May 15, 2008

 

Australia's CBH disputes Japanese claims of residues in barley shipment

 

 

Australian grain company Cooperative Bulk Handling Ltd. Thursday (May 15, 2008) disputed Japanese claims that there were chemical residues in its 20,000-tonne barley shipment.

 

Japan suspended the shipment over the finding.

 

Independent analysis of the cargo shows no evidence of the chemical residue initially reported by Japanese authorities, CBH said.

 

The chemicals, which were not identified by CBH, were originally detected in a three-kilogramme pre-shipment sample in Japan.

 

The chemicals are not permitted for use in Australia  and were not used in the grain supply chain in Western Australia, it said.

 

Josh Roberts, a manager at CBH's Grain Pool marketing unit, said further testing was done after the initial positive result in Japan but these were clear of chemical residues.

 

"It is the company's firm belief that the cargo is completely free of any chemical residue and that the sample sent from Australia to Japan for testing prior to shipment may have been contaminated in transit," he said a statement.

 

Tests of the cargo now in Japan and repeated tests of the shipping samples and the original silo samples "have all demonstrated that the cargo is free of chemical residue," he said.

 

CBH is working with Australian and Japanese authorities to resolve the issue.