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Washington, DC
December 20, 2007
USA Rice Federation officials called today’s decision to
remove the requirement for mandatory testing of U.S. long-grain
rice for the presence of genetically engineered (GE) traits at
the first point of entry into the European Union (EU) as a
“victory” for the U.S. rice industry.
“Removing mandatory destination testing in the EU is the single
most important step necessary for the restoration of the EU
market for U.S. long-grain rice,” USA Rice Chairman Al Montna
said today. “Destination testing creates tremendous risk and
uncertainty for U.S. shippers and EU customers and, as a result,
has had the effect of slowing trade to a trickle.”
The decision by the Standing Committee of the Food Chain and
Animal Health — which could come into effect as early as
mid-January, 2008 — followed the recommendation by staff of EU
Health and Consumer Protection Directorate General (DG-SANCO).
At issue was the mandatory testing imposed on U.S. long-grain
rice shipments following the August 18, 2006, announcement that
trace amounts of genetically engineered Bayer CropScience
Liberty Link (LL) rice were found in the U.S. commercial supply.
USA Rice Senior VP Bob Cummings yesterday presented the results
of the U.S. rice industry’s yearlong remediation efforts to
remove the LL traits from the commercial supply to the EC
standing committee in Brussels. Cummings was joined by Carl
Brothers, senior VP Riceland Foods and chairman of USA Rice’s
International Trade Policy Committee; Marvin Baden, senior VP
Producers’ Rice Mill and chairman of USA Rice’s EU Trade Policy
Subcommittee; and Hartwig Schmidt, USA Rice regional director.
USDA representatives from the U.S. Mission to the European Union
in Brussels also attended the meeting.
“USA Rice appreciates the help it has received from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)
and the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration
(GIPSA) on this matter,” USA Rice President and CEO Betsy Ward
said today. “FAS and GIPSA officials were instrumental in
negotiating a rice sampling and testing protocol with the
European Commission, efforts that are at the core of removing
the destination testing requirement,” Ward said.
“No other industry faced with the unintentional release of a GE
trait has made the commitment and taken such comprehensive
actions to meet the regulatory and consumer demands of its
customers,” Ward said.
Cummings explained today’s decision: “DG SANCO is recommending
the lifting of the current mandatory inspection requirement on
imports of U.S. long-grain rice because the U.S. rice industry
has in place a robust action plan to remove the LL traits from
the commercial long-grain supply, and because of the successful
implementation of this plan in connection with the 2007 crop.
“Additionally, the EU Commission (in the form of DG SANCO) and
the U.S. government (USDA/GIPSA) have agreed on a sampling and
testing protocol for U.S. long-grain rice destined for the EU
that meets EU standards and that provides direct involvement by
USDA in the sampling of rice to be exported to the EU. Both the
US and the EU have agreed on the test to be performed on this
rice and on the list of laboratories in the U.S. eligible to
perform the test.”
“Exports of U.S. long-grain rice to the EU were 282,000 metric
tons (MT) in the 2005/06 marketing year prior to the discovery
of the LL traits. Exports were 50,000 MT in 2006/2007,” Cummings
said.
“The EU decision means that the U.S. rice industry is now
clearly on a path for normalizing trade with the EU and other
world markets affected by the unintended Liberty Link presence,”
Montna said. “This is the result of more than a year of diligent
work within the U.S. rice industry to eliminate the Liberty Link
traits from the commercial rice supply, and the industry will
need to continue its vigilance.”
The USA Rice Federation is the global advocate for all
segments of the U.S. rice industry with a mission to promote and
protect the interests of producers, millers, merchants and
allied businesses. |
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