Press release - 21 August, 2006
Greenpeace International today called for a global ban on imports of US rice in order to protect the public from eating illegal, untested and unapproved varieties of genetically engineered (GE) rice.
GE Liberty Link (LL) rice 602, produced by agro-chemical giant
Bayerand never intended for commercial release, has been found in
commercialrice in the United States and rice imports were, as a
result,immediately banned in Japan. (1) It is not approved for
consumption orcultivation anywhere in the world.
"Rice is the world's most important staple food and
contamination ofrice supplies by Bayer, a company pushing its GE
rice around the world,must be stopped," said Jeremy Tager,
Greenpeace International GEcampaigner.
Japan has already announced a ban on long grain rice imports
from theUS as a result of this latest contamination scandal. Last
year, Japanand the EU banned US maize imports as a result of yet
another GEcontamination scandal.
"This latest contamination scandal once again shows the GE
industry isutterly incapable of controlling GE organisms. Countries
that import USrice, such as the EU, Mexico, Brasil and Canada must
become seriousabout preventing this kind of threat to our food
supplies by banningany imports of GE rice, removing all
contaminated food from supermarketshelves and rejecting
applications for the commercial cultivation ofrice," said
Tager.
"Relevant authorities in importing countries must also conduct
aninvestigation into the contamination caused by Bayer and also
determinewhether any other GE rice varieties being tested by Bayer
havecontaminated the world's food chain," Tager concluded.
VVPR info: Jeremy Tager, Greenpeace International GE campaigner mob +31 (0) 6 4622 1185 office +31 (0) 20 718 2177Suzette Jackson, Greenpeace International communications +31 (0) 6 4619 7324
Notes: (1)http://www.easybourse.com/Website/dynamic/News.php?NewsID=44088⟨=fra&NewsRubrique;=2