China Issues New Rules on US DDG Imports
China's Import Inspection Authority, AQSIQ, is now requiring U.S. distiller's dried grains imports to be officially certified free of the MIR 162 GMO trait, the U.S. Grains Council, an export trade group, said in a letter emailed to Reuters by a trade source. The new requirement is effective immediately, the letter said. All DDGs shipments departing from July 24 that do not meet the certification requirement will be rejected, the North American Export Grain Association (NAEGA) said in a note to members, emailed to Reuters by another trade source. The U.S. Grains Council (USGC) added it would have to "discontinue its role as the agent for U.S.
China Stops Issuing Import Permits for US Distillers Grains
China has stopped issuing permits for imports of distillers dried grains (DDGs) from top exporter the United States on concerns they might contain an unapproved genetically-modified organism (GMO), traders said, sending U.S. prices tumbling. Quarantine authorities have also asked buyers to re-export earlier shipments that contained MIR 162, a GMO strain developed by Syngenta AG that has not been approved for import by China's agriculture ministry. Qingdao, China's largest port for DDGs, stopped issuing new permits for shipments last month to any buyers who had still not shipped out any cargoes previously denied entry by quarantine authorities. "Now it is countrywide. Quarantine authorities stopped issuing import permits last Friday," said one trading manager with a major buyer.
