U.S. soybean shippers want adequate protections against rust

U.S. soybean shippers want adequate protections against rust

   U.S. soybean shippers want the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to take all appropriate and scientific-based steps to prevent the introduction of Asian soybean rust in the United States.

   The highly contagious plant disease has entered soybean crops throughout the world, except for North America. Brazil’s senior soybean specialist predicts the country’s losses to rust could exceed 4 million metric tons in 2004, with costs for spraying fungicides to surpass $1 billion.

   USDA is considering allowing soybean imports from overseas to make up for the exceptionally low domestic supply. The agency projects imports of 430,000 metric tons of soybean meal will be needed to sustain and feed U.S. livestock. Brazil is a likely source for this commodity.

   The American Soybean Association, which represents 25,000 U.S. soybean producers, believes the USDA should conduct extensive studies before commencing with imports.

   “We are particularly concerned about soybeans from rust-infested soybean farms being delivered directly to export facilities for prompt loading on ships destined for the United States,” said Ron Heck, president of the association. “Because of this, we believe some soybeans, along with foreign material containing live rust spores, could be easily loaded on ships within weeks of being harvested.”

   The association, commenting on a March 12 USDA proposed rulemaking, said one way to guarantee that Asian soybean rust is not introduced to the United States is to kill the spores with heat prior to shipment. However, the association warned that this would likely have a negative impact on the quality of the oil, protein and amino acids in the soybeans, and also would be expensive.

   Scientific studies have shown that it’s possible to kill rust spores in soybeans by storing them for a sufficient period in the country of origin. The required period of storage will depend on the results of USDA research underway in Paraguay and in Beltsville, Md. This research is not expected to be finished until later this year.

   The association also believes that soybean meal should also be heat treated during the solvent extraction process to kill all spores.