A Letter from the President

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PPB Priorities
A Letter from the President
PPB Ongoing
Activities Dear Fellow APS Members: 
Position Statements
Many of you may be aware of a recently released open letter to USDA Secretary Vilsack from Dr.
A Letter from the Don Huber. Although Dr. Huber is a member of APS and is coordinating a meeting through APS
President on behalf of the USDA National Plant Disease Recovery System (NPDRS), Dr. Huber does not
speak as a representative of APS or the NPDRS.
Public Policy
Interest We appreciate Dr. Huber bringing forth an issue that he believes is of concern, and look forward to
the availability of the data appearing in appropriate peer-reviewed outlets to support his claims so
that the breadth of the scientific community across plant, animal, and human health can fully
understand his concerns. 

APS supports the scientific process in bringing information about new maladies and their etiology
to light and hope that the approach has been undertaken in this case. The appearance of the
supportive data in peer-reviewed outlets would certainly facilitate the engagement of the broader
scientific community in this discussion. Additionally, as scientists it is good that we engage the
public, stakeholders, and policymakers, but please remember that our Manual of Operations
explicitly states, "Members of the APS speak only for themselves as professional scientists when
giving opinions or making statements."

Sincerely,

John L. Sherwood
APS President

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