USSEC was recently represented by Technical Issues Director Kim Nill at the Grain Inspection Packers and Stockyard Association (GIPSA) Industry Workshop, which was held at the Federal Grain Inspection (FGIS) field office in Destrehan, Louisiana on April 16.  The workshop was organized by the North American Export Grain Association (NAEGA) and brought together numerous representatives of U.S. soy exporting companies to learn how USDA cooperators such as USSEC, NAEGA, and the U.S. Grains Council work in close cooperation with GIPSA / FGIS to ensure that U.S. soy exports are maximized and will proceed without disruption.

Mr. Nill gave a presentation in which he reported on past joint USSEC / FGIS programs that educated overseas customers and regulators about U.S. grain grading.  He discussed the annual USSEC project in which GIPSA gathers 100 statistically-representative U.S. soybean export samples to test for 103 different chemical residues.  This testing takes place at GIPSA’s Kansas City laboratory and ensures that the samples contain no violative residues.  Mr. Nill also examined the 2012 joint USSEC / GIPSA / Qualified State Soybean Boards (QSSB) program which resulted in the Indonesian government’s recognition of the U.S. food safety system for the import of food from plant origins.  The Indonesian government’s decree was the direct result of USSEC and the Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Board (MSR & PB) hosting a technical team from the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture for a series of meetings and site visits in Minnesota in 2012 to learn about the commercial incentives and regulatory checks employed by the U.S. soy production and export system.  The Indonesian decree allows U.S. soy continued unrestricted access to rapid unload / import facilities at the Indonesian port of Jakarta.