The new trade deal announced last week between China and the United States is expected to remove a major barrier to the sale of GMO seeds, reports Reuters. As part of the deal, China has agreed to review eight GM crops from the United States, ending a years-long delay in the approval process by America’s top export market for agricultural products.
China “has roiled markets and sent prices sliding in the past when it has taken a tough line on imports of certain GMO products,” said Reuters. “In November 2013, China began rejecting U.S. corn shipments because Chinese inspectors said they contained a GMO corn variety made by Syngenta AG called Agrisure Viptera. The variety was approved by the United States but not China.”
Farmers sued Syngenta when corn prices fell as a result of China’s rejection. That suit was set to go to trial this summer.
“China’s review covers crops grown from seeds developed by major agrichemical companies, including Monsanto Co., Dow Chemical, and DuPont,” according to Reuters “They have been stuck in the Chinese approval process for up to six years.”