These laws include criminal penalties for importing unapproved genetically modified crops, as well as labeling for some food products containing genetically modified ingredients. Unlike the United States, Japan has not granted approval for feeding StarLink corn. The biggest problem is starting April 1. So especially Japanese trading houses who have no IP handling systems are heading outside the United States origination. Argentina, South Africa, China, even France.
French maize is extremely expensive.
Mitsubishi Corp. Matsubara is the assistant general manager and feed grain team leader of the feed, meat and livestock department of Mitsubishi Corp., Tokyo. This is causing buyers to tell trading houses, such as Mitsubishi, to shift from the United States to ''South America, Argentina, Brazil and South Africa . . . Since the marketing year began on Sept. 1, imports of U.S. soybeans have dropped by 100,000 metric tons, he added. Long the top market for U.S. soybean exports, Japan now ranks third behind China and Mexico, Echle noted. Matsubara said StarLink from 2000 and previous years remains a threat. ''I want StarLink to be segregated . . .