GM seeds smuggled since 2003
Print Edition
Police in central Hunan Province say they have cracked a case of smugglers who have been importing genetically modified corn seeds from the US since 2003.
The “US Golden Corn” seeds, which contained genetically modified ingredients, were planted on 13 hectares of land in Huaihua City but at harvest time had produced almost nothing, according to yesterday’s National Business Daily.
Police were alerted after 29 farming households in Huaihua found the 100 kilograms of corn seeds bought last year had proved fruitless, causing estimated losses of around 600,000 yuan (US$97,560).
The sources of the smuggled corn seeds was said to be Monsanto, an American multinational chemical and agricultural biotechnology company, and Switzerland’s Syngenta, a chemicals company which markets seeds and pesticides.
One of the main smugglers had reportedly imported more than 500,000 tons of corn seeds since 2003 without permission.
The seeds were also sold in Guangdong, Jiangxi and Fujian provinces and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and might have been planted over massive areas of land, the newspaper said.
Li Wenliang, a professor at the Beijing-based University of International Relations, said the case indicated GM corn seeds may have infiltrated China and could bring potential hazards to China’s food security, or even national safety.
Also yesterday, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said China had rejected 12 batches of tainted corn from the United States. A total of 545,000 tons of US corn was found to contain MIR162, a type of genetically modified, insect-resistant corn which is banned by the country’s agriculture ministry.
The administration said it had notified US authorities after local bureaus returned the shipments. It also urged US authorities to improve inspection procedures to ensure that their goods comply with Chinese quality standards.
Last month, some 60,000 tons of corn from the US was rejected in the southern port city of Shenzhen as it also contained MIR162.
The Shenzhen bureau returned the batch according to China’s regulations for genetically modified agricultural products.
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