DES MOINES, Iowa – On Monday, Swiss biotech company Syngenta announced it received the safety certificate for its Agrisure Viptera trait from Chinese regulatory authorities. The move formally grants import approval to genetically modified corn containing the insect-control trait.
Syngenta’s North American leadership welcomed the news.
“We are very pleased to receive Chinese import approval for the Agrisure Viptera trait, also known as MIR 162,” said Syngenta Seeds Region Director for North America, Ponsi Trivisvavet. “This allows the importation of U.S. corn grain and processing byproducts, such as DDGs, with the trait, for food or feed use into China. We would like to acknowledge the assistance of the U.S. government, industry members, and other for securing this approval.”
“This is great news for U.S. farmers,” said Chuck Lee, Syngenta’s head of corn for North America. “Agrisure Viptera has been in strong demand for years, because it offers corn growers incredible protection against the broad specturm of above-ground corn pests.”
While Agrisure Vipetra has been approved for cultivation in the United States since 2010, Syngenta submitted its import approval dossier to Chinese Authorities in March of that same year. Approval was expected by March of 2012.
Timing commercialization of the trait before China’s approval of it forms the crux of several lawsuits in which Syngenta is currently embroiled, notably with grain distributor Cargill.
In that suit, Cargill alleges it was made vulnerable to over $90 million in losses because Syngenta did not wait for Chinese import approval before it commercialized the Viptera trait.
The U.S. Grains Council welcomed China’s decision, describing it as a positive but incomplete step toward normalized ag trade with China. USGC is still waiting for predictability in a synchronous biotech approval process.
The National Corn Growers Association also weighed in, describing China’s approval of Viptera as an encouraging step, noting that a variety of other traits remain unapproved and in Chinese regulatory limbo.
As it approved the Syngenta trait, China also approved two soybean varieties from Bayer and DuPont Pioneer.
To hear more about China’s recent approval of several biotech events, click the audio player above this story.
