Keynoting the 2012 Feed Latina Congress in Punta del Este, Uruguay, U.S. Grains Council Vice Chairman Julius Schaaf emphasized that competition does not preclude cooperation on common priorities. For U.S. and South American feed grains producers, such issues include market access, greater understanding and acceptance of food security through trade, and increased international acceptance of biotechnology.

“Brazil and Argentina are major competitors with the United States,” Schaaf said, “but all exporting countries share a common interest in an open international trading system. Brazil and Argentina have also adopted biotech, and they face the same barriers to market access that we do. These are areas in which we can work together.”

Feed Latina is a feed industry association that represents the feed industry of Latin America, which produces roughly 137 million metric tons of compound feed annually. This translates into 82 million tons (3.2 billion bushels) of corn consumption annually valued at more than $25 billion. The Council was invited to discuss the future of U.S. corn industry and to give an update on the evolution of the U.S. ethanol and biotechnology sectors.

During the mission, Schaaf and Council staff met with representatives from the Argentine corn sector to discuss how corn growers globally can collaborate on issues that impact trade, such as biotech acceptance and perceptions of modern agricultural production methods.

“We had very candid and useful discussions about common problems and opportunities,” Schaaf noted. “As producers, we recognize that our grain customers define food security as having more than one country as a source of supply. We share a common challenge to overcome on biotechnology issues. Through the U.S. Grains Council, we will continue to find global partners and work together to overcome those barriers.”