Brussels, July 1 - China needs to tighten controls to ensure that none of its rice exports contain traces of a biotech strain not authorised in the European Union, the EU's executive Commission said in a report on Wednesday.
The report was based on a visit made to China by an EU inspection team in late November and early December 2008 to check Chinese controls for the presence of Bt-63 rice, a variety that has been modified to resist particular insect pests.
China has 29 laboratories designated to carry out control analysis of Bt-63 in its rice products. While the EU report said these had been found to be well staffed and equipped, there were problems elsewhere in the control chain that needed addressing.
"There are some shortcomings regarding lack of practical simplified sampling instructions available to inspectors and lack of know-how on specific details of the methodology for Bt-63 detection in official control laboratories," it said.
While China had a control system in place to ensure that its rice products exported to EU markets met the rules, it had not provided the inspection team with enough information on how it was dealing with illegal exports and possible fraud, it said.
At present, no biotech rice may be grown, sold or marketed in the EU's 27 countries, where consumers have a reputation for mistrust of genetically modified (GM) crops and foods. GM food manufacturers, however, insist that their products are safe.
China itself has not approved commercial cultivation of GM rice, although there are numerous field trials in the country.
Since April 2008, national governments have been obliged to test Chinese rice imports on their arrival at EU ports.
Rice cargoes destined for EU markets have to be tested by an official or accredited laboratory in China and accompanied by an analytical report to show they do not contain the Bt-63 strain.
The rules were imposed after several EU countries reported evidence of Bt-63 rice between 2006 and 2007.
The EU inspection report said numbers of such cases reported via its rapid alert food and feed system were slightly higher in 2008 than in the two previous years -- 14 notifications last year, compared with 11 each in 2006 and 2007, it said.
The electronic system, administered by the European Commission's food safety department, allows other EU countries to identify risks to their food and feed chain within the shortest time possible.
EU imports of rice and rice products from China usually account for 4-5 percent of imports of the same commodities. But some rice products have a much higher share, like cooked or prepared rice pasta -- where up to 40 percent comes from China.