Corn shippers warned to avoid co-mingling

   With the release of a new corn seed from Syngenta and concerns over mixing genetically modified grains in shipments, the U.S. Grain Council urged its shipper members to exercise an “aggressive stewardship” program as it relates to corn exports.
   “It is important for all sectors of the value chain — individual farmers, technology providers, shippers and exporters alike — to recognize the potentially significant international implications of their actions,” the council said in a statement.
   “Inadvertent commingling is almost certain to occur in the high-volume, U.S. commodity-handling system, and modern testing methods are likely to detect even trace levels of unapproved events. The presence of unapproved events in the export stream, therefore, carries a significant risk of major international trade disruptions,” the council added.
   Corn production is also on the rise overseas, permitting buyers to source from anywhere in the world.
   Syngenta has recently released its Agrisure Duracade trait for planting this year. The modification is expected to help eliminate corn rootworms, which cost U.S. farmers more than $1 billion annually in yield losses and treatment costs.
   The Grain Council warned there is “no easy solution” to managing the introduction of Agrisure Duracade, but said “in the short term, we urge all stakeholders to weigh the consequences of their actions, recognize the international implications of planting and marketing decisions, and stringently adhere to their stewardship responsibilities.”