GMW: Bayer kept rice problem secret

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GMW: Bayer kept rice problem secret

" GM WATCH " <info

Tue, 29 Aug 2006 13:20:23 +0100

 

 

 

 

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Bayer kept rice problem secret

Western Mail, Aug 29 2006

http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/farming/farming/tm_objectid=17641742%26method=ful\

l%26siteid=50082%26headline=american%2dgm%2drice%2dcontaminated%2dour%2dsupplies\

%2dfor%2dmonths-name_page.html

 

GRAIN from experimental field trials of GM rice in the United States

has been contaminating European food supplies, including baby food, for

months.

 

All shipments of rice from the United States was banned by the European

Union last week after the US Government admittedthat the banned

long-grain rice, developed by Bayer CropScience, was widespread in

exports to

Europe.

 

US rice will only be allowed into Europe after tests to prove it is

GM-free.

 

The contamination was discovered in January but Bayer only informed the

US Government on July 31, and the Bush administration waited another 18

days before making the information public.

 

Britain has imported large quantities of long-grain rice from the US

since the problem was first discovered and no one knows how much of this

was contaminated, but the Food Standards Agency is planning tests on

unsold rice.

 

A spokeswoman for FSA Wales said, " The agency will act to implement the

necessary controls required of EC member states.

 

" These involve requesting local authority enforcement authorities to

step up border-control checks on US long-grain rice consignments for the

required GMO-free certification, as well as carrying out sample testing

on products already on the market. "

 

It appears that American long-grain rice has been contaminated with the

banned GM organism for years. Bayer decided not to market the grain

after field tests on US farms between 1998 and 2001. The reasons for the

decision are not known.

 

In Arkansas, one of several areas of the US involved in the crisis, the

state government believes that the problem originated when pollen

spread from GM rice to conventional crops.

 

Richard Bell, the Arkansas agriculture secretary, admitted that the

contamination is " widespread " and predicted that it would show up

again in

this year's crop.

 

The campaign group GM Free Cymru yesterday called on supermarkets to

remove all products containing long-grain rice from the southern United

States off their shelves until they have proof that they are free from

contamination.

 

Spokesman Dr Brian John said the contamination was much more serious

than the Bt10 incident which made the headlines last year.

 

" American long-grain rice is a primary food consumed in a virtually

unprocessed form by millions of consumers across the EU, " said Dr John.

 

" It is also widely used in baby food as a cereal, recommended for use

early in the weaning process. "

 

Dr John said the contamination was " hushed up " by Bayer and by the

American government and long-grain rice from the southern Unites States

continued to be shipped to the EU at a rate of more than 20,000 tonnes a

month.

 

" That adds up to 140,000 tonnes and it is absolutely certain that rice

containing LL601 is already in the food supply chain, " he said.

 

" In our book that amounts to criminal negligence by Bayer and the US

administration. "

 

Wales Euro-MP Jill Evans described the contamination as " very serious "

and said it undermined any confidence the EU had left in the US

regulatory system.

 

" The fact that Bayer knew about it months before disclosing this means

we can't rely on the information and tests that they give us, " she

said.

 

Ms Evans said current EU restrictions were " inadequate " .

 

" There must be an immediate ban on all long-grain rice imports from the

USA and shops should be advised to withdraw stock that contains recent

unprocessed US long-grain rice, " she said.

 

" But a longer-term solution is needed. We can't keep on reacting to

these contamination 'accidents'.

 

" I am writing to the European Commission urging them to identify

countries and products that have high risk of contaminating our food with

GMOs and to implement strict screening and testing on these products

before they can enter our food market. "

 

 

 

 

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