China has found safety problems with soybeans imported from the
United States and urged the US authorities to improve the quality
of soybean exports.
Local entry-exit inspection and quarantine bureaus have
discovered quality and safety problems from US-imported soybeans,
said the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection,
and Quarantine (GAQSIQ) on its website.
Inspection and quarantine units often find hazardous weeds
such as sorghum halepense and iva xanthifolia that could threaten
China's farm production, forestation and ecological safety. The
imported soybeans also had soil clods containing pest which poses
threats to China's soybean production, it said.
Some soybeans imported from the United States failed to reach
the requirement in protein and oil contents, and had more
impurities than allowed in contracts.
"These problems indicate loopholes in the process of growing,
harvesting, storing, transporting, inspecting, and quarantining
soybeans in the United States," it said.
The administration has notified the US authorities and asked for
an investigation into the case and effective measures to avoid
similar problems.
In recent years, China has been importing millions of tons or
more of transgenetic soybeans from the United States.
(Xinhua News Agency August 23, 2007)
