China to accept blackleg-positive canola at some ports

China issued a statement Tuesday requiring that all canola imports be tested for blackleg--a fungal disease that impacts crop yields--and allowing blackleg-positive shipments to be imported at certain ports in non-canola-producing regions.

The move could resolve a month-long dispute with Canada, China's biggest canola provider, and comes as China's imports of the oilseed are booming.

The statement, published on the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine's Web site, specified a "transitional measure" starting November 15 for all China-bound canola shipments to be tested before leaving the exporting country.

The statement also confirmed an official's comment from the administration earlier that China will test canola imports for the fungus--and those found to be positive could still be imported, but only through Hainan province, Guangdong province, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Fujian province, Tianjin city, Hebei province and Liaoning province.

From January to September, China imported 98 percent of a total 2.45 million tonnes of canola from Canada, more than triple the volume from the same period last year. It allows canola imports only from Canada and Australia.

In October, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency advised the grain trade that China would require phytosanitary certificates effective November 15 to verify that canola shipments were free of the blackleg fungus though Canadian officials had planned to ask for a six-month implementation delay.

The CFIA previously said that it would not be able to issue certificates, as blackleg is a common canola disease and that there is no agreed-upon testing method.

The Chinese quarantine department official, who didn't want to be named, said that Canada has tested for blackleg, and only 30 percent of its exports are affected.