From July 9 to 19, Maira Dzelzkalēja, Deputy Chairwoman of the Association “Zemnieku Saeima”, participated in an expert study trip to America (USA), the aim of which was to get acquainted with and discuss with high-level US experts and entrepreneurs the currently under development The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is a trade and investment partnership between the European Union (EU) and the United States. If signed, it will create a historic set of conditions that will regulate trade between the parties. The agreement will indirectly affect all groups of goods and services, including the sensitive agricultural sector.

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Maira Dzelzkalēja, Deputy Chairwoman of the Board of the Association "Farmers' Council": “It was very valuable for me to be among five EU agricultural experts and try to understand the US position, as well as to explain the European Union's agricultural standards. Now that the negotiations for the agreement have begun, it seems that it will be difficult to find a common denominator on issues such as the use of hormones in livestock farming and GMOs. Realizing that no concessions are possible on either side, a new field of work opens up for the search for a common solution. For example, regarding GMOs, we cannot stop their cultivation in the US, just as no one can force Europe to grow genetically modified plants, but European farmers are ready to grow conventional varieties developed in the US and use animal feed containing GMO plants. I expect that in the coming years, many agreements will be reached during the negotiation process that will facilitate the complex mutual movement of goods between the two continents. I will not predict when and whether an official agreement will be concluded at all.”

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In various meetings and working groups in Washington, Iowa and Chicago, representatives of non-governmental organizations, research and administrative institutions and entrepreneurs from the European Union and the United States discussed the common and different issues in legislation, standards, procurement processes, product labeling, etc. during ten days. The largest discussions, not only with farmers, but with representatives of any institution, were about Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). The two continents also have different approaches to the use of hormones in livestock farming, the treatment of chicken meat with chlorine and geographical indications in product labeling. Currently, these are the main and largest opposing issues in agriculture, the successful resolution of which will largely depend on whether this cooperation agreement will be concluded.

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 In the USA, the approval or prohibition of any process or substance is assessed based on the results of scientific research. If they prove harmfulness and a health hazard, then they are banned, if not, then permission is given to use them. In the European Union, on the other hand, the primary requirement is to prove harmlessness to humans and the environment. Similarly, in Europe, public involvement in decision-making is much greater. It is important for the public to understand the processes, to be confident and knowledgeable about how food is produced, and how the sustainability of the environment and agriculture itself is ensured. Farming in the European Union is much more complicated, because there are a lot of laws and regulations to follow, and you also have to take into account that any member of society or group can express their thoughts or dissatisfaction with farming, and farmers must take this into account. In America, on the other hand, agriculture is a business and the public is not interested in what and how farmers produce. The main thing for them is that food is cheap and tasty. This is a very big fundamental difference.

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The trip was attended by agricultural experts from Denmark, Romania, Austria, Bulgaria, as well as experts representing small and medium-sized business development from France, Germany, Italy and Poland.

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We invite the media and all interested parties to attend an event on July 25 at 10:00 AM at the Ministry of Agriculture, room 315, where Maira Dzelzkalēja will speak in person about trade negotiations with the USA.

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 Photo from America. Behind the fence is GMO production, while on this side is organic production.