National Ag News
New Chinese phytosanitary guidelines for U.S. soybeans start January 1
A USDA official says U.S. soybeans going to China need to meet new standards for foreign material contamination. William Wepsala with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service says, “The largest concern for China is weed seeds. That’s the primary concern with the foreign material.”
Wepsala says as of January 1st, new guidelines require U.S. soybeans to have less than one percent foreign matter to meet Chinese phytosanitary guidelines. “USDA will be inspecting shipments of soybeans and labeling those that have more than one percent foreign material, and then we will be recommending some best practices at the farm level that could include weed control and then some cleaning to be implemented in order to achieve that goal.”
The Chinese have agreed to expedite movement of loads with less than 1% foreign matter.
