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" I heard it
through the
AgLine"
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September 1, 2009
·
Hawaii
growers warned to clean up exports
·
China seeks
lead role in food safety standards
·
GM crops to play key role in Viet Nam
ag
·
Food
‘tattoos’ an alternative to sticky labels
·
FarmVille
social game tops 11 million players
Hawaii
growers warned to clean up exports
(Honoluluadvertiser.com)
– Hawaii's $125 million agricultural export
industry could be threatened by hitchhiking insects and other pests found on
fresh flower, foliage and fruit shipments arriving in California.
Budget cuts have left California
with fewer inspectors and made that state more prone to slap sanctions on
importers when pests are discovered. Hawai'i
may also lose inspectors if the state lays off workers
in November as planned to balance its budget.
Five key agricultural officials sent a warning letter this
month to hundreds of Hawai'i
growers and shippers who sell flowers, foliage, herbs, vegetables, potted
nursery products and fruit, alerting them to the potential risk of not cleaning
up their shipments.
"Anyone that currently ships to California
can be the 'last straw' that triggers the decision by California
to impose severe restrictions on the movement of all products from Hawai'i into the California
market," the letter states.
Those severe restrictions could include enhanced inspection
requirements that will further delay the release of fragile fresh products into
markets, a requirement for specific treatments for high-risk products, or bans
on some shipments entirely, officials said.
The potential layoff of Hawai'i agricultural inspectors would worsen
a bad situation, said Susan Matsushima, chief executive of Alluvion
farm near Hale'iwa. Of the 118 state Department of
Agriculture workers targeted for layoffs, she said, 52 are inspectors.
And that would likely send a message to California
that, lacking 52 inspectors, Hawai'i
products would be more at risk than ever of having unwanted insects.
'Bad situation'
The warning letter suggests an active plan of education,
cooperation and increased safeguards to clean up these agricultural products.
"We need to pull back and make sure we do a good
job," said Eric Tanouye, who raises and ships
tropical flowers at Green Point Nurseries in Hilo. "In the end, this will make our
industry stronger."
Hawai'i pests that have
turned up in shipments to California
include: nettle caterpillars, little fire ants, light brown apple moths, coqui frogs and Asian citrus psyllids.
Currently, regulations allow some self-inspection of
products, which helps speed shipment. But when inspections in California uncover insects,
that endangers the self-inspection practice, according to federal and
state officials.
One of those who signed the letter to growers is Lyle Wong,
administrator of the state Department of Agriculture's plant industry division.
"There's a bad situation developing here," Wong
said. If Hawai'i
products become known as pest-infested, they're likely to face quarantine and
inspection problems, he said.
"You may not be able to ship to California if this continues," he said.
"It's terrible," said Matsushima at Alluvion. But she remains hopeful that everyone in her
industry will get the word and pull together to keep exports "clean"
of insects.
Wong said California has
always been pretty tough about imports but is especially vigilant as an entry
point for the rest of the continental U.S. and as protector of its own
agricultural industries, especially grape and citrus crops.
California
has seen its funding for pest prevention drop to a fraction of what it was.
"We are considered high risk because we have fruit
flies in Hawai'i,"
Wong added.
He recalls a pallet of 1,800 pounds of rambutan,
irradiated on the Big Island and shipped from Hilo to California, where an ant
walking on the outside of the box prompted inspectors there to reject it, which
cost the farmer at least $8,500 worth of fruit plus other expenses and lost
revenue.
Tanouye of Green Point Nurseries
is president of the Hawaii Florists and Shippers Association and said he's seen
the vibrant business growing even during difficult economic times.
Tanouye said bugs have turned up
in cut flowers and foliage — not in an isolated case or two, but throughout the
industry, especially with flowers that have places for bugs to hide, such as
bird of paradise, ginger and heliconia, as well as
palms and monstera.
"Everyone is challenged with this responsibility of
being pest free," Tanouye said, especially in a
business with a premium on freshness.
Additional Facts
Rejected in California
Preliminary data for the January-to-June 2009 period
indicate 201 shipments were rejected because of hitchhiking insects discovered
on arrival in California.
Such rejections could prompt severe restrictions on agricultural exports. The
rejected shipments:
135 Cut flowers, foliage
31 Herbs, vegetables
25 Nursery products
10 Fruits
Source: state Department of Agriculture
Return to Top
China seeks lead role in food
safety standards
(China
View) BEIJING – China is now working on a new system of food safety
standards that is expected to guarantee people's health and be more compatible
with international norms, said a senior health official in Beijing.
"The Ministry
of Health is now working with other government agencies to formulate a new
system of food safety standards, as required by the country's new food safety
law that went into effect June 1 this year," said Vice Minister of Health
Chen Xiaohong at the Food and Drug Safety
Responsibility Forum on Saturday.
According to Chen,
the new system will integrate existing food safety standards, eliminate areas
that overlap or contradict each other, and establish new standards for areas
that previously lacked regulation.
