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On August 18, 2006 the US Department of Agriculture
(USDA) announced that genetic engineering contamination
had been detected in US rice supplies. The USDA predictably
declared that the quantities were small and there were no
health risks associated with the rice. (1) They made these
claims with no supporting data.
From that low-key announcement, the US rice industry found that Bayer CropScience, the giant pharmaceutical and chemical company, had devastated US rice farmers and global markets of the US rice industry. As events unfolded it became apparent that Bayer had managed to contaminate not only at least 30 per cent of US rice supplies but the seed sources upon which farmers depended and they had done so not just once but three times - with three different genetically engineered (GE) varieties.
Two of the varieties were unapproved for use anywhere in the world (LL601, LL604), although the USDA quickly gave postcontamination approval to one of those varieties - LL601. (2) One variety (LL62) was approved in the US and in Canada for import - but otherwise has no approval in any other country for consumption or cultivation. (3)
Globally, the impacts have been devastating. The 25 member state EU imposed strict testing and certification requirements and traders and retailers of rice shut down the US trade, stopping shipments, removing rice from shelves, cancelling orders and sourcing their rice from other countries such as Thailand, Vietnam and even Uruguay. (4)
Japan and Korea imposed equally strict testing requirements, followed some months later by the Philippines when Greenpeace revealed contamination there. Russia and Bulgaria imposed bans on US rice and Mexico, Iraq and Canada imposed test and certification requirements on imports. The United Arab Emirates required a GE free guarantee. (5)
From that low-key announcement, the US rice industry found that Bayer CropScience, the giant pharmaceutical and chemical company, had devastated US rice farmers and global markets of the US rice industry. As events unfolded it became apparent that Bayer had managed to contaminate not only at least 30 per cent of US rice supplies but the seed sources upon which farmers depended and they had done so not just once but three times - with three different genetically engineered (GE) varieties.
Two of the varieties were unapproved for use anywhere in the world (LL601, LL604), although the USDA quickly gave postcontamination approval to one of those varieties - LL601. (2) One variety (LL62) was approved in the US and in Canada for import - but otherwise has no approval in any other country for consumption or cultivation. (3)
Globally, the impacts have been devastating. The 25 member state EU imposed strict testing and certification requirements and traders and retailers of rice shut down the US trade, stopping shipments, removing rice from shelves, cancelling orders and sourcing their rice from other countries such as Thailand, Vietnam and even Uruguay. (4)
Japan and Korea imposed equally strict testing requirements, followed some months later by the Philippines when Greenpeace revealed contamination there. Russia and Bulgaria imposed bans on US rice and Mexico, Iraq and Canada imposed test and certification requirements on imports. The United Arab Emirates required a GE free guarantee. (5)
| Authors: | Omer Elnaiem |
|---|---|
| Date published: | 08 October 2007 |
| Format: | Adobe PDF |
| Number of pages: | 12 |
| ISBN: | |
| Size: | 491 Kb |