NDBC's Vinclozolin Campaign Tainted

VANCOUVER - Feb 27/04 - STAT -- North America's dry edible bean industry participants spent much of the past week caught up in a anti-trade lobbying effort sparked by an anonymous email message about Vinclozolin residues in a shipment of Canadian dry edible beans.

Residues allegedly found in a Canadian bean shipment were 0.021 parts per million. The FDA has approved residue tolerances of 0.05 ppm for eggs, milk, and the meat, fat and meat byproducts of cattle, goats, hogs, horses, and sheep; and 0.1 ppm for poultry meat, fat, and meat byproducts.

The residue tolerance level for fresh, or succulent, beans is 2.0 ppm -- double the level adopted by Canada for dry edible beans. Both Canada and the United States have a 0.1 ppm tolerance for Vinclozolin in canola seed.

The fact the entire issue was sparked by an anonymous individual troubles many people within the dry edible bean industry in the United States. They worry "there are anonymous parties influencing the process that obviously have an agenda which goes beyond this isolated incident."

Industry participants think it is possible the message was sent by someone who merely wants to block all dry edible bean imports by the United States. On the other hand, it could as easily be someone outside the bean industry with "an entirely separate agenda to forward."

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