The recent decision by Argentina's National Seed Association (INASE) to ban the sale of transgenic GA21 and Bt176 com seeds is pitting the government agency against biotechnology companies and farmers who want access to the latest seed technology.Then-agriculture minister Miguel Campos last year issued a resolution that opened a 90-day window of opportunity for fast track approval of new seed events.Syngenta's GA21 com variety slipped through that window on the assumption that within six months the European Union would approve GA21 for human consumption,preventing any interruption in sales to Europe.EU approval was not forthcoming,and the recent rejection of an Argentine corn shipment with trace amounts of GA21 corn led INASE to ban further sales of GA21 and Bt176 corn seeds (see PTCN,June 4,Page 11).
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