"The amount
of pathogenic microorganisms, pesticide residue, microorganism residue, heavy
metals and pollutants in food products, as well as the use of food additives
are the priority areas," noted Chen. "We are also building up an
expert team on food safety standards."
Chen promised
transparency in the making of the new system and encouraged experts and
enterprises to submit suggestions. The new system will also be subject to the
opinions of international organizations and other countries, in line with a
request from the WTO, he said.
In addition to the
implementation of the new law, the ministry is also stepping up efforts to
establish an efficient food safety coordination mechanism, improve the health
emergency response system, and set up a food safety risk-monitoring and
assessment system.
A database is
under construction to facilitate the flow of information between different
government agencies involved in food safety administration and supervision.
Speaking at the
forum, Chen also urged food and drug companies to shoulder their share of
responsibility in safeguarding people's health.
"Food and
drug safety has a direct bearing on people's health and also sustains the sound
development of the whole industry," he said. "It also reflects the
credibility and social responsibility of an individual enterprise. Experiences
have shown that an enterprise can generate more economic returns when putting
people's health above anything else."
His opinion was
echoed by another participant at the forum, Wang Maolin,
the vice chairman of the Law Committee of the 10th National People's Congress.
Wang said food and
drug enterprises should change their role of an economic entity to that of a
social entity and take on more social responsibility.
He said that
corporate social responsibility (CSR) can measure an enterprise's business
ethics and constitutes a threshold in entering some overseas markets. According
to Wang, Chinese enterprises have to pass CSR examinations before entering
developed markets such as the EU, U.S.
and Japan.
In a show of
support for the government's efforts to reduce repeating food scandals that
batter the industry's reputation and consumer confidence, participating
entrepreneurs signed their names on an initiative to produce safe food and
drugs.
The Forum on Food
and Drug Safety is the summer summit of the International CEO Roundtable of
Chinese and Foreign Multinational Corporations, which is held in mid-November
every year in Beijing.
About 700 people from various government agencies, businesses and media
organizations attended Saturday's forum.
Return to Top
GM crops to play a key role in Viet Nam ag
(VNS) HA NOI — Genetically modified
crops are expected to make up to 50 per cent of the country’s total
agricultural output by 2020.
Experts met last week at the National Meeting on Genetically
Modified Organisms (GMO) and Biological Safety Management on GMO to discuss
issues pertaining to GMO in domestic agriculture.
"In order to develop and apply GMOs
into agricultural production in a sustainable way, it is necessary to set up
and implement effective biotechnology regulations and safety management
mechanisms for GMOs and foods derived from
recombinant DNA," said Nguyen Xuan Cuong, deputy minister of the Ministry of Natural Resources
and Environment (MoNRE).
A decree on biotechnology safety management for GMOs drafted by MoNRE will be
submitted to the Government in October, according to Le Thanh
Binh, deputy head of MoNRE’s
Biodiversity Preservation Department.
Under this decree, individuals and organisations
who want to research and develop GMO technology would
have to meet all standards on staff and equipment set by the Ministry of
Science and Technology.
Binh said that GMOs
being considered for use in food or other products would have to undergo a
number of tests to assess potential risks to the environment, biodiversity or
people’s health. All these tests will be regulated by the Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the Ministry of Health (MoH).
After assessment, organisations or
individuals would have to show the approval of the GMO product to MoNRE; which would then grant a certificate to certify the
product is safe before it is released into the environment. For GMOs being used for food, MoH
would grant a certificate that declares the product safe for human consumption.
Products which contain more than 5 per cent of GMOs will have a label stating that these products
"used genetically modified technology", according to the draft
decree.
Providing information about GMOs
products for consumers is also regulated in this decree.
Binh said that this decree
delineated clearly the responsibility of every State agency to ensure the safe
usage of biotechnology for GMOs, as well as the
rights and tasks of those researching and developing GMOs.
A guidance circular on biotech safety management and the
research and development of GMO technology is being created by the Ministry of
Science and Technology; a circular on biotech safety management for GMO crops
is also being created by MARD.
Make help
Cuong said that with
biotechnology, plants could be created that are disease resistant and can
withstand drought and floods.
The world had witnessed achievements in modern
biotechnology, which could boost the volume and hardiness of crops to help
supply enough food for an increasing population, said Cuong.
"Application of genetically modifying (GM) technology
is an irresistible trend when scientists can hardly forecast when it will be
rainy or sunny or when drought or floods will occur," said director of the
Agricultural Genetics Institute Le Huy Ham.
Coupled with the loss of agricultural land for industrialisation and urbanisation,
and the fast pace of population growth, there was no other way to develop
plants that would adapt to the changing climate to maintain the nation’s food
security, he added.
Professor Le Tran Binh of the
Biotechnology Institute said that a GMO or genetically engineered organism
(GEO) is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic
engineering techniques. These techniques, generally known as recombinant DNA
technology, use DNA molecules from different sources and then combine them into
one molecule to create a new set of genes. This DNA is then transferred into an
organism, giving it modified or novel genes.
"Achievements are expressed through transferring into
the plants the genes which help plants to be resistant against diseases and
pestilent insects," said Binh.
