Washington-The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) on Feb. 11 said it is pleased with the decision by USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to fully deregulate corn amylase for all markets. Amylase corn, which produces a common enzyme that breaks down starch into sugar, was developed by Syngenta Seeds to aid in the production of ethanol. Syngenta submitted a petition in 2007 to deregulate the genetically engineered corn seed, estimating that high-amylase seeds could cut ethanol production costs by 10 percent. APHIS has not found a plant pest risk associated with corn amylase and reported a positive Environmental Assessment, NCGA said. Corn amylase is approved in Japan, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, Australia, Taiwan, and the Philippines, and was found to be safe for food and feed by the Food and Drug Administration in 2007. “Corn amylase is the first processing output trait to be scrutinized by our regulatory system,” said Bart Schott, NCGA president. “The potential importance of output traits to growers and industry will only increase as other output traits are developed.” Not all were happy with the decision, however. “The Obama administration is giving the green light to dirty and dangerous forms of corn ethanol despite significant health, food security and environmental concerns,” said Kate McMahon, biofuels campaign coordinator for the environmental group Friends of the Earth. “Instead of continuing to risk the health of people and the planet, we should reexamine the existence of the biofuel mandate.”
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