From Legislation to Implementation: Ensuring the EU’s NGT Framework Works for Innovation and Trade — 30 June 2026

Petra Jorasch is German and holds a PhD in plant molecular biology from the University of Hamburg.

She is an internationally recognized science, communication and industry advocacy expert with more than 25 years of experience in and a deep knowledge of the relevant policy frameworks for seeds, plant science and breeding, access and use of plant genetic resources as well as relevant intellectual property protection systems.

Petra worked for 13 years in the German seed sector at the interface of science and industry, managing intellectual property rights, public-private partnerships and technology transfer. From 2014-2017 she was Vice Secretary General of the German Plant Breeders’ Association (BDP) and its research branch GFPi (German Federation for Plant innovation).

Petra joined Euroseeds in February 2017 as the spokesperson of the EU plant breeding sector on modern plant breeding methods and innovative technologies. As of March 2026, Petra takes over the role of an Advisor Plant Breeding Innovation and Research in Euroseeds.

Fan-Li Chou joined the ASTA team in 2020. Prior to ASTA, Fan-Li served at USDA for over 10 years, including as the Agricultural Biotechnology Advisor to the Office of the Secretary and in positions with the Foreign Agricultural Service and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. She is an accomplished policy and program leader, with expertise in agricultural biotechnology regulatory, trade issues, and multilateral negotiations.

Fan-Li is an alumna of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and Technology Policy Diplomacy Fellow (2005-2006). She holds a Ph.D. in molecular biology and genetics from the University of Pittsburgh and completed her post-doctoral fellowship at the Scripps Research Institute and University of California, San Diego. She currently resides in Maryland with her husband, two daughters and her mother.

Suma Chakravarthy is a Senior Science Advisor in the Biotechnology Regulatory Services (BRS) program of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). She works with federal partners, leads international collaboration, and coordinates international communication to support science- and risk-based regulatory decision making. She also provides technical leadership for some of BRS’ regulatory operations. Prior to this, Suma was a Branch Chief in BRS’ risk analysis group, where she contributed to USDA’s implementation of regulations for biotechnology. Suma has worked at an international trade association where she supported its mission of global harmonization of regulatory policy for products of agricultural biotechnology. She has received a Ph.D. in the field of plant biotechnology and has several years of research experience in the molecular plant-microbe interactions.

Dr. Gary Rudgers is Director of Regulatory Affairs at Simplot Plant Sciences with over 25 years of experience in the regulation and safety assessment of genetically engineered and gene-edited plants. He earned a Ph.D. in molecular biology from Baylor College of Medicine and completed postdoctoral research at The University of Chicago. Gary has held leadership roles in biotech innovation and regulatory strategy at Chromatin and Dow AgroSciences and currently leads Simplot’s Regulatory Affairs team in advancing the safety of new biotech potato and strawberry varieties.

Senior Regulatory and Biosafety Executive with a demonstrated track record of enabling market access and safeguarding compliance for agricultural biotechnology innovations. Brings deep expertise in regulatory strategy for seeds and traits, including PVP and PVR, with accountability for complex approval processes, stakeholder alignment, and risk management across highly regulated environments.

Leads the development and execution of regulatory frameworks for genetically modified crops and genome edited crops, including corn, soybean, wheat and sugarcane, overseeing end-to-end dossier and risk assessments covering environmental, human, and animal safety. Strong experience interfacing with national and international regulatory authorities, including CTNBio (Brazil), USDA-APHIS (USA) and CONABIA (Argentina) and contributing to industry-level governance through leadership roles in agribiotech associations.

Internationally educated in biosafety, holding an advanced degree from the Università Politecnica delle Marche (Italy), complemented by an MBA in Business Process Engineering (UFRJ-Brazil) and a Master of Science in Plant Physiology and Biochemistry (USP/ESALQ-Brazil). Agronomic Engineer by UFSCar (Brazil), fluent in English, with extensive experience operating in global, cross-cultural environments.

Ed Barker is Head of Policy and External Affairs at the Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC). The AICs represents the agricultural value chain in the UK, covering five sectors: seed,agri-commodities, animal feed, fertilisers, and crop protection whilst running a number of trade assurance schemes. In this role, he leads on policy and overseeing the AIC’s UK government affairs activity.

AIC is represented by four European Trade Associations, COCERAL, FEFAC, Euroseeds and EFBA. Ed is a Board Member of COCERAL, the European association representing the trade in cereals, oilseeds, pulses, and agro-supply, and also sits on the UK Domestic Advisory Group (DAG) under the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement. Ed also Chairs a UK Government working group on gene editing and UK trade and the internal market.

Before joining AIC, Ed has had previous roles in agricultural policy in farm management, starting his career as a Parliamentary Researcher in the UK House of Commons.

A partner in 510 Ha arable family farming business in Suffolk in the east of England, Ed brings extensive expertise in shaping the regulatory and political environment for UK and European agribusiness