57 



Mr. Johnson. Mr. Volkmer. 



Mr. Volkmer. I have no questions. 



Mr. Johnson. Mr. Pomeroy. 



Mr. Pomeroy. Mr. Wessel, first of all, I want to commend the 

 FDA for their review activities. When the crop conditions of the 

 1993 growing season were indicated, I spoke with both the FDA 

 team reviewing the vomitoxin standards on wheat for animal con- 

 sumption and food safety and was impressed that both of them 

 were working as quickly as possible, often dealing with cir- 

 cumstances where there was not as much data directly relevant to 

 either supporting the standards or supporting changing the stand- 

 ards as they might have liked. 



My question is, I think, in other words, the FDA team has moved 

 as quickly as possible in light of what they had available. I also 

 think their review was cognizant of the tremendous attention 

 placed on the marketplace on the results of their work. 



The only fault I would have is that there wasn't more assembled 

 data in light of the predictability of a vomitoxin condition that 

 might have led the FDA to look at this earlier than 1993, in light 

 of the fact that the 1982 standards were dated and based largely 

 on Canadian research. 



Do you have an opinion on that? It isn't a telling point. 



In other words, the 1993 revisions were appreciated and devel- 

 oped in a timely fashion. They might have been even more timely 

 had they been developed before 1993 I guess is my point. 



Mr. Wessel. Well, one quick comment is that it is difficult to an- 

 ticipate what the weather is going to be like, and this is what we 

 are up against when it comes to any type of mycotoxin problem af- 

 fecting grain. 



You can't really speak in the springtime as to what the weather 

 is going to be in the summer. And we can only react to a situation 

 that has occurred as opposed to predicting what might occur. 



Mr. Pomeroy. Correct. But that gets to my next point. 

 Vomitoxin, because it is produced from a scab that occurs on the 

 wheat when there are particularly cool and wet growing conditions, 

 is a recurring condition. 



In fact, one of the reasons that the data supporting the 1982 

 standards comes from Canada is that this is a condition found 

 more commonly in the northern growing latitudes. 



Is that correct? 



Mr. Wessel. That is correct. 



Mr. Pomeroy. That might mean that if the United States has a 

 vomitoxin problem, Canada might have a worse vomitoxin problem 

 in wheat that they are producing. 



Is that correct? 



Mr. Wessel. At this point, I am not wilHng to say one way or 

 the other as to which one might be the worse in terms of the de- 

 gree or level of incidence of vomitoxin in wheat. It is just too early 

 to tell. 



Mr. Pomeroy. But at least it ought to be a question relative to 

 Canadian grain coming into our country not subject to inspection 

 for vomitoxin. There are quality questions that might attach to 

 that grain. 



