Japanese regulators visit U.S. farms to learn biotech-crop management

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A team of Japanese regulatory officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) visited the U.S. recently to learn how U.S. agriculture stakeholders manage and regulate biotech crops.

The team visited major export terminals at New Orleans, Illinois and Iowa farm, county and river elevators. They also met with seed-technology providers for a discussion of U.S. biotechnology research and development. The team also met with USDA, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Food and Drug Administration  officials responsible for U.S. biotechnology assessment.

The trade team was one of 30 scheduled to visit the U.S. grain production region this year to see how U.S. feed products are manufactured and prepared for export. These visits are a central part of the U.S. Grains Council’s (USGC) efforts to promote direct sales of U.S. feed products and assure that the marketplace is open to U.S. farmers.

Japan has a well-developed regulatory system for biotechnology, with food-safety approvals covered jointly by MAFF and MHLW, with one agency responsible for safety assessment and the other responsible for risk management. USGC staff nationwide and in Washington work to provide constant in-service training for Japanese regulators so they can stay abreast of the latest developments.