Taipei, March 30 (CNA) A U.S. State Department official is visiting Taiwan to learn about the status of the country's research and regulatory system for agricultural biotechnology, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said Thursday.
The U.S. State Department's senior advisor for agriculture biotechnology, Madelyn Spirnak, leads the U.S. effort to build an international coalition in support of a scienced-based approach to agricultural biotechnology.
She met officials from the Department of Health (DOH) for a discussion about food safety and made a presentation to the American Chamber of Commerce on the global status of agricultural biotechnology Thursday.
"I've come to Taiwan to talk to authorities about dealing with regulatory issues," Spirnak said, adding that she is scheduled to meet with local research institutes.
"Taiwan is very well-placed to develop in this field. With Taiwan's technology background, I can't see why Taiwan can't be competitive in this area," she said.
Approximately 90 million hectares (222 million acres) of biotech crops were planted worldwide in 2005, which is an 11 percent increase over 2004.
Citing U.S. consumer confidence in Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) products, Spirnak pointed out the importance of providing accurate information to the public. Building a reliable regulatory system also ensures public confidence, she said.
"In 10 years of cultivation [of biotech crops], there has been no instance of harm to humans or animals," Spirnak said, claiming that it proves biotech crops are at least as safe as conventional crops.
According to handout data sheets prepared by the AIT, 63 countries are conducting biotech research on 57 different crops. Fourteen countries are listed as "Mega-Countries" in devoping biotech crops, including the U.S., China, Argentina, the Philippines, India, Canada and Spain.
Spirnak will leave for Bangkok Sunday for the ASEAN meeting on agriculture biotechnology.