February 14, 2014

China tests US soy shipment for possible MIR 162 contamination

At the southern province of Guangdong, China has begun testing imported US soy cargoes for contamination with the unapproved genetically-modified MIR 162 strain of corn.

Due to the rejection of more than 600,000 tonnes of corn from the US, China is implementing strict testing of corn shipments for the variety developed by Syngenta AG, which has not been approved for import by the country's agriculture ministry, and interrupted imports of the feed grain as well as its by-products.

But the quarantine bureau in Guangdong, the largest importing province in China of soy and grains, is now also looking for potential MIR 162 contamination in other imported crops.

About 180,000 tonnes are currently being tested and local crushers have been allowed to unload the beans, but they are forbidden to process them until the final test results emerge in about two weeks, traders said.

Guangdong was the first province to reject US corn after finding the MIR 162 strain.

Quarantine authorities in China are regularly testing for genetically-modified organism (GMO) strains among soy cargoes.

Previously crushers were allowed to start processing them before the test results have been completed, as long as they provide a signed guarantee that the cargoes contain no unapproved variants, said one trader with an international trading house.

China has approved about eight GMO soy strains for import.

Due to its inability to produce enough of its own to meet rising domestic demand for cooking oil and meat, China is the world's top buyer of genetically-modified soy. The country's imports account for about 60% of globally traded volumes. Soy is processed into cooking oil and meal, a protein-rich feed ingredient.