ABITRIGO evaluates precautionary measure against GMO Argentine wheat

ABITRIGO (the Brazilian wheat industry association) will ask Brazil’s Department of State to immediately convene the National Biosafety Committee to perform a more comprehensive analysis of the implications of the presence of transgenic Argentine wheat in the Brazilian market. The entity also is considering entering into a precautionary measure to prevent the decision of the CTNBio (National Technical Biosafety Commission) to authorize the sale in the country of flour made with genetically modified Argentine wheat from entering into force until the National Biosafety Committee expresses its opinion on the matter.

This Thursday, November 11, the CTNBio approved the sale. “Unfortunately, Brazil will become known as the first country to approve the use of transgenic wheat in the world, despite the strong rejection of the international market in the last 20 years”, disclosed ABITRIGO about the approval of the genetically modified flour by CTNBio.

See Argentina’s share of Brazilian wheat imports from 2019 onwards in the graph below. Data are from DataLiner:

Brazilian Wheat Imports from Argentina vs. Other Countries | Jan 2019 to Sept 2021 | WTMT

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

“This decision is laden with uncertainties in the scope of developments before the market and the international community and was taken based on criteria that affect safety, without further study on market conditions and consumer behavior”, says the entity, in a statement. “There were many attempts by ABITRIGO to sensitize public authorities about the risks of this decision, in the sense that the analysis process would consider the desire of the Brazilian consumer and the consequences for the wheat chain in Brazil.”

The organization also claims that the approval will have an impact on Brazilian exports of by-products (pasta, biscuits, and bread), in addition to unpredictable splits on the image of national agribusiness.

Source: Valor Econômico

To read the full original article, visit the link:

https://valor.globo.com/agronegocios/noticia/2021/11/11/abitrigo-avalia-medida-cautelar-contra-trigo-transgenico-argentino.ghtml

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