Japan Finds Traces of Bt10 Corn in Shipments, Markets Not Affected

A second shipment of U.S. corn has been found with traces of Syngenta's Bt10 biotech variety. The 390-tonne shipment to Japan contained the variety that is not approved in Japan or the European Union.

The EU tests every shipment of U.S. corn to see if Bt10 is found in the cargoes. Last month, the Japanese government did not run mandatory tests but instead spot-tested cargoes for Bt10.

Reuters reports Thursday that a Japanese official says the country will switch to a mandatory testing policy, but will not halt U.S. corn imports because of the Bt10 find.

Corn futures were not affected by the news, according to Reuters. It is unlikely the market will respond significantly unless Japan puts a full ban on U.S. corn imports.

Japan buys about 16 million tonnes of corn annually, with 90% of it from the United States.