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Minnesota Soybean knocking on Japan trade barriers

The Minnesota Soybean Growers Association is lobbying for greater access to the Japanese market.

MSGA executive director Joe Smentek says a group from Minnesota discussed trade issues with members of the Japanese embassy in Washington, D.C. last week.

“Two primary concerns that we have, number one is their valuation of crude protein as the only measure of soybean quality. That leads them to purchase a lot of (soybeans) out of the Houston (and) Gulf ports, and not so much out of the Pacific Northwest because the protein levels are lower.”

He tells Brownfield research shows soybeans grown in the Upper Midwest contain essential amino acids that make it a great feed additive.

Smentek says Japan has also changed its threshold on what could be considered non-GMO.

“So when they’re doing sampling, if they find Bt genetics they’ll call it non-GM whether or not that is from foreign materials, soil particles from the bacteria that carry that gene naturally, or whether that’s from the crop, they’ll label the whole crop as genetically modified.”

He says that’s a concern because Minnesota produces a lot of food-grade and other identity-preserved beans.

Minnesota Soybean is hopeful these issues can be addressed in a bilateral trade agreement between Japan and the U.S.