
China set to introduce low glyphosate residue limits in food imports - mhkool
https://sustainablepulse.com/2018/12/11/china-set-to-shock-markets-with-low-glyphosate-residue-limits-in-food-imports/
======
paraditedc
Searched the Chinese term for glyphosate, absolutely no information on this
limit on either Google News[0] or Baidu News[1].

[0]
[https://www.google.com/search?q=%E8%8D%89%E7%94%98%E8%86%A6&...](https://www.google.com/search?q=%E8%8D%89%E7%94%98%E8%86%A6&client=ms-
unknown&source=lnms&tbm=nws&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjp35_J-
JzfAhXGEbwKHTGCB3MQ_AUIDigB&biw=1440&bih=709)

[1]
[http://news.baidu.com/ns?word=%E8%8D%89%E7%94%98%E8%86%A6&tn...](http://news.baidu.com/ns?word=%E8%8D%89%E7%94%98%E8%86%A6&tn=news&from=news&cl=2&rn=20&ct=1)

Edit: another commenter _elliekelly_ has linked an old source for WTO filing
from April 2018, which is for 107 pesticides, including glyphosate.

[https://docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages/FE_Search/FE_S_S009-DP.asp...](https://docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages/FE_Search/FE_S_S009-DP.aspx?language=E&CatalogueIdList=243831,243830,243827,243826,243217,241490,241497,241496,241019,240195&CurrentCatalogueIdIndex=4&FullTextHash=1&HasEnglishRecord=True&HasFrenchRecord=True&HasSpanishRecord=True)

[https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2018/SPS/CHN/18_0894_...](https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2018/SPS/CHN/18_0894_00_x.pdf)

~~~
seattle_spring
[https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/sustainable-
pulse/](https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/sustainable-pulse/)

The linked source is literally fabricated news and has no place on HN. The
people upvoting this should stick to Alex Jones message boards.

~~~
paraditedc
Oh nice website. Is there list of verdicts on mainstream media by this
website?

The homepage has a list but it seems to be missing some big names because the
website is not featured in them.

------
seattle_spring
I can't find any reputable source on this. The linked site is terrible and on
the same plane as "natural news" or "Infowars." Can we please try to do a
little better?

~~~
elliekelly
I agree the site isn't the best but it's based in fact. I'm a regulatory
attorney in the investment industry but moonlight as a legal journalist for a
publication about environmental regulations. This isn't news to most of the
industry. China filed notice of their intention to revise the limits with the
WTO in April without specifying an effective date. This "article" just says
China _might_ announce the effective date of the regulation soon and the
effective date _might_ be before year-end. I would be surprised if the new
limits go into effect in the next 2.5 weeks but given the politics of the
U.S.-Chinese trade war I won't say it's impossible.

Here's the WTO filing but the attached schedule of MRL's isn't translated:
[https://docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages/FE_Search/FE_S_S009-DP.asp...](https://docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages/FE_Search/FE_S_S009-DP.aspx?language=E&CatalogueIdList=243831,243830,243827,243826,243217,241490,241497,241496,241019,240195&CurrentCatalogueIdIndex=4&FullTextHash=1&HasEnglishRecord=True&HasFrenchRecord=True&HasSpanishRecord=True)

Edit - Here's the fully-translated filing from the USDA's site[1] though the
MRLs are expressed as mg/kg. I _believe_ 2 mg/kg is approximately equivalent
to 2000 parts per billion which is significantly higher than the 200 parts per
million reported in OP's article.

[1][https://gain.fas.usda.gov/Recent%20GAIN%20Publications/China...](https://gain.fas.usda.gov/Recent%20GAIN%20Publications/China%20Notifies%20Draft%20Maximum%20Residue%20Limits%20for%20Pesticides%20in%20Food%20_Beijing_China%20-%20Peoples%20Republic%20of_3-20-2018.pdf)

~~~
paraditedc
NH is weird again with the downvotes. I see nothing wrong with your comment or
linked source.

~~~
elliekelly
Some anecdata: my work computer is logged into HN with a username thats
gender-neutral. I'm about 3 times more likely to be downvoted on this account.
I've also noticed a lot more replies on this account tend to flat out tell me
I'm wrong or don't know what I'm talking about (my favorite was the time
someone told me it's against HN's rules to be dumb in the comments) while
replies on my other account tend to be more constructive ("have you considered
XYZ..."). I've been thinking about getting both sets of comment replies and
running them through Watson's tone analyzer or something but I'm not sure any
good would come of it.

And of course, it's entirely possible I'm just a complete moron when I'm on
this computer.

~~~
seattle_spring
You defended a NaturalNews / Infowars offspring site, but think you were
downvoted because your username is female?

~~~
detaro
What? Because the original site is "bad" providing a better source is somehow
not acceptable? _After_ you've complained you can't find a better source?

~~~
seattle_spring
Uh no, saying a pseudoscience site is "based in fact" is not acceptable,
champ.

~~~
elliekelly
What part of "China is introducing Glyphosate MRLs" is pseudoscience,
specifically? And for that matter, what part _isn 't_ a fact?

~~~
seattle_spring
The source is pseudoscience, not every single line that they write. Go look at
their other articles. Go look at the crap they sell.

~~~
elliekelly
>The source is pseudoscience...

I _agreed_ with you that it's a shit source.

> ... not every single line that they write.

Exactly. I pointed out that _this_ particular headline was based in fact _and_
provided a reliable source for that fact _and_ pointed out where the "facts"
stated by the article differed from the reliable source I provided.

I fail to understand the egregious offense I've allegedly committed.

------
elliekelly
> China is set to introduce maximum residue limits (MRLs) of 200 parts per
> billion (ppb) or lower for glyphosate in all imported final food products
> and raw materials including grains, soybeans and other legumes before the
> end of 2019, according to Sustainable Pulse sources.

For comparison, in the U.S. the EPA's current glyphosate limit for soybeans
ranges from 20-200 parts per _million_.[1]

China's motivations are certainly trade related but what does it say about our
regulatory structure when China will have more rigorous health and safety
standards than the EPA by a large margin?

Glyphosate is the pesticide in Monsanto's Roundup that was at the center of
the recent $289 million jury verdict in California.[2]

[1]
[https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/40/180.364](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/40/180.364)

[2] [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-monsanto-cancer-
lawsuit/m...](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-monsanto-cancer-
lawsuit/monsanto-ordered-to-pay-289-million-in-worlds-first-roundup-cancer-
trial-idUSKBN1KV2HB)

------
JulianMorrison
How to screw over America while being in the moral right and not actually
putting up tariff barriers :-D

~~~
cronix
It's screwing themselves a bit as well. I guess it's just fine to export it.
Just don't let it come back.

> China is a major glyphosate exporter in the world. Over 80% of China-made
> glyphosate is exported to account for over 60% of the global supply. The
> output of glyphosate in China increased from 316,000 tons in 2010 to about
> 505,000 tons in 2017.

------
jostmey
My impression is that glyphosate is safe, but that the inactive ingredients,
which are loosely regulated, are carcinogenic in some formulations of the
herbicide. Of course, Monsanto won't admit this and open themselves up to
lawsuits.

If there's a lesson to be learned here, it's that the United States needs
stronger protections against the use of potentially dangerous inactive
ingredients

