Conference Announcement
Economics of Regulation of Agricultural Biotechnologies

March 10-12, 2005

Sponsored by

The Farm Foundation

The University of Maryland Center for Agricultural and Natural Resource Policy

The Giannini Foundation

Comfort Inn Pentagon
2480 South Glebe Road
Arlington, VA 22206

Registration

 

Registration includes all conference materials, morning and afternoon breaks, and lunch on Friday, March 11th. 

 

Send completed registration form via fax or mail to               (FORM ) (Or )

Liesl Koch

Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics

2200 Symons Hall

University of Maryland

College Park, MD 20742-5535

 

FAX: (301) 405-0991

Accommodations

Attendees should arrange for their own travel and accommodations. Call by FEBRUARY 10, 2005, to guarantee group rate of $129.00 for a single, $149.00 for double, $169.00 for triple and $189.00 for quad.

Specify that you will be attending the “University of Maryland” conference. 

For more information about the conference facilities, click on http://www.yourdchotels.com/pentagon/index.htm.

Call 703-682-5500 for reservation.

Background

Changes in agricultural technology are the wellspring of economic growth in developing countries and contribute importantly to economic well-being in rich countries. While they generally provide net economic benefits new technologies almost always involve some losers, and some of the negative consequences involve external effects on human health or the environment.

The development, release, adoption, and application of agricultural technologies is increasingly subject to public scrutiny and regulatory approval or other controls, reflecting concern about the consequences of technological alternatives. Technological regulations and the attendant regulatory processes differ among countries and states within countries, across industries, and across types of technologies. The regulations modify the rate and form of technological change and the distribution of benefits and costs. There can be no doubt that the economic consequences are very significant, but the full consequences of technological regulation in agriculture are not well understood. These issues have not been studied systematically by economists, and only a few quantitative studies have been done to date.

A two-day Conference (Thursday noon to Saturday afternoon) will be held in Washington DC on March 10-12, 2005 to present and discuss methods and current issues in the Economics of Agricultural Technology Regulation, with an emphasis on drawing together the collective state of wisdom on forces shaping technology regulation in agriculture (e.g., biotechnology, commercial pesticides, food and feed additives, international trade) and the consequences for the competitiveness of U.S. agriculture and the food system. Key findings and selected papers from the Conference will be published in an edited book, The Economics of Agricultural Technology Regulation.

Participation in the conference is invited from among representatives of the seed industry, chemical industry, feed industry, food industry, government regulatory agencies, Congressional staff, consumer interests, Experiment Station Administrators, and academics. We expect (a) to increase the general understanding by the public, farmers, agribusiness leaders, regulators and legislators of issues associated with technology regulations, and (b) provide a foundation based on collective wisdom of how society should manage new agricultural technologies to benefit consumers, producers, innovators, and society in general.
 

This conference is a part of the operations of NC-1003, Impact Analysis and Decision Strategies for Agricultural Research. Click here to link to the project website.

Planned Program   (Click Here for Printable)

March 10

12:00-2:00 PM: The Current Status of Biotechnology and Its Regulation

Session Chair: Richard Just   

·         Regulation of Agricultural Biotechnology in the United States – James J. Jones

                        Lead-off Questions: Kent Bradford

·         Managing Liabilities Arising from Agricultural Biotechnology– Peter Phillips

                  Lead-off Questions: George Frisvold

·         What Do We Learn for Biotechnology Regulation from the Pesticide Experience? – David A. Widawsky

                  Lead-off Questions: Erik Lichtenberg

2:00-2:15 PM Break

2:15-3:30 PM

Session Chair: James Wade

·         Status of Agricultural Biotechnology: An International Perspective – Bob Evenson

                  Lead-off Questions: Carl Pray

·         Regulation of Agricultural Technologies within the Context of U.S. Agricultural Policy – Bruce Gardner

                  Lead-off Questions: Julian Alston

3:30-3:50 PM Break

3:50-5:50 PM: The Foundations of Regulating Technology Risk

Session Chair: David Zilberman

·         Regulation of Technology in the Context of Risk Generation – Erik Lichtenberg

                  Lead-off Questions: David Widawsky

·         Incorporating Precaution and Biosafety in Regulation – David Ervin and Rick Welsh

                  Lead-off Questions: Nicholas Kalaitzandonake

·         Non-Pecuniary Impacts of Crop Biotechnology at the Farm Level: Survey  Evidence and Implications for Policy – Michele Marra and Nicholas E. Piggott

