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EU bans contaminated rice imports
ABC Rural
Thursday, 24/08/2006
Australia
The European Union (EU) has stopped imports of US rice, which has been found to contain an unapproved genetically-engineered variety.
American authorities will have to prove rice shipments are free of GM traces, before they will be allowed in.
The EU's emergency measures follow discovery of tracts of experimental GE rice in US commercial supplies.
Germany's Bayer CropScience developed "LL Rice 601".
US Rice Federation spokesman David Coia claims the decision is preliminary.
"We're waiting for the final decision by the stating committee," he said.
"I think it's important to recognise that the US Food and Drug Administration has declared that the long grain rice variety in question is safe."
But the EU says its ban will last at least six months.
The conventional EU rice market is worth almost $100 million a year to the US industry.
abc.net.au
EU: All US long-grain rice must be tested before entry
24 August 2006| Source: Alan Osborn
The EU has demanded that all long grain rice from America must be tested and found to be free of GM before being allowed entry, the European Commission announced Wednesday.
The notice was served following disclosure that small amounts of an unauthorised type of genetically engineered long grain rice had found its way into the feed and food chain in the US. Japan has already blocked all imports of US long grain rice.
The EU imported 198,000 tonnes of long grain rice from the US, worth EUR52m (US$66.7m), last year. The US Department of Agriculture said the rice and the protein it contained "is not a threat to human health or plant life," adding it was reviewing the EU's demands.
just-food.com
Japan mulls testing U.S. rice for unapproved GMO
KTIC 840 Rural Radio
TOKYO, Aug 24, 2006 (Reuters) - Japan is considering testing rice shipments from the United States to prevent supplies tainted with an unapproved genetically modified (GMO) variety from entering the domestic market, government officials said on Thursday.
Japan has a zero-tolerance policy on imports of unapproved GMO crops, and importers of crops tainted with unapproved GMO must destroy them or ship them back to exporting countries.
The U.S. Agriculture Department disclosed last week that unapproved GMO rice strain LLRice 601 owned by Bayer CropScience, a division of Bayer AG <BAYG.DE>, was detected in long grain rice targeted for commercial use.
It was the first time that unmarketed genetically engineered rice had been found in rice used in the U.S. commercial market. Bayer has refused to discuss how extensive the contamination could be.
Although Japan imports only short- and medium-grain rice from the United States, the largest rice exporter to the country, it cannot rule out the possibility that U.S. rice cargoes arriving in Japan might contain LLRice 601, officials said.
"We are considering whether to test U.S. rice and rice products upon arrival," said an official at Japan's Health Ministry.
In an effort to ease fears of U.S. rice customers, U.S. government scientists are rushing to certify a test that would identify LLRice 601. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said on Wednesday that a valid certified testing protocol should be available by the end of the week.
Japan will make a decision on U.S. rice testing after getting certified testing protocol from the United States, the Health Ministry official said.
Japan has already suspended imports of U.S. long-grain rice. But after obtaining U.S. testing protocol, the government will allow imports of U.S. long-grain rice to restart, except for shipments tested positive for traces of LLRice 601, he said.
Japan has put rice imports under the state trading system as the grain is the nation's staple food, with the Agriculture Ministry acting as a rice importer.
The ministry is obliged to buy about 770,000 tonnes of foreign rice on a brown rice basis under the World Trade Organisation's (WTO) minimum access programme.
Between Jan. 1 and Aug. 18, Japan imported about 235,000 tonnes of short- and medium-grain rice from the United States. It also imported about 17,000 tonnes of processed rice from the United States during that period.
kticam.com
ABC Rural
Thursday, 24/08/2006
Australia
The European Union (EU) has stopped imports of US rice, which has been found to contain an unapproved genetically-engineered variety.
American authorities will have to prove rice shipments are free of GM traces, before they will be allowed in.
The EU's emergency measures follow discovery of tracts of experimental GE rice in US commercial supplies.
Germany's Bayer CropScience developed "LL Rice 601".
US Rice Federation spokesman David Coia claims the decision is preliminary.
"We're waiting for the final decision by the stating committee," he said.
"I think it's important to recognise that the US Food and Drug Administration has declared that the long grain rice variety in question is safe."
But the EU says its ban will last at least six months.
The conventional EU rice market is worth almost $100 million a year to the US industry.
abc.net.au
EU: All US long-grain rice must be tested before entry
24 August 2006| Source: Alan Osborn
The EU has demanded that all long grain rice from America must be tested and found to be free of GM before being allowed entry, the European Commission announced Wednesday.
The notice was served following disclosure that small amounts of an unauthorised type of genetically engineered long grain rice had found its way into the feed and food chain in the US. Japan has already blocked all imports of US long grain rice.
The EU imported 198,000 tonnes of long grain rice from the US, worth EUR52m (US$66.7m), last year. The US Department of Agriculture said the rice and the protein it contained "is not a threat to human health or plant life," adding it was reviewing the EU's demands.
just-food.com
Japan mulls testing U.S. rice for unapproved GMO
KTIC 840 Rural Radio
TOKYO, Aug 24, 2006 (Reuters) - Japan is considering testing rice shipments from the United States to prevent supplies tainted with an unapproved genetically modified (GMO) variety from entering the domestic market, government officials said on Thursday.
Japan has a zero-tolerance policy on imports of unapproved GMO crops, and importers of crops tainted with unapproved GMO must destroy them or ship them back to exporting countries.
The U.S. Agriculture Department disclosed last week that unapproved GMO rice strain LLRice 601 owned by Bayer CropScience, a division of Bayer AG <BAYG.DE>, was detected in long grain rice targeted for commercial use.
It was the first time that unmarketed genetically engineered rice had been found in rice used in the U.S. commercial market. Bayer has refused to discuss how extensive the contamination could be.
Although Japan imports only short- and medium-grain rice from the United States, the largest rice exporter to the country, it cannot rule out the possibility that U.S. rice cargoes arriving in Japan might contain LLRice 601, officials said.
"We are considering whether to test U.S. rice and rice products upon arrival," said an official at Japan's Health Ministry.
In an effort to ease fears of U.S. rice customers, U.S. government scientists are rushing to certify a test that would identify LLRice 601. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said on Wednesday that a valid certified testing protocol should be available by the end of the week.
Japan will make a decision on U.S. rice testing after getting certified testing protocol from the United States, the Health Ministry official said.
Japan has already suspended imports of U.S. long-grain rice. But after obtaining U.S. testing protocol, the government will allow imports of U.S. long-grain rice to restart, except for shipments tested positive for traces of LLRice 601, he said.
Japan has put rice imports under the state trading system as the grain is the nation's staple food, with the Agriculture Ministry acting as a rice importer.
The ministry is obliged to buy about 770,000 tonnes of foreign rice on a brown rice basis under the World Trade Organisation's (WTO) minimum access programme.
Between Jan. 1 and Aug. 18, Japan imported about 235,000 tonnes of short- and medium-grain rice from the United States. It also imported about 17,000 tonnes of processed rice from the United States during that period.
kticam.com