Japan and South Korea Bar Imports of U.S. Wheat
By VICTORIA SHANNON
The actions followed the disclosure this week that a strain of
genetically engineered wheat that was never approved for sale was found
growing in Oregon.
David McNew/Getty Images
Uneven Outcry Over G.M.O. Foods:
Genetically altered wheat was found in Oregon, and The Times’s Michael
Moss discusses why engineered food has long elicited criticism overseas
but is just now growing in the United States.
By VICTORIA SHANNON
Published: May 31, 2013
Japan and South Korea suspended some imports of American wheat, and the
European Union urged its 27 nations to increase testing, after the
United States government disclosed this week that a strain of
genetically engineered wheat that was never approved for sale was found
growing in an Oregon field.
Although none of the wheat, developed by Monsanto Company, was found in
any grain shipments — and the Department of Agriculture said there would
be no health risk if any was shipped — governments in Asia and Europe
acted quickly to limit their risk.
South Korea, which last year purchased roughly half of its total wheat
imports of five million tons from the United States, said Friday it
would suspend purchases until tests were performed on arriving
shipments. Results of the tests, by the Ministry of Food and Drug
Safety, were expected in the first week of June, according to local
media.
Seoul also raised quarantine measures on wheat for livestock feed, while Thailand put ports on alert.
The European Union, which has a “zero tolerance” approach to genetically
modified crops, said through its consumer protection office Friday that
if any shipments tested positive, they would not be sold.
It also said it was seeking “further information and reassurance” from
Washington and had asked Monsanto for help in developing a reliable test
for the genetically modified strain.
The United States is the world’s biggest exporter of wheat. While
genetically engineered corn and soybeans are routinely grown, they are
largely consumed by animals, while wheat is consumed directly by people
and has faced more consumer resistance.
The strain of wheat was developed by Monsanto to resist its Roundup
herbicide, but the company ended its field trials in 2004. How it came
to be growing in Oregon was not clear.
Japan and Mexico are among the biggest importers of American wheat. The
European Union imports more than one million tons each year, mostly to
Spain.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report. COPY http://www.nytimes.com/
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