http://ecowatch.com/2016/06/11/brazil-gmo-corn/
[links and images in on-line article]
Brazil Won’t Buy US GMO Corn, Highlights Worldwide Divide Over GMOs
Lorraine Chow | June 11, 2016 10:38 am
While genetically modified (GMO) foods seem to proliferate across the
U.S., many other nations do not allow such products to enter or grow
within their borders.
A Bloomberg article illustrated how the world’s vast patchwork of GMO
regulations can deter international trade.
Case in point, even though the Brazilian chicken industry is suffering
from a domestic corn shortage this year, companies refuse to buy corn
from the U.S. because of Brazil’s stringent regulations on GMOs.
“In recent years, some of the largest commodity trading companies have
refused to take certain GMO crops from farmers because the seeds used
hadn’t received a full array of global approvals, something that can
lead to holdups at ports or even the rejection of entire cargoes,” the
article stated.
Brazil happens to be the second largest producer of GMO crops in the
world after the U.S., and grows 29 varieties of GMO corn. However, the
South American country has had a contentious history over GMOs and does
not allow certain varieties to enter the country—the U.S. cultivates 43
types of GMO corn. Brazil also mandates that all products containing GMO
ingredients carry a label and, earlier this year, the Brazilian Ministry
of Justice fined major food manufacturers including Nestle, PepsiCo and
a Mexican baking company for concealing the presence of GMOs in their
products.
Brazil, the world biggest exporter of chicken and grain traders, is now
considering whether to request approval from the government to import
GMO crops that aren’t currently permitted, Bloomberg reported.
Bloomberg’s article highlights the international divisiveness over
genetically altered food and the agri-tech industry, a reflection of
general consumer and political unease over the safety and environmental
concerns of GMOs and the pesticides they are designed to resist.
In the graphic below, the Genetic Literacy Project listed a dizzying mix
of countries that have either banned or allowed GMO food cultivation or
imports. The group also noted that the vast majority of genetically
altered crops come from only a dozen nations that allow cultivation: the
U.S., Brazil, Argentina, India, Canada, China, Paraguay, Pakistan, South
Africa, Uruguay, Bolivia and the Philippines.
Brazil’s case is similar to India, which imported corn for the first
time in 16 years this past February due to production shortage issues
caused by drought.
India received 250,000 tonnes of non-GMO corn from South Korea’s Daewoo
International via Ukraine, however as experts warned to Reuters, it is
difficult to ensure that the supply is 100 percent non-GMO, sparking
fears of GMO contamination.
It only takes a few GMO seeds to mix with local varieties to enter
India’s food supply chain, an Indian government scientist explained.
“The biggest risk of accepting anything less than 99, or 100, percent is
that the imported GM corn may eventually get mixed with conventional
seeds that farmers sow in India,” the scientist, who asked to not be
named, told Reuters. “If, God forbid, any GM seed gets mixed here, it’ll
spoil the entire Indian agriculture.”
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