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Strategies & Market Trends : Asia Forum -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: CIMA who wrote (9866)	11/1/2000 1:08:13 AM
From: Rolla Coasta	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9980

Medicine Food ?? biz.yahoo.com Tuesday October 31, 7:08 am Eastern Time US hopes Japan will approve StarLink corn for feed By Jae Hur TOKYO, Oct 31 (Reuters) - The United States, confident that a scientific review will verify the safety of StarLink gene-spliced corn, hopes Japan will soon approve the controversial grain for use in animal feed, a U.S. agriculture official said on Tuesday. The United States is eager to maintain Japan as its principal corn export market by swiftly defusing a furore over StarLink, a genetically modified variety not approved for human use that a consumer group recently found in feed and food products in Japan. George Pope, minister-counselor for agriculture affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, told reporters StarLink's maker, Aventis SA of France, has already applied to Japan's Agriculture Ministry for approval of the grain for animal feed. ``We are encouraging the ministry to complete a sound science review on this application because we are convinced that the scientific evidence is overwhelming and indisputable that StarLink corn is absolutely safe for feeding animals,'' he said. ``We worked hard to develop the market in Japan and have a good reputation as a reliable supplier.'' The StarLink controversy, which surfaced early last week, has triggered a flurry of discussions between the United States, the world's largest corn exporter, and Japan, the biggest importer. Japan's Agriculture Ministry said on Friday it asked visiting U.S. officials not to export corn commingled with StarLink to Japan even for animal feed. Business in Japan's domestic corn market virtually ground to a halt last week and corn importers scrambled to find alternative supplies as end-users insisted on StarLink-free grain. Pope said the U.S. government has been in close consultation with Japan's Health and Agriculture Ministries since last Wednesday. ``We had very useful discussions with them and we are in discussions on potential solutions, but those discussions are ongoing,'' Pope said. FEED OR FOOD Pope doubted the StarLink controversy would adversely affect Japan-U.S. agricultural trade, although he could not rule out the possibility of Japanese buyers turning their backs on U.S. corn. StarLink has been approved by U.S. regulators for animal feed but not for human consumption, due to concerns about potential allergic reactions. In Japan, StarLink is not approved for either human or animal consumption. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials visited Tokyo last Friday to meet Japanese government and industry representatives in a bid to soothe Japanese nerves. They are expected to leave for Washington on Tuesday. Japan imports four million tonnes of corn per year for food and another 11 million to 12 million tonnes for animal feed, mostly from the United States. Japan alone takes in some 30 percent of U.S. corn exports. Japan's Health Ministry last Wednesday urged the United States to act swiftly to halt exports of food products containing StarLink. Last week's announcement by the Consumers Union of Japan that genetic tests revealed traces of StarLink in domestic products led Kyoritsu Shokuhin, an unlisted food company, to voluntarily recall a corn meal product from store shelves. The consumer group urged the Japanese government to suspend imports of genetically modified crops. The StarLink issue has deepened concerns about whether the United States can comply with Japanese rules to be implemented from next April that will set zero tolerance for imports of unapproved genetically modified farm products, traders said.