St. Louis, Missouri
March 21, 2006
The American Soybean
Association (ASA) today expressed cautious optimism about
U.S. preparedness for defense against Asian Soybean Rust (ASR)
as outlined in a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report
released today by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), ranking Democrat on
the Senate Agriculture Committee.
Overall, the GAO
report found that the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) has done a solid job of
monitoring cases of soybean rust in the U.S. and taking steps to
help U.S. farmers prepare to combat the disease. At the same
time, the report warns that soybean rust still poses a large
threat to U.S. farmers and highlights shortfalls and needed
improvements.
"We appreciate
Senator Harkin initiating this top to bottom GAO review of
USDA’s defenses against soybean rust in the U.S.," said ASA
President Bob Metz, a soybean grower from South Dakota. "We
applaud USDA’s efforts to combat the disease in 2005 and look
forward to continued progress in 2006 and beyond. Pooling our
collective resources, strengthening coordination and
communication between federal and state governments and the
soybean industry, and providing adequate federal funding will
help ensure the best defense against ASR."
Specifically, ASA
believes:
USDA’s
surveillance system (coordinated framework) was invaluable
to soybean growers in 2005. ASA will work closely with USDA
to build upon the successful 2005 program.
Continued,
predictable funding for ASR surveillance and reporting is
critical. ASA strongly supports the President’s FY 2007
budget request to provide $2.77 million for the soybean rust
surveillance program.
ASA remains
concerned about the availability of fungicides and calls on
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to approve
pending applications for soybean rust fungicides.
"Soybean farmers
remain committed to bringing rust-resistant varieties of
soybeans to market as quickly as possible," Metz added. "We’re
hopeful that USDA will continue to make progress in
strengthening our defense against and preparation for soybean
rust in this country. We stand ready to work together to develop
the best possible solutions to this continuing threat." |
