Japan Calls for More GMO Info Before Lifting US Wheat Ban

Hi peeps...

I did not realise that Japan has placed a temporary ban on the imports of US Western White Wheat which is grown in Oregon. This was because of the recent find by the USDA of illegal Monsanto GM Wheat in an Oregon field. Apparently Japan has now requested more in-depth information if they are to uplift the ban. But seemingly as of yet none has been supplied beyond an official USDA statement..

BackeryandSnacks.com spoke to Toru Hisazome, deputy director of Grain Trade and Operations Division at Japan's Ministry of Agriculture today.

He said a request had been placed with the US government for more in-depth information, but so far none has been supplied beyond an official US Department of Agriculture (USDA) statement.

"We need detailed information such as the extent to which GM wheat was grown... on how large the area of GM was."

"The US government say that the GM wheat was grown in the state of Oregon, but we don't have any more information."

Japan needs these updates as soon as possible, he added.

www.bakeryandsnacks.com...



And apparently the USDA GMO testing is being re-validated by the Japanese government..

The USDA said it has also worked with Monsanto to develop a GMO detection method that it has made available to trading partners, including Japan. It validated the DNA-based method on June 13.

Hisazome said: "One of the conditions of importing again is that we need to develop a testing method for GM."

He said the USDA had provided Japan with its validated DNA-based testing method, but that the Ministry of Health and Welfare was conducting its own validation of the method before use. This was still underway, he said.

I could not find anymore links apart from this one... Can anyone shed more info.....?

Peace
Fluff

Looks like a step in the right direction. DNA validation techniques will be a good way of seeing what is coming into a country. I am surprised this in not in effect already.

reply to post by purplemer


Yes you would think a method like this would have already been implemented. Especially give Japan's growing Anti GMO status. There are now 23 prefectures out of Japan's 47 prefectures that have become GMO Free zones in the past couple of years.

I wonder why they do not already have such a method of validation. It will be interesting to see just how much 'in-depth' information the US government will actually give Japan...