The U.S. Department of Agriculture today unveiled a new Internet website which provides easy public access to the Department's vast amount of material on agricultural biotechnology issues.

"There is an incredible amount of information on biotechnology available through hundreds of sites on the Internet," said Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman. "By creating this new central website, we're providing a starting point for the general public, media, industry, academia and our international trading partners to access information about USDA's role in agricultural biotechnology."

Several USDA agencies have a role in biotechnology issues. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the Food Safety Inspection Service, and the Agricultural Marketing Service have regulatory functions involving biotechnology. The Agricultural Research Service, the Economic Research Service, and the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service conduct or fund agricultural biotechnology research. The Foreign Agricultural Service addresses trade issues related to biotechnology.

The new site offers answers to some of the most frequently asked biotechnological questions along with recent speeches by Secretary Glickman on agricultural biotechnology. The site also includes pages on biotechnology and trade, regulations, and research. It will be updated regularly as new reports and information are released by USDA. Links to many of the other government
agencies involved in biotechnology are provided.

The new biotechnology website can be accessed at www.aphis.usda.gov/biotechnology/.

USDA news release
N2213