Background and influence of the regulations on genetically modified organisms (2)

Introduction: Tang Yanli Information Center Analysis Office of the Ministry of agriculture (4) transgenic products enter China through trade and investment channels 1 The import of transgenic products increased In recent years, China has imported tens of millions of tons of grains, soybeans, rapeseed, vegetables, fruits and other products from the United States, Canada, Australia, Argentina, Brazil and other genetically modified production countries However, it is difficult to estimate the exact import quantity of genetically modified products because there is no compulsory marking system in China 2 The import of biotechnology in foreign countries has accelerated International large biotechnology companies carry out transgenic research, experiment and production in various forms in China For example, Monsanto, DuPont, Xianfeng and other companies in the United States and jerichon and other companies in the United Kingdom began to apply for field experiments, environmental release and commercial production of genetically modified crops (such as corn and cotton) in China It is difficult to evaluate the impact of transgenic on China's biosafety because of its short time in China （5） The significance of the regulations on the safety management of agricultural genetically modified organisms: the application of any new technology needs to go through a long time of repeated deliberation and certification before it can be recognized and fully applied by the public As a new technology that acts on biology itself, transgenic technology has more potential risks and will be tested by the scientific community and the whole society for a longer period of time Therefore, governments in all countries are generally cautious about genetically modified organisms, emphasizing the strict safety evaluation of genetically modified technology Article 1 of the general provisions of the regulations on the administration of the safety of agricultural genetically modified organisms explains the purpose and significance of its promulgation: "in order to strengthen the safety of agricultural genetically modified organisms, ensure the safety of human health, animals, plants and microorganisms, protect the ecological environment, and promote the research of agricultural genetically modified organisms technology, these Regulations are formulated." Xu Guanhua, China's minister of science and technology, also made it clear that in view of the potential danger of genetically modified organisms to human beings, the Chinese government has put the strengthening of the supervision, approval and safety of genetically modified organisms in a prominent position Based on this, for the first time, our government has strengthened the safety management of genetically modified organisms from the height of national legislation, which not only conforms to the objective needs of the development of genetically modified technology itself, but also conforms to the relevant international conventions and practices 3、 The regulations on the safety management of agricultural genetically modified organisms will have an impact on China's soybean trade The regulations on the management of genetically modified organisms are in line with the rules of technical barriers to trade of the world trade organization From its content, it is mainly to strengthen the identification system, safety evaluation system and approval system of genetically modified products, rather than to prevent the import of genetically modified products China is a big country in importing genetically modified soybeans In the long run, the impact of the implementation of genetically modified management regulations on the import of soybeans in China will be mainly reflected in the following aspects: (1) it will cause complicated import procedures, increase the cost of soybeans import, and then affect the import price Article 38 of the Regulations stipulates that "for the import of agricultural genetically modified organisms, if there is no agricultural genetically modified organisms safety certificate and relevant documents issued by the agricultural administrative department of the State Council, or if they are inconsistent with the certificates and approval documents, they shall be returned or destroyed If the imported agricultural genetically modified organisms are not marked according to the regulations, they can enter the country only after being re marked " In other words, the exporter must obtain the biosafety certificate of genetically modified soybeans to export genetically modified soybeans to China, which will inevitably increase the market risk and cost: first, the first time to obtain the certificate and related documents will take a long time, which is not good for grasping the market opportunity; second, the production, harvesting, acquisition, warehousing, transportation, shipment and other links need special supervision, and the cost must be But improve （2） It is possible to widen the price gap between GM and non GM soybeans Article 8 of the Regulations stipulates that "the State shall implement the marking system for agricultural genetically modified organisms" Article 28 of the Regulations stipulates that "the sale of agricultural genetically modified organisms listed in the catalogue of agricultural genetically modified organisms within the territory of the people's Republic of China shall be clearly marked." It is not only a respect for consumers, but also a risk disclosure to enforce the labeling system of genetically modified agricultural products in all aspects of market circulation From the foreign situation, this will have a restraining effect on the market demand of genetically modified products to a large extent, and then affect the production, processing, import and sales of genetically modified products According to the current price of GM soybeans and non GM soybeans traded on the Japanese Grain Exchange, the latter is 15% - 20% higher than the former After the adoption of the labeling system in China, it remains to be seen how people's attitudes towards GM soybeans affect the market price （3） There is more policy room for the import control of genetically modified products such as soybeans, and the flexibility of import control is enhanced Article 7 of the Regulations stipulates that "the State shall establish a safety evaluation system for agricultural genetically modified organisms The standards and technical specifications for the safety assessment of agricultural genetically modified organisms shall be formulated by the competent administrative department of agriculture under the State Council " Article 36 of the Regulations stipulates that "the competent agricultural administrative department of the State Council and the state entry exit inspection and quarantine department shall, within 270 days from the date of receiving the application from the applicant, make a decision of approval or disapproval and notify the applicant." This will enable China to regulate the import speed of agricultural products with a large proportion of genetically modified soybeans and other agricultural products, which is beneficial to the stability of the domestic market （4） The administration of inspection and Quarantine of imported products has been strengthened Article 34 of the regulations“ For the import of agricultural genetically modified organisms from outside the people's Republic of China or the export of agricultural genetically modified organisms to the people's Republic of China, the importing unit or overseas company shall apply to the port entry-exit inspection and quarantine institution for inspection on the strength of the agricultural genetically modified organisms safety certificate and relevant approval documents issued by the agricultural administrative department of the State Council; only after passing the quarantine can it apply to the customs Please go through the relevant formalities The time and cost of quarantine also increased the threshold price of GMOs 4、 Looking forward to the future trend of soybean import in China From the analysis of soybean import and export in the front, we know that the introduction of genetically modified management regulations led to the two consecutive months of American soybean export to China from August to September In the middle of September, the General Administration of quality supervision and Quarantine of the people's Republic of China strengthened the management of quality problems of imported soybeans, further slowing down the speed of American soybeans entering China In late October, when President Bush of the United States attended the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting, he twice mentioned the matter to President Jiang Zemin of China It is said that the US and China have settled the agreement on the trade of genetically modified soybeans: 1 The Chinese side agreed to accept the US regulatory procedures for genetically modified soybeans before the introduction of its own regulatory procedures 2 The Chinese side agreed to consider solving the problem of delay in unloading caused by the tedious quarantine inspection procedures at the port In this way, the impact of GM regulations on US soybean import is basically eliminated, but how much can be imported and whose soybean can be imported depends on two other factors: 1 Basic supply and demand Due to the large backlog of imported soybeans from July to September and the listing of new soybeans in October, the domestic demand for imported soybeans is not strong at present 2 The comparative advantages of American soybeans and South American soybeans in price, quality, variety and other aspects are expected to increase gradually from November, but the increase is limited The detailed rules of GM management are the specific implementation and operation of the regulations Even if the rules are issued, the restrictions on the import of soybeans in China are very limited However, the increase of import cost, the implementation of labeling system and other details will reduce the import quantity FBM