GMW: USDA and FDA Unaware of Identity, Location or Number of Contaminated Produc

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GMW: USDA and FDA Unaware of Identity, Location or Number of

Contaminated Products

" GM WATCH " <info

Sun, 20 Aug 2006 12:45:03 +0100

 

 

 

 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Center for Food Safety, August 18, 2006

 

Unapproved, Genetically Engineered Rice Found in Food Supply

 

USDA and FDA Unaware of Identity, Location or Number of Contaminated

Products

 

Citing Past Contamination and USDA's Illegal Activities, Center for

Food Safety Calls for Moratorium on Genetically Engineered Crop Field

Trials

 

Late today in a webcast, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

announced that an unapproved, genetically engineered rice known as LL601

was found contaminating commercial long-grain rice supplies, according to

information supplied by the developer of the rice, Bayer CropScience.

The presence of LL601 in the food supply is illegal, as it has not

undergone USDA review for potential environmental impacts required

prior to

marketing, nor review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

for possible harm to human health. LL601 is genetically altered to

survive application of the powerful herbicide glufosinate, and was

field-tested under permits granted by the USDA from 1998 to 2001.

 

In the webcast, Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns professed

ignorance as to how much rice was contaminated, which rice products were

involved, or where the contaminated rice was found. Bayer informed

USDA of

the contamination on July 31st, 2006, based on test results reported to

the company by a rice merchandiser. USDA officials stated that rice

contaminated with LL601 will not be destroyed. Though Bayer does not

intend to market the rice, the company will apply to USDA for marketing

approval of LL601, apparently in an effort to limit its liability for the

episode. Bayer reportedly stopped development of LL601 for unknown

reasons in 2001.

 

" Once again, USDA has demonstrated its inability to keep experimental

and potentially hazardous genetically engineered crops out of the food

supply, " said Bill Freese, science policy analyst at Center for Food

Safety. " Until USDA gets its act together, we recommend a moratorium on

all new permits for open-air field testing of genetically engineered

crops not permitted in the food supply. "

 

" The USDA is an agency out of control, " said Andrew Kimbrell, executive

director of Center for Food Safety. " USDA's continuing failure to

adequately regulate and monitor field testing of genetically engineered

crops clearly puts the environment and public health at risk "

 

Kimbrell points to an August 10th decision by a federal district judge

in Hawai'i, who ruled that USDA violated two federal laws in granting

permits to grow drug-producing, genetically engineered crops in Hawai'i.

The judge said the USDA acted " arbitrarily and capriciously, " and in

" utter disregard " of the Endangered Species Act.

 

In late 2005, the USDA's own Inspector General issued a scathing report

detailing numerous violations of agency rules in regulating genetically

engineered crop field trials. USDA officials did not know the

locations of many field trials it was charged with regulating, and did

not

conduct required inspections of others. In 2002, the National Academy of

Sciences also criticized serious deficiencies in USDA's regulation of

genetically engineered crops.

 

Since 1996, the USDA has granted at least 48 permits authorizing Bayer

or companies it has since acquired (Aventis, AgrEvo) to plant over

4,000 acres of experimental, genetically engineered (GE) rice. The

extent

to which pollen or grains from these field trials have contaminated

commercial rice or related weedy species such as red rice is unknown.

USDA policies do not provide for the testing of fields adjacent to field

test sites to detect possible contamination with the experimental

genetically engineered crop.

 

Overall, USDA has issued permits authorizing field tests of over 100

genetically engineered crops on roughly 50,000 sites on more than half a

million acres since 1987.

 

Contacts:

Bill Freese, 202-547-9359 x14

Rebecca Spector, 415-826-2770 x301

WWW.CENTERFORFOODSAFETY.ORG

 

 

 

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