based, and that he has “no doubts about the safety of the products this system has approved and will continue to approve,” some state legislatures are considering bills requiring labeling for biotech-derived food. These bills defy existing science-based regulation and are wholly unnecessary.

You might have heard that the Prince of Wales, just days after hosting the Royal Wedding, paid us a visit here in Washington.  Prince Charles, a long-time organic food advocate and self-described environmentalist, was here to speak at a Washington Post symposium on the Future of Food.

Prince Charles likes to talk about “sustainability” so much that he used a version of the word 32 times in his recent speech about farming at Georgetown University.

With global food costs reaching such dangerous levels, ensuring a safe, affordable and abundant global food supply has never been as important as it is right now.

Thanks to genetic engineering, flowers are heartier and last longer after they’re cut.  And they come in a wider variety of shapes, sizes, scents and colors – even blue!

BIO has named Feike Sijbesma as the recipient of its 2011 George Washington Carver Award for innovation in industrial biotechnology.

Overhauled BIOTradeStatus lets users search for the latest information on hundreds of products.

ISAAA data shows countries around the world have embraced agricultural biotechnology.

Agency issues partial deregulation of Roundup Ready sugar beets while it prepares an environmental impact statement.

For over a decade, agricultural biotechnology has provided solutions for the world's farmers in the form of plants that yield more per acre and reduce production costs while being resistant to disease and insect pests.

Letters, Testimony & Comments

December 13 2011
These comments are submitted by the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) in response to the United States Department of Agriculture...
July 28 2011
The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) is the world's largest biotechnology organization, providing advocacy, business...
March 4 2011
Re: Draft Environmental Assessment: Use of Genetically Modified, Glyphosate-Tolerant Soybeans and Corn on National Wildlife Refuge Lands...
February 1 2011
"An Act establishing procedures for sampling plants protected by patent or other intellectual property laws; requiring mediation of...
January 20 2011
Compensation Tax Fund Will Hurt Farmers and Undermine Coexistence SUMMARY Coexistence in agriculture has been pushed to the forefront...

Press Releases

October 7 2011
Washington, D.C. (October 7, 2011) – In a case brought against USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection...
May 26 2011
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Monday, May 23, 2011) - The 2011 BIO International Convention will feature a series of high level...
May 23 2011
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Monday, May 23, 2011) - The 2011 BIO International Convention will feature a series of high...
May 5 2011
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Thursday, May 05, 2011) - The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) today thanked Agriculture...
April 28 2011
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Thursday, April 28, 2011) - Biofuel research and development companies will present progress in...