US soybean group says biotech snafu won't hurt trade
Date: 15-Nov-02
Country: USA
The U.S. Agriculture Department confirmed that it was investigating whether a small amount, 500,000 bushels, of conventional soybeans were contaminated by residue from biotech corn that had been genetically engineered to produce pharmaceutical compounds.
USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service quarantined the soybeans manufactured by privately-held ProdiGene Inc.
"Our view is that it shouldn't (have an impact on trade) because very clearly APHIS did take action," said Stephen Censky, chief executive officer of the American Soybean Association headquartered in St. Louis.
Censky added that he has heard no suggestions that major soybean importers might be re-thinking purchases of U.S. soybeans.
U.S. government agencies have given assurances, Censky said, "that there is absolutely none of the crop in question that has entered the food supply."
The United States is the world's largest soybean producer, with a 2.7-billion bushel (73.2 million tonne) crop expected in 2002/03, according to USDA. Of that, 890 million bushels (24.2 million tonnes) will be exported.
Among major soybean importers are China, Japan, South Korea, Mexico and the EU. However, the EU has put a moratorium on imports of new biotech products, largely because of consumer opposition in some member countries.
About 70 percent of U.S. soybeans are grown from genetically-engineered seeds.
Censky criticized ProdiGene's role in this latest biotech problem, saying, "I think very clearly the company wasn't as aggressive and attentive as it should have been." He added, "I think very clearly farmers and the government expect that companies that are producing the pharmaceutical or industrial (biotech) crops have to do so under very strict and very meticulous protocols."
ProdiGene is in the early stages of developing pharmaceutical corn.
Asked whether the United States needs to create tougher geographic barriers separating biotech crops from non-biotech ones, Censky said his organization has been working with government "to see whether there's any further strengthening or tightening in the regulatory system" needed.
