June 3, 2005

Japan discovers banned Bt-10 corn in shipment from US 

Japan has discovered a corn shipment from the US tainted with the unapproved Bt-10 biotech variety and will begin testing all US corn shipments.

Bt-10 corn, manufactured by Swiss agrochemicals group Syngenta AG, is engineered to resist the corn borer insect. It was accidentally mixed with US grain shipments between 2001 and 2004.

This corn variety is not approved for use in the US or Europe, but the US Agriculture Department and the US Environmental Protection Agency have said the variety does not pose a danger to people, animals or plants. It is also not approved in Japan and will strictly not be allowed in.

Despite the case of contamination, Japan will not discontinue corn imports from the US, but will instead test all shipments arriving in the country.