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China issues new rule on U.S. DDGS imports

China says it wants all imports of distiller’s dried grains (DDGS) from the U.S. to be officially certified free of the MIR 162 GMO trait. The new requirement is effective immediately.

But U.S. Grains Council (USGC) president and CEO Tom Sleight says China is asking for something that cannot be done.

“This certificate they’re asking for does not exist,” Sleight says. “It cannot be produced from a U.S. government authority.  They do not inspect for biotech traits.”

China stopped issuing import permits for U.S. DDGS in June on concerns it might contain the trait, which has not been approved for import by China’s agricultural ministry.

Grains Council chairman Julius Schaaf, a farmer from Randolph, Iowa, says it’s time for China to approve the MIR 162 trait.  But he’s not convinced it’s just about GMOs.

“If this is a supply issue and China has plenty of corn and they really don’t need our grain right now, let’s call it what it is—a supply issue,” Schaaf says. “Let’s don’t blame it on biotechnology, which is pushing back on an industry and a development area that grain farmers desperately need for the future to stay competitive and provide global food security.”

AUDIO: Julius Schaaf (2:25 MP3)

Trade issues with China are expected to be a big part of the discussion at next week’s summer annual meeting of the USGC in Omaha.