1.Approval of Biotech Events in Taiwan Creates Opportunity for U.S. Corn
2.Japanese set to reject genetically engineered canola
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1.Approval of Biotech Events in Taiwan Creates Opportunity for U.S. Corn
Mike Deering, Marri Carrow or Melisa Augusto at (202) 789-0789
US Grains Council, 28 August 2009
http://www.grains.org/news-events/1871-approval-of-biotech-events-in-taiwan-creates-opportunity-for-us-corn

Approval of Biotech Events in Taiwan Creates Opportunity for U.S. Corn.

Syngenta Taiwan Ltd. received approvals for four stacked-trait biotech corn products from the Taiwanese Department of Health (DOH) this month. With this most recent approval, the DOH has gained approval for eleven stacked-trait biotech corn products in total, including eight events of 2-way stack, two events of 3-way stack and one event of 4-way stack.

The U.S. Grains Council-sponsored biotech team that traveled to the United States last year aided in supporting the events' approval with the DOH and the Genetically Modified Food Advisory Committee (GMFAC). According to Clover Chang, USGC director in Taiwan, industry highly appreciated the Council's help in organizing the team and coordinating the meetings with related government officials and committee members of the GMFAC for these approvals. He emphasized the team visit provided the unique opportunity for life science companies to discuss protocols with the members of GMFAC face-to-face and helped the team members acquire a better understanding of the management of stacked-trait biotech products in the United States. Chang said, "The latest approval of stacked events should undoubtedly help smooth the import process for U.S. corn."

Taiwan imported 446,149 metric tons of feed grains in July 2009 compared to 360,148 tons in July 2008. Corn imports in July 2009 reached 423,955 tons (16.7 million bushels), an increase from 355,892 tons (14 million bushels) in July 2008.
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2.Japanese set to reject genetically engineered canola
Greenpeace Australia Pacific, 1 September 2009
http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/news-and-events/media/releases/genetic-engineering/japanese-set-to-reject-genetic

Sydney, Australia - The change of government in Japan is likely to have a significant impact on Australia's canola exports, since the Democratic Party of Japan has pledged to implement stringent labelling of genetically engineered (GE) food, reflecting overwhelming Japanese distrust of genetically modified organisms.

The party has said it will establish a food traceability system and has repeatedly called for more stringent labelling of GE food. Japan already has mandatory labelling of some GE foods and it is expected that new labelling laws will extend to processed foods such as GE canola oil.

Greenpeace GE campaigner Michelle Sheather says the change in government in Japan and the new position on GE food labelling will have major implications for Australia: "This is highly significant, since Japan is a major export market for Australian canola," Ms Sheather said. "Tighter labelling laws will likely lead to greater demand for GE-free canola products, and lower demand for food products that need to be labelled as containing genetically engineered ingredients."

In Australia, GE canola is grown commercially in small quantities in NSW and Victoria, and Western Australia is currently reviewing the Act concerning its moratorium on GE crops.

A number of Japanese groups are making submissions to Western Australia's Review of the Genetically Modified Crops Free Areas Act 2003. These include the Seikatsu Club Consumers' Cooperative Union and the Consumers Union of Japan.

Seikatsu - an umbrella group of 29 Seikatsu Club Consumers' Co-Operatives - and its oil crushers Okamura Oil Mill Ltd and Yonezawa Oil Co. Ltd - all have non-GE canola policies. The groups stopped importing canola from Canada after the introduction of GE canola, when contamination made it impossible to guarantee GE-free canola from Canada.

Seikatsu will say in its submission: "[We] are concerned that we may be unable to buy non-GM canola from WA in the future...

"If a GM labelling system similar to Europe's were implemented in Japan, a huge rejection of GM ingredients is anticipated. According to a poll conducted by the prefectural government of Hokkaido in October 2008, 80% of consumers feel anxious about eating GMOs. It has been claimed that GMOs are well-accepted in Japan, because Japan is the biggest importing country of Canadian GM canola but it is not true. In reality, a lot of Japanese consumers are eating oil derived from GM canola without knowing it." No GE crops are grown in Japan.

Greenpeace's submission will put forward that the reasons for the introduction of the Act, and the moratorium on GE crops, are stronger than ever.

Submissions to the WA review can be made until September 11. Further information on the review and how to make a submission can be found on the WA Department of Agriculture website: http://www.agric.wa.gov.au.

For further information or comment

Vivienne Reiner, Greenpeace Media Advisor: Ph: (02) 9263 0380; 0432 352 132

Ryoko Shimizu, Secretariat, Seikatsu Club Liaison Committee on GM Food: Ph: +81-3-3325-7861; mob +81-90-6001-0495 (AEST less 1 hour)