USDA Buys $13 Million of Cry9C Corn

June 18, 2001

USDA has completed the purchase of more than 322,000 hybrid seed corn units containing the protein Cry9C from 63 small- and medium-size seed companies. USDA is making these purchases, currently estimated at $12.9 million, to ensure a safe supply of corn for human use and so that seed companies are not adversely affected by the presence of Cry9C in their seed corn.

The vast majority of seed corn produced in the United States was not affected as the number of seed corn kernels that contained Cry9C was less than one percent of the entire 2001 supply of hybrid seed corn. USDA still is reviewing applications from eight companies. The total additional quantity of hybrid seed units that could be purchased if all of these applications were approved would be approximately 125,000 units. Accordingly, total USDA purchases would be slightly less than 450,000 units (a unit is 88,000 kernels a bag, or bushels for bulk seed) at an expenditure of no more than $18 million.

Corn containing Cry9C may be fed to animals; it is not approved for use as food for human consumption. In March, after conducting extensive tests under USDA recommended procedures, some seed companies found isolated occurrences of extremely low levels of Cry9C in seed originally intended for sale this year.

To help limit the production of corn containing this protein so that it would not be planted and then later enter the human food supply, USDA announced on March 7 that it would purchase seed corn containing Cry9C and also contacted 288 seed companies. To participate in this purchase, the seller must destroy Cry9C affected seed. Companies licensed by Aventis, the registrant of StarLink, to grow hybrid seed corn containing Cry9C protein are not eligible to participate in this seed purchase program.

Because USDA is purchasing a relatively small amount of seed, this action did not affect the price or the availability of seed corn this year. All seed corn companies will continue to follow USDA recommended testing procedures designed to detect the presence of Cry9C. USDA will continue to assist companies in these efforts.