                  Lead-off Questions: GianCarlo Moschini

·         Costs and Benefits of Resistance Management and Refuge Requirements – Bruce Babcock and Silvia Secchi (No presentation – Paper available for distribution only)

March 11

8:00 AM-10:20 AM: Consequences of Regulation

Session Chair: Walt Armbruster

·         The Economics of Biotechnology Regulation – David Zilberman

                  Lead-off Questions: Wallace Huffman

·         Cost of Regulatory Approval for a New Biotech Product – Nicholas Kalaitzandonakes

                  Lead-off Questions: Greg Graff

·         Regulation and Labeling of Novel Biotechnology Attributes: Monitoring and Enforcement Issues – Harvey Lapan and GianCarlo Moschini

                  Lead-off Questions: Jill McCluskey

·         The Social Welfare Implications of Regulation on Keeping Trade Secrets, Licensing/Patenting, and Imitation – Jim Oehmke

                  Lead-off Questions: David Schimmelpfennig

10:20-10:35 AM Break

10:35 AM-12:20 PM: Political Economy and Industrial Organization of the Agricultural Technology Industry

Session Chair: Wallace Huffman

·         Anti-competitive Impacts of Regulation and the Causal Relationship between Concentration and Innovation – Richard Just

                  Lead-off Questions: Jim Oehmke

·         Regulation and Market Power of Technology Suppliers – Vincent Smith

                  Lead-off Questions: Dick Perrin

·         Regulation and the Structure of Biotechnology Industries – David Schimmelpfennig and Paul Heisey

                  Lead-off Questions: Richard Just

12:20-2:00 PM Lunch and Business Meeting for NC-1003

2:00-3:45 PM: Market Access, Trade, and Regulation

Session Chair: Julian Alston

·         Consumer Attitudes and Market Resistance to Biotech Products – Wallace Huffman and Matt Rousu

                  Lead-off Questions: David Zilberman

·         Segregation, Labeling, and Related Topics – Jill McCluskey

                  Lead-off Questions: David Ervin

·         Bt Corn and Mycotoxin Reduction: A Conflict Between Regulatory Decisions and Public Opinion – Felicia Wu

                  Lead-off Questions: Kym Anderson

3:45-4:00 PM Break

4:00-5:45 AM: International Regulation of Biotechnologies

Session Chair: Richard Perrin

·         Implications of Biotech Regulations and Acceptance for International Trade – Kym Anderson

                  Lead-off Questions: Colin Carter

·         Approval Processes and Labeling Regulations in Europe, Japan, Canada, and other MDCs: Implications of Varied Approaches – Colin Carter and Guillaume Gruere

                  Lead-off Questions: Peter Phillips

·         Registration Requirements and Their Costs and Implications: Lessons from LDCs – Carl Pray

                  Lead-off Questions: Joel Cohen

March 12

8:00-10:30 AM: Crop Specific Issues in Biotechnology Regulation

Session Chair: Carl Pray

·         Regulation of Biotechnology for Field Crops – Richard Perrin

·         Regulation of Biotechnology for Non-food Crops – Greg Graff

·         Regulation of Biotechnology for Forestry Products – Roger Sedjo

·         Regulation of Biotechnology for Specialty Crops – Kent Bradford

·         Regulation of Biotechnology for Orphan Crops in International Agriculture – Jose Falck and Joel Cohen

10:30-10:45 AM Break

10:45 AM-12:45 PM Crop Specific Issues in Biotechnology Regulation

Session Chair: George Norton

·         Bt Resistance Management: The Economics of Refuges – George Frisvold

·         Moral Hazard, Adverse Selection, and Grower Compliance with Bt Corn Refuge – Paul D. Mitchell and Terrence M. Hurley

·         Farmer Demand for Corn Rootworm Bt Corn: Do Insect Resistance Management Guidelines Really Matter? – Ines Langrock and Terrence M. Hurley

·         Irreversibility, Uncertainty and the Adoption of Transgenic Crops: Experiences from Applications to Ht-Sugar Beet, Ht-Corn and Bt-Corn – Sara Scatasta, Justus Wesseler, Matty Demont

12:45-1:00 PM Conference Wrap Up

Session Chair: Richard Just

·         What We Have Learned and Where Do We Go from Here – Julian M. Alston, Richard Just & David Zilberman

Directions