21
Import / Export Panel
PANELIST
Teresa BabuscioSecretary General
COCERAL
Opening Opportunities for Progress
Champaign – IL, 26 August 2013
Dr. Teresa Babuscio
COCERAL Secretary General
COCERALFacts and figures
COCERAL – facts and figures
• COCERAL is the EU association representing the trade with cereals,oilseeds, feedstuffs, olive oil and agrosupply
• Founded in 1958
• Members are national associations representing grain merchants, storersand/or international traders
• 31 Member Associations in 19 countries + Unistock, representing about2700 companies
• Associate Member
– Switzerland
EUROPEAN SUPPLY OF RAW MATERIALS
“need for global sourcing to meet food and feed and industrial demand”
EU: A major importer of Agricultural products
Nr 1 in meals, Nr 2 in oilseeds and oils, Nr 4 in
grains
Bulk grains handling system
Global grain trade today: buyers and sellers
NorthAmerica
Caribbean
CentralAmerica
SouthAmerica
NorthAfrica
Sub-SaharanAfrica
Europe
RussiaUkraine
EastAsia
SoutheastAsia
Oceania
MiddleEast
Imported
Exported
SouthAsia
Status of the GM authorization
process
• 48 traits are authorised in total; 74 traits in the authorization system• Timeline: cultivation authorization up to 13 years; import authorization 3.7 years on
average• Forecast: more than 100 traits pending in the authorisation system by 2015, unless
something changes
CHALLENGES AND IMPACT FOR THE EU
TRADE AND SUPPLY CHAIN
“The EU “zero-tolerance” policy and the impact of asynchronous and asymmetric approvals in the EU”
The major challenges to EU imports
“Zero tolerance”policy for GMOs not
authorized in EU
Increasing acceptance of GM technology in third
countries
High risk of finding LLP of GMOs in
imported commodities for the EU industry
The major LLP incidents in the past 10 years: a long list and severe repercussions to EU food and feed industry
Source Commodity GM events Year Origin
LLP from discontinued
authorization Maize GA 21 2007/08
Argentina
LLP from asynchronous authorization
SoybeanLibertyLink, Roundup
Ready 2, MON 88017, MIR 604 and others
2008/09 till now
North America
LLP from asynchronous authorization
MaizeHerculex RW Rootworm,
MIR 162 and others 2006/07 till now
North America
LLP from asymmetric
authorizationLinseed CDC Triffid
2009/10 till now
Canada
LLP from asymmetric authorization
RiceLLRICE601, LLRICE06
and LLRICE622006/07 till now
US
Source: COCERAL and FERM, May 2013
LLP – a differentiation needs to be made
• GM events which are authorized in third countries but not yet in Europe
• E.g.: Herculex RW Rootworm, MIR 162 and others from the US
Asynchronous authorization
• GM events which are authorized in third countries but not in Europe
• E.g.: LLRICE601, LLRICE06 and LLRICE62 from US
Asymmetric authorization
• The approval of GM event expires and an application for the continuation of the approval is not submitted in the EU
• E.g.: GA 21
Discontinued events
Trade impact: EU import of Corn Gluten Feed (CGF) and Dry Distiller’s Grains (DDGS) from the US in tons
Source: GTIS, Toepfer
Trade impact: EU imports of US origin rice (2003 – 2012) in tons
0
10000
20000
30000
40000
50000
60000
70000
80000
90000
0
20
40
60
80
100
120S
-D J-A
M-A
u
S-D J-A
M-A
u
S-D J-A
M-A
u
S-D J-A
M-A
u
S-D J-A
M-A
u
S-D J-A
M-A
u
S-D J-A
M-A
u
S-D J-A
M-A
u
S-D J-A
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Imp
ort
s (t
)
No
. EU
Rap
id A
lert
s o
n L
LP U
S ri
ce
Source: Eurostat, RASFF
STATE OF PLAY IN THE EU
“What we have and what we need”
“Technical Solution”: a tool of limited
scope and application
Technical protocol
for testing
Feed-only
0.1% adjustment
Pending GM
traits
The protocol does NOT address LLP : it ONLY defines what it means
the “zero tolerance policy” in practice
LLP policy: need for a long-lasting strategy
EU policy for LLP
Technical protocol for Food Feed
Legal certainty to EU
operators Viability of supply of
raw material to the EU
• Applicable to all imported food and feed • Applicable to all GM traits authorized in third countries
• Based on a workable marketing threshold
