March 2, 2006
I am Steven Goldberg, counsel to BASF Corporation and here today representing CropLife America. CropLife America is the national trade association representing the developers, manufacturers, formulators and distributors of plant science solutions for agriculture and pest management in the United States. Our member companies develop, produce, sell and distribute virtually all the crop protection products used by American farmers. Our mission is to foster the interests of the general public and CropLife member companies by promoting innovation and the environmentally sound discovery, manufacture, distribution and use of crop protection and production technologies for safe, high quality, affordable, abundant food, fiber and other crops.
We commend Subcommittee Chairman Gillmor and the entire Committee on Energy and Commerce for your continued leadership on this complex issue. I appreciate the opportunity to testify before you this morning on the legislative proposals for implementing the Stockholm Convention on POPs and the Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP) Protocol on POPs, as well as the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade (PIC). I had the distinguished opportunity to appear before this Committee in 2004 on this very issue and I think you will find our position on these important treaties are as relevant today as they were then.
CropLife America supports the POPs and PIC international environmental agreements. The crop protection industry acknowledges its role and responsibility in protecting human health and the environment in the manufacture, distribution and use of pesticides. Our member companies are committed to the spirit and letter of these agreements, and we welcome the opportunity to make recommendations about their integration into U.S. law. We also recognize the importance of including a process in the legislation to guide U.S. decision-making on pesticides proposed for future inclusion in the international POPs listing.
It may seem obvious, but our industry’s products provide many benefits to people and the environment. Our products have an enormous beneficial impact on the availability of abundant and affordable food and fiber while also protecting people, animals, and our homes and businesses from disease-carrying and destructive pests. Pesticides control outbreaks of crop-damaging diseases, insect infestations and noxious weeds in order to enhance U.S. food and fiber production. Pesticides are also used to combat damaging and health-threatening pests and insects, and to control and eliminate vector-borne illness caused by rats, mosquitoes (such as West Nile virus and other encephalitis) and ticks (such as Lyme disease), among others. They combat cockroaches and mold/mildew in housing, restrooms, cafeterias and elsewhere, reducing known allergens that cause asthma and other disease. Other insects and plant pests, such as poison ivy, fire ants and spiders, are controlled effectively by pesticides.
Using a sustainable approach, pesticides also contribute to the production of an abundant food supply and combating world hunger and malnutrition. Sustainability using high-yield conservation helps meet growing demand for food, animal feed, timber and paper while protecting will...
