December 6, 2004

 

 

Mexico Soy Imports To Contain Max 2% Live Foreign Matter

 

Mexico's Agriculture Ministry on Friday confirmed that it has slapped strict new regulations on soy imports in a bid to protect against Asian soybean rust fungus.

 

According to the new regulation imports must be certified by the U.S. Federal Grain Inspection Service that the soy imports contain no more than 2% of "live foreign matter" if the shipments come from U.S. states confirmed to have found the fungus.

 

Asian soybean rust fungus recently was discovered for the first time in the U.S. and now has been confirmed in nine U.S. states.

 

Since Nov. 10, the yield-slashing fungus have been discovered in soybean fields in the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Missouri, South Carolina and Tennessee.

 

The ministry said in a statement that national sanitation authorities have decided to apply strict new measures "in the face of the presence of the fungus in various countries in the Americas" to avoid the entry to Mexico of the damaging crop pest.

 

The new regulations, which also require domestic processors to kill any possible surviving material that may carry the fungus, took effect Dec. 1 in all shipments of soybean imported from the U.S.

 

The regulations also state that all shipments must be fumigated at origin, or at the point of entry with pesticide T302(d1) and be held in quarantine for at least 24 hours before final delivery.

 

Froylan Gracia, agriculture counselor at Mexico's embassy in Washington, told Dow Jones Newswires there earlier this week that U.S. exports were not likely to be diminished by Mexico's actions.

 

Gracia also said that the regulations could be changed again soon due to ongoing dialogue between the U.S. and Mexico, while adding Mexico has imposed the same restriction on Brazil after Asian rust was found there though most of its soybean imports come from the U.S. He said Mexico in 2003 bought 90% of its soybean imports from the U.S., worth $976 million.

 

The fungus, Gracia said, can survive and spread in live plant material mixed in with soybeans and that poses a threat to important Mexican crops such as dry beans.