Nov 09, 2010
Guidelines for non-GMO Grain Being Developed in Brazil
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
The Brazilian Association of Non-GMO Grain Producers (Abrange) is in the process of developing guidelines for farmers so they can certify that their grain is non-GMO. Some producers in Brazil feel there is a niche market for conventional grain production and they are in the process of developing a certification program that would help farmers capture that market. The guidelines are expected to be complete and published by the end of the year.
The organization expects that corn will be the first crop to meet the certification program. Abrange estimates that approximately 500 commercial grain farmers in Brazil grow non-GMO corn and most of them are located in the states of Sao Paulo, Mato Grosso, Goias, and Minas Gerais. In a pilot program, twenty of those corn farmers have already been certified as producing only non-GMO corn.
The certification process will start with the seeds. Farmers in the program must present a certified receipt from the Minister of Agriculture that the seed they planted was GMO free. Technicians will also visit the farm to verify that no volunteer corn is present from a prior crop. Once harvested, the seed is tested for the presence of any GMO material that may be the result of pollen blowing in from nearby GMO corn fields. The grain is then tested several more times as it is transported from the farm to the end user. The last and final test is conducted on the scale as the truck is ready to unload the grain at the food manufacturer's plant.
Farmers in the program will have to enter their data into a data base that can be accessed by end users wishing to purchase GMO free grain. Data such as the type of hybrid grown, the date of planting, the estimated date of harvest, the type of fertilizers and chemicals used, and the estimated total production will be in the data base.
When Brazil allowed GMO corn, soybeans, and cotton to be grown in the country, it also developed a system by which food containing these GMO products could be identified. In order to give the consumer the opportunity to know if a product contains GMO material or not, a law was passed in Brazil in 2004 requires food manufacture to state on the label the presence of GMO organisms if the product contains more than 1% GMO material. If the product does contain GMO material, the package must display a yellow triangle with a capital T in the middle, which indicates the presence of GMO material.