Earlier this week Farm Futures reported a move by the European Union to set up a permanent system for testing rice for biotech content. After the unapproved LL601 rice gene showed up in product from U.S. rice country, importing countries started temporary testing. Now the EU wants to institute the testing for an indefinite period.
The move toward permanent testing comes after news that two U.S. shipments certified free of biotech content were found to contain the unapproved rice. The European Union conducted random tests to verify U.S. tests and two came back positive where they had been certified negative according to USDA officials.
Dow Jones reports that U.S. officials are discussing those bad test results, but a key aim of the talks is not to have permanent destination testing. Officials want to maintain point-of-origin testing for crops. Destination testing can be more costly because shipments can be rejected after they've made the trip across the ocean.
An unnamed official told the wire service that ongoing talks are key to saving the European market for U.S. exports. A permanent destination testing program would not be viable for U.S. exporters. About half the U.S. rice crop is exported annually, and officials note the LL601 rice gene is safe for human consumption.
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