Policy & Leadership Development Conference 2018

Paul Spencer
Director, New Technologies and Production Methods Division
USDA/FAS


Mr. Spencer is a Senior Foreign Service officer with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service. He is currently the Director of the New Technologies & Production Methods Division based in Washington, DC. He leads the 12 person USDA-FAS global biotechnology policy team, promoting science-based biotechnology regulatory systems in key overseas markets. His office engages and negotiates with foreign governments on trade policies impacting over $30 billion in U.S. farm exports. Mr. Spencer began his career with the Department of Agriculture in 1994. From 2014-16, he served as the Director of the Animal Products Division, leading team of 12 professionals working to expand market access for U.S. meat, dairy, and live animal exports. From 2010-14, he was Agricultural Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Berlin and is responsible for USDA programs and policies in Austria, Hungary, and Germany. Prior to this, he was the Senior Agricultural Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. In that position, he managed technical assistance programs, promoted commercial activity, and provided agricultural policy advice to the Government of Iraq. From 2003-6, he was the Senior Agricultural Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo and worked on major trade issues such as agricultural biotechnology policy and market access for U.S. beef. He also served at the U.S. Embassy in Vienna from 1999 to 2003, where he had regional coverage. In Washington, Mr. Spencer served in the Department of Agriculture’s Biotechnology Group from 2003-2005. He has also worked on EU and WTO agricultural trade policy issues and on foreign food assistance programs.

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