WASHINGTON – In time for the annual harvest season, the American Seed Trade Association has updated its database of grain handlers accepting biotech corn approved in the United States but not yet approved for import into the European Union.
Effective immediately, growers can access the updated database on the association’s Web site at www.amseed.org.
Response. Nearly 3,000 grain-handling facility operators nationwide responded in this year’s survey that they would accept grain that is not yet approved by the European Union.
For the 2002 harvest season, close to 1,800 grain handlers have posted their locations and, in some cases, delivery stipulations.
This marks the fourth straight year the association has created the Web-based database.
What to expect. Visitors to the database will find information capturing the details of grain handling and delivery policies of many facilities and locations. The data comes from grain handlers throughout the United States who were interviewed over the summer about their grain-handling procedures for corn.
By typing in a zip code and citing a specific distance, database users can locate facilities and handling policies in a requested area.
Growers who do not have access to the Internet may obtain database information from most seed company representatives.
Additional grain handlers may accept biotech corn that is not currently approved in the European Union, but they may not be listed in the database
Reminder. Growers are reminded to contact grain-handling facilities before delivery to learn of any special handling requirements and to verify that the facility is accepting biotech corn that has not been approved by the European Union.
For the 2002 crop season, the vast majority of all U.S. corn traits have been approved for import.
While most trading partners around the globe continue to evaluate and approve new biotech traits, the European Union’s regulatory system and biotech approval process remains broken.
For a list of specific biotech corn traits that have not been approved for import by the European Union, consult the “Know Before You Grow” section of the Web site at www.ncga.com/biotechnology/know_where/know_grow_approved.htm.
