December 23, 2005

Japan detects latest batch of unapproved US Bt-10 corn

Japan's agriculture ministry said a 14th cargo from the US has been found tainted with unapproved Bt-10 corn. The ministry has informed the importer to destroy the tainted portion of the cargo or return it back to the US.

The cargo arrived on Dec 2 in the northern Japanese port of Hachinohe, and samples taken from 1,095 tonnes of corn on the ship were found tainted with Bt-10.

Japan has a zero-tolerance policy on imports of unapproved GM crops. While tainted portions of cargoes are banned from entering the country, the ministry allows unaffected portions to be imported.

As inspecting shipments for Bt-10 is time-consuming, the process has been disrupting feed corn distribution to Japan's livestock industry.

Because the US is a major corn supplier to Japan, the ministry has proposed accepting US feed corn cargoes tainted with up to 1 percent of Bt-10 corn, in a bid to ensure stable supplies.                             

But the proposal is subject to approval by Japan's Food Safety Commission, an independent agency. The commission has not reached a conclusion on this issue so far.