ARS News Service
Agricultural Research Service, USDA
Rosalie Marion Bliss, (301) 504-4318,
rbliss@ars.usda.gov

The Agricultural Research Service and a California-based corporation will work together to develop a tagging system that will be used to trace U.S.-sourced cotton and textile components through rigorous manufacturing processes.

The tagging system would involve embedding into cotton fibers hidden information that would allow officials using hand-held devices to authenticate a cotton textile's U.S. source. ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief in-house scientific research agency.

ARS officials have signed a cooperative research and development agreement with Applied DNA Sciences, Inc., of Los Angeles, Calif. The company develops DNA-embedded technologies to protect property from counterfeiting and fraud. The cooperators plan to test and develop these technologies to effectively identify cotton yarns. The company will work with scientists at the ARS Cotton Quality Research Station at Clemson, S.C.

"Creating a security tag that costs less than 1 cent per pound of cotton is important to the U.S. cotton and textile industries and to Customs agents," said ARS Acting Administrator Edward B. Knipling.

Globally, cotton producers and textile mills are connected through an intricate weave of their own. As the world's largest consumer market, the United States is an attractive destination for cotton-containing products. At the same time, U.S.-grown cotton and textiles are often exported to be processed by foreign apparel makers. When these garments are imported back into the United States for sale, some made from U.S. cotton are allowed to re-enter with favorable tariff treatment. But because labels are removed from cotton bales and textiles during apparel manufacture, the origin of the fibers and textiles used in goods is difficult to trace.

Investigadores del USDA ensayan sistema para rastrear productos del algodón de EE.UU.

Servicio Noticiero del Servicio de Investigación Agrícola (ARS siglas en inglés)
Departamento de Agricultura (USDA siglas en inglés)
Rosalie Marion Bliss, (301) 504-4318
rbliss@ars.usda.gov
Washington, Distrito Federal
23 de febrero 2004

El Servicio de Investigación Agrícola (ARS) y una empresa basada en California trabajarán juntos para desarrollar un sistema de marcar que hace posible el rastreo de algodón y componentes de textiles de origen estadounidense por todo los procedimientos rigorosos de fabricación.

El sistema de marcar utilizará la introducción de información escondida entre las fibras del algodón para permitir que oficiales utilizando aparatos de mano puedan verificar que el textil de algodón viene de EE.UU. ARS es la agencia principal de investigaciones científicas del Departamento de Agricultura de EE.UU.

Oficiales del ARS han firmado un acuerdo de investigación y desarrollo cooperativo con Applied DNA Sciences, Inc., de Los Angeles, California.
La compañía desarrolla tecnologías de marcar con DNA para proteger propiedades contra imitación o fraude. Los colaboradores esperan ensayar y desarrollar estas tecnologías para identificar eficazmente los hilos de algodón. La compañía trabajará con científicos en la Estación de Investigación de la Calidad de Algodón en Clemson, Carolina del Sur.

"Crear una marca de seguridad que cuesta menos de un centavo por libra de algodón es importante para las industrias de EE.UU. de algodón y textil y para agentes de aduana," dijo Edward B. Knipling, el administrador interino del ARS.

Mundialmente, los productores de algodón y fabricas de textil están conectados por su propia red complicada. En su papel como el mercado más grande de consumidores en el mundo, EE.UU. es un destino atractivo para productos que contienen algodón. A la misma vez, el algodón y textiles de EE.UU. son exportados a menudo para ser procesados por fabricantes extranjeros de ropa. Cuándo estos productos se importan nuevamente al EE.UU. para venta, algunos hechos del algodón de EE.UU. son permitidos a regresar con un arancel favorable. Pero debido a que las etiquetas son removidas de las balas de algodón y textiles durante la fabricación de ropa, el origen de las fibras y textiles usadas en los productos es difícil de verificar.

Press release from Applied DNA Sciences
Los Angeles, California

Applied DNA Sciences, Inc. and the USDA sign cooperative agreement to begin trial development of DNA textile marker technologies

Applied DNA Marker technology would be used at shipping ports to determine a fabric’s origin and ensure compliance with international trade law.

Applied DNA Sciences, Inc. (OTC.BB: APDN), a provider of proprietary DNA-embedded security solutions that protect corporate and intellectual property from counterfeiting and fraud, and the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Cotton Quality Research Station in Clemson, South Carolina, have entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) to begin trial development of Applied DNA Sciences’ DNA-embedded marker technologies. The Applied DNA™ Marker system technology would be used at shipping ports to determine a fabric’s origin and ensure compliance with international trade law.

The USDA’s 2004 Budget contains $270,000 for the Agriculture Research Service (ARS) Cotton Quality Research Station, the chief scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to use to deter counterfeiting of U.S. cotton products. A portion of that funding will be used for the Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with Applied DNA Sciences, Inc. for the development and purchase of equipment and materials associated with the Applied DNA Marker technology.

Congressman Cass Ballenger of North Carolina, who supported the budget for the research at the Cotton Quality Research Station said, “Researchers at Clemson will help us apply modern science to fight an old problem - illegal trade practices. New technology is needed to effectively track U.S. yarn from the mill to the finished product.”

“According to the American Textile Manufacturer’s Association (ATMI), the U.S. textile industry sales were at $48.4 billion in 2002. Successful testing with the USDA could result in eventual commercial adoption of our Applied DNA Marker system for U.S. textile manufacturers and the Customs Service to combat illegal textile imports and put an end to lost U.S. revenues and jobs,” said Larry Lee, chief executive officer of Applied DNA Sciences, Inc.

In April 2003, the United States Department of Commerce selected Applied DNA Sciences’ proprietary DNA-embedded textile marker system as one of three technologies as a key solution that may allow for a cost-effective textile "marker" system for practical use by both U.S. textile manufacturers and the Customs Service. The selection was made at the recommendation of the Energy Department’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Applied DNA Sciences, Inc. provides proprietary DNA-embedded biotechnology security solutions, using non-human DNA, that verify authenticity and protect corporate and government agencies from counterfeiting, fraud, piracy, product diversion, identity theft and unauthorized intrusion. Applied DNA Sciences has an exclusive licensing and partnership agreement covering North America and Europe with Biowell Technology, Inc. (http://www.biowell.com.tw/eng) of Taiwan. The company develops markets, and sub-licenses DNA security systems, supply-chain management systems and anti-counterfeit solutions. Applied DNA Sciences’ technology addresses the more than $350 billion of counterfeit products sold each year as well as the multi-billion dollar homeland security market.