Japan hopes to approve StarLink protocol soon

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Japan hopes to approve next week a U.S. protocol for testing American corn shipments destined for Japanese animal feed, addressing concerns that exports might be contaminated with the biotech corn StarLink, a diplomat said.

Masaki Sakai, the Japanese counselor for agriculture to the United States, told Reuters on Wednesday that Japanese and U.S. negotiators were "very close" to an agreement on expanding the protocol on testing U.S. corn exports.

	MESSAGE BOARD
How do you feel about genetically modified foods?

"We hope an agreement can be reached by next week," Sakai said. "We don't have much difficulty with the protocol, but we are taking a look at practical aspects on whether this is feasible."

The original U.S. protocol, agreed to in November, only applies to U.S. corn exports bound for Japan for human consumption.

At the Chicago Board of Trade on Wednesday, December corn futures closed lower on the news, down 3/4 at $2.08-1/2.

Japan, the single biggest buyer of American corn, has sharply cut back purchases in recent weeks due to concerns that shipments might be contaminated with StarLink, a corn variety genetically engineered to repel pests.

Though StarLink has not been approved for human food, it has turned up in a variety of products such as taco shells and chips. More than 300 kinds of U.S. foods have been recalled because of the contamination.

Sakai said Japan was looking at the agreement "very carefully" because the country imports much more U.S. corn for animal feed than for food.

Japan imports about four million tons of corn a year for food and industrial use and another 11 million to 12 million tons for feed production.

After private meetings with officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration, Japanese officials left Washington on Wednesday to brief their government and finalize the agreement.

Sakai said the agreement would probably not be completed until next week.

Sakai would not comment on whether -- and when -- U.S. corn exports to Japan would return to levels reached before the StarLink controversy.

The United States is anxious to maintain the Japanese market for U.S. corn farmers, who are facing stiff competition and low prices for their exports.

On Tuesday, the USDA said it was optimistic an agreement would soon be reached with Japan.

StarLink, made by Aventis SA, was approved by U.S. regulators for livestock feed but barred from human food because of unanswered questions about possible allergic reactions.

In Japan, the variety is not approved even for animal feed.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Scientific panels rules biotech corn needs more research
December 6, 2000
What the experts say about StarLink and allergens
November 10, 2000
In defense of gene-spliced corn
October 13, 2000

EPA home page
Aventis site on StarLink corn
National Corn Growers Association
FDA
WHO site on biotech foods
Biotechnology Industry Organization -- Trade Association for Biotechnology

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.