Today, the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, as well as
developing countries worldwide support the use of GM plants. However, many
European countries have yet to agree with their use.
To date, up to 800 million hectares of GM plants have been
grown in 25 countries, and about 55 countries allow the sale of foods derived
from recombinant DNA.
Pham Van Toan, chief of MARD’s Biotechnology Department said that the total profit
in the last 10 years that farmers in developing countries have earned from GMO
crops is US$16.5 billion and in developed ones the number is $17.5 billion. Coupled with that, using GMO in agricultural production is
estimated to have helped decrease the usage of pesticides by more than 200,000 tonnes.
However, many opponents had expressed concern about how to
ensure GMO products are safe for people and the environment, said Dr Nguyen Van
Khai, who is well known for his vegetable and plant
protection methods.
Cuong said that this technology
posed some risks to environment, biodiversity and people’s health which
required the experts and relevant authorities to find the ways to minimise these effects.
Return to Top
Food ‘tattoos’ an alternative to sticky
labels
(USDA-ARS) – Those small and sometimes inconvenient sticky
labels on produce may eventually be replaced by laser “tattoo” technology now
being tested by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and University of Florida
(UFL) scientists.
Called laser etching, the new technology puts a tattoo on
grapefruit and other produce so it can be identified at the supermarket
checkout lines. The technology was invented by former UFL scientist Greg Drouillard, now with Sunkist Growers. Grapefruit has always
been labeled with sticky paper labels that mar the fruit and stick to one
another in storage. The labels are also easily removed, making it more
difficult to track a piece of produce back to the source if the need arises.
Microbiologist Jan Narciso at the
ARS Citrus and Subtropical Products Laboratory in Winter Haven, Fla.,
and UFL researcher Ed Etxeberria investigated laser
technology as an alternative to sticky paper labels.
A carbon dioxide laser beam was used to etch information
into the first few outer cells of the fruit peel. The mark can’t be peeled off,
washed off or changed, offering a way to trace the fruit back to its original
source. This permanent etching into the fruit peel does not increase water loss
or the entrance of food pathogens or postharvest pathogens if the laser label
is covered with wax.
Further testing shows the wax may be unnecessary, since the
tiny holes etched into the grapefruit peel are effectively sealed by the carbon
dioxide, preventing decay and food pathogen entry. However, wax coverage is
recommended to eliminate water loss. In testing for fruit decay, the fruit was
inoculated with decay organisms and then etched with the laser. No pathogens
were found in the peel or the fruit interior.
Narciso and Etxeberria
found that the laser cauterizes the peel, much like when a laser is used on
human skin. The cauterized area is impenetrable to pathogens and decay
organisms and resists water loss. Testing is also being conducted on tomatoes,
avocado and other citrus fruits. The process would have to be approved by the
Food and Drug Administration before it could be used commercially.
This research was reported in the scientific journal HortTechnology.
Return to Top
FarmVille
social game tops 11 million players
(Wire Services) SAN
FRANCISCO -- Zynga, the
largest developer of social games, announced that its FarmVille
game is the largest and fasting growing social game in history, with more than
11 million daily active users. Since its launch on June 19, 2009, FarmVille has attracted more than 1 million new daily
active users a week, on average.
FarmVille is a light, fast and fun
game where players create and manage their own virtual farm. Like all Zynga games, FarmVille lets you
play, invest and express by plowing, growing and harvesting a variety of crops
for money and game points. Players also have options to invest in their farms
by purchasing fruit trees and farm animals such as pigs and cows, and
compliment their crops with other farm assets such as barns, windmills and
greenhouses.
Nurturing the farm is the key to success for players and
their network of fellow farmer friends -- those who tend their crops diligently
will see their farms flourish and their bank accounts swell. Players' friends
are a key element of success in FarmVille.
"FarmVille demonstrates the
huge market potential of social gaming -- in just 9 weeks the game has become a
cultural phenomenon," said Mark Pincus, founder
and CEO of Zynga. "No other application has achieved
what this game has in such a short amount of time. Who would have guessed that FarmVille is now the biggest online game in North America and quickly becoming the biggest online
game in the world."
"FarmVille's growth is
nothing short of spectacular and a clear indicator that we have a winning
formula for giving players around the world a virtual farming experience that
they truly enjoy," said Mark Skaggs, VP and GM of Zynga's
Social RTS studio. "By combining the best elements of social gaming, with
people's instinct to nurture, we've created an incredibly fun, wholesome and
rewarding experience."
Zynga is the largest social gaming
company, with 27 million daily users and 93 million monthly users. Zynga's games are available on Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, Hi5, Friendster, Tagged, Yahoo! and the iPhone, and include FarmVille, Texas
Hold'Em Poker, Mafia Wars, YoVille,
Vampires, Street Racing, and Scramble. The company is funded by Kleiner Perkins Caufield &
Byers, IVP, Union Square Ventures, Foundry Group, Avalon Ventures, Pilot Group,
Reid Hoffman and Peter Thiel. Zynga
is headquartered at the Chip Factory in San
Francisco.
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End Transmission