Syngenta has halted commercial sales in Canada of its GM rootworm resistant corn seed MIR162 (Agrisure Duracade) because China and Europe have not approved it. Corn processor ADM and exporter Cargill have refused to handle this GM corn.
1. Syngenta halts sales of new GMO corn seed in Canada
2. ADM refuses Syngenta genetically modified corn
3. Cargill to reject for export crops with new GMO Syngenta corn trait
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1. Syngenta halts sales of new GMO corn seed in Canada
By Tom Polansek, Reuters
Tue Mar 11, 2014 3:40am IST
http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/03/10/syngenta-corn-canada-idINL2N0M71UX20140310
Syngenta AG said on Monday it had halted commercial sales in Canada of corn seed containing a new and controversial genetically modified trait because major importers had not approved the product.
Syngenta pulled from the Canadian market seed containing the Agrisure Duracade trait, which was available for planting for the first time this year, according to a Syngenta notice that was sent to seed dealers and obtained by Reuters.
The trait has been approved for cultivation in Canada and the United States and for import by some overseas buyers, including Japan, Mexico, and South Korea. It has not been approved for import by China or the European Union, two major international markets.
"While the vast majority of the Canadian corn crop is typically directed to domestic markets in North America, some corn may be destined for these markets," Syngenta said in the notice, referring to China and the EU. "Accordingly, we want to ensure the acceptance of any trait technology grown in Canada meets end-market destination requirements."
Any seed containing Duracade that has been shipped to retailers in Canada "cannot be sold and arrangements for immediate returns will be made," the notice said.
A spokesman for Syngenta, the world's largest crop chemicals company, confirmed the company will not sell seed containing Duracade in Canada in 2014.
Exporters and some farmers applauded the decision because they had worried the presence of the unapproved trait in Canada's grain supply could disrupt trade.
However, it was little comfort for U.S. farmers and grain handlers who still fear that China or Europe will reject shipments of U.S. grain if they find traces of Duracade corn. It can be difficult to segregate different varieties of corn from one another because they are often harvested, transported, and stored together.
Grain trader Gavilon has agreed to market Duracade crops in the United States as part of a deal with Syngenta. Top merchants Archer Daniels Midland Co, Bunge Ltd, and Cargill Inc have said they will limit their handling of crops containing the trait because it is not approved by major importers.
Peter Entz, assistant vice president of seed and traits at Richardson International Ltd, one of Canada's biggest grain handlers, said he was "elated" to hear Syngenta would not sell Duracade in Canada this spring. Richardson ships large volumes of corn to Europe, he said.
"These are significant trade issues at the end of the day and very costly ones, so we applaud Syngenta's position in Canada," he said.
Some farmers who had planned to plant Duracade in Canada will switch to other Syngenta hybrids, while others will cancel their orders in favor of products from different companies, said Brandon Yott, product development and marketing specialist for The Agromart Group. Agromart, which buys seed from Syngenta and sells it to retailers in eastern Canada, learned in a telephone call with Syngenta on Monday that Duracade sales would not proceed in the country, he said.
"Syngenta's in a quagmire where they have seed that's been produced and a market that's almost ready, and they are pulling that back for a variety of reasons," he said.
"To have that not in the market because of other countries that are dithering, I think it's frustrating for everybody."
Duracade is engineered to fight rootworms, pests that can reduce harvests and cost farmers millions of dollars in pesticide expenses and lost revenue.
Since November, Chinese authorities have rejected more than 600,000 tonnes of U.S. corn and corn products containing another unauthorized genetically modified Syngenta corn trait, Agrisure Viptera. Known as MIR 162, the trait has been awaiting Beijing's approval for more than two years.
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2. ADM refuses Syngenta genetically modified corn
Shruti Date Singh
Bloomberg, 27 Feb 2014
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-21/adm-refuses-syngenta-genetically-modified-corn.html
Archer-Daniels-Midland Co. (ADM), the world's largest corn processor, won't accept a genetically modified version of the crop developed by Syngenta AG (SYNN) until its use has been approved by China and other major export markets.
The curb applies to grain containing the Agrisure Duracade genetic trait, which helps control rootworm. Decatur, Illinois-based ADM may test deliveries and said it's advising farmers to check the seeds they will plant this spring.
"Wide-scale planting of traits that aren't approved by key importing countries would diminish the competitiveness of American grain and feed exports," Jackie Anderson, an ADM spokeswoman, said in an e-mailed statement today.
Corn imports into China, the second-biggest consumer of the grain, slumped 21 percent in January compared with the prior month after some shipments were rejected. In November Chinese inspectors started halting shipments of grain containing Viptera.
Staci Monson, a spokeswoman for Syngenta in the U.S., didn't immediately respond to a voicemail seeking comment. Basel, Switzerland-based Syngenta said Feb. 5 it won't halt sales of Duracade and Agrisure Viptera. The Viptera trait helps control a range of pests.
ADM said today it's reserving the right to test deliveries and decline those that contain Duracade. It's also asking producers and suppliers to provide advance notification if they're intending to deliver products with Agrisure Viptera to the company's U.S. interior elevators.
ADM is asking farmers to confirm that the seeds they intend to plant this spring are approved for all major export markets, including China. If not, ADM is encouraging them to check with their sales representative if their order can be exchanged for seeds that are approved for global use, Anderson said.
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3. Cargill to reject for export crops with new GMO Syngenta corn trait
Agri.EU, 18 Feb 2014
http://agri.eu/cargill-to-reject-for-export-crops-with-new-gmo-syngenta-corn-trait-news5613.html
Cargill Inc, the top exporter of U.S. grain and oilseeds, on Friday said it will reject crops containing a new genetically modified Syngenta AG corn trait that are delivered to its grain elevators for export contracts.
Corn seeds containing Syngenta's Agrisure Duracade trait are available for planting in the United States for the first time this year after U.S. authorities cleared the trait in 2013. The trait has not been approved for import by China or the European Union, both major buyers of U.S. crops. Duracade has import approval from some other big buyers, including Mexico, South Korea and Japan.
"For export contracts, we will not accept delivery of any commodity containing the Duracade trait," Cargill told Reuters in an e-mail.
"Cargill reserves the right to reject and/or require testing of deliveries and any acceptance, rejection or testing for the presence of Duracade will be determined by Cargill in its sole discretion at the time of delivery," the company said.
The commercialization of Duracade has split the U.S. farm sector and pitted global grain merchants against Swiss-based Syngenta, the world's largest crop chemicals company. Some U.S. growers say they need access to the new trait, which is engineered to fight pests called rootworms, while exporters warn it threatens to disrupt trade.
Bunge Ltd, one of the world's top agricultural trading houses, on Thursday signaled it will refuse to handle crops containing Duracade unless the product is cleared by China.
Since November, China's authorities have rejected more than 600,000 tonnes of U.S. corn and corn products containing another unauthorized genetically modified Syngenta corn trait, Agrisure Viptera. Known as MIR 162, the trait has been awaiting Beijing's approval for more than two years.
China has begun testing imported U.S. soybean cargoes at the southern province of Guangdong for contamination with the MIR 162 strain of corn, traders said this week. "At our grain elevators, we will continue to ask farmer customers to give us advance notice if they will deliver Viptera," Cargill said. "This coming crop year, we are asking the same for Duracade."
The National Grain and Feed Association and North American Export Grain Association last month asked Syngenta to suspend the commercial use of Duracade and MIR 162 in the United States until China and other U.S. export markets have granted regulatory approval.
Syngenta has declined the request, saying Duracade will be available in limited quantities and that growers need new technologies. The company has said it commercializes corn traits in line with industry practices, once it has approval from countries with "functioning regulatory systems."
Even if corn containing Duracade is planted on a small number of acres, it could accidentally be shipped to China, exporters have noted. Varieties are often mixed with each other because they are grown in fields close to each other and then harvested, transported and stored together.
The United States is expected to export 1.6 billion bushels of corn in the marketing year that ends on Aug. 31, accounting for 11 percent of the last harvest. The rest of the crop will be used domestically to feed livestock and produce ethanol.