Save our Seeds

Once more, unauthorised GM rice has entered the EU and found its way into the retail food sector and appeared for sale at branches of discount supermarket Aldi, environment group Greenpeace said on Monday. The U.S. Agriculture Department said it is too soon to determine how much of the unapproved genetically modified rice strain LL601 has entered the food supply after tests in the European Union and Germany detected traces of the rice.

Greenpeace International released findings that show illegal GE rice from China has contaminated food products in France, Germany and the UK. Five samples out of 27 tested positive for the unauthorised rice strain. The illegal GM rice is an experimental variety genetically engineered to produce an insecticide. It is not approved for human consumption or commercial cultivation anywhere in the world. The EU does not yet permit the sale, import or marketing of any biotech rice on the territory of its 25 member countries. This is the second illegal rice case in three weeks.

Austria may soon face an order to lift its bans on two genetically modified types of maize now that its presidency of the 25-country European Union has run its course, diplomats and officials said on Thursday.

Rice farmers in Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and California have sued Bayer CropScience, alleging its genetically modified rice has contaminated the crop, attorneys for the farmers said on Monday.</p><p><a href="http://today.reuters.com/News/CrisesArticle.aspx?storyId=N8S372113">Reuters: US rice farmers sue Bayer CropScience over GM rice</a>

USDA on Thursday certified tests from Bayer CropScience that detects when an unapproved genetically modified rice known as LLRICE 601 is present in commercial rice. One test could cost as much as $300, but it is uncertain who will pay for the testing, U.S. Agriculture Department said.</p><p><a href="http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlenews.aspx?type=scienceNews&storyID=2006-08-25T215714Z_01_N25225472_RTRIDST_0_SCIENCE-FOOD-BAYER-RICE-DC.XML&archived=False">Reuters: Test to detect Bayer GMO rice could cost $300: USDA</a>

The European Commission has adopted a decision requiring imports of long grain rice from the USA to be certified as free from the unauthorised GMO LL Rice 601. The emergency measures adopted by the Commission mean that, with immediate effect, only consignments of US long grain rice that have been tested by an accredited laboratory using a validated testing method and accompanied by a certificate assuring the absence of LL Rice 601, can enter the EU.</p><p><a href="http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/06/1120&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en">Commission requires certification of US rice exports to stop unauthorised GMO entering the EU</a>

The US Agricultural Department announced that an unapproved rice variety "LL 601" genetically engineered by Bayer Crop Science has contaminated US rice stocks. Japan has cut off rice imports from the US. US rice exports are around 1 billion US $ annually. Other nations are expected to follow. How the GM rice, which has been dropped in 2001, has reached the supply chain is still unknown. Bayer announced as a reaction that it would now seek approval for the GM rice as safe food. Bayer had informed USDA already July 31st. But the ministry and the company withheld the informationform the public until August 18th.</p><p><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/18/AR2006081801043.html">Washington Post: U.S. Rice Supply Contaminated</a></p><p><a href="http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/news/ng.asp?n=69991-bayer-cropscience-ge-rice-contamination-rice">Food Navigator: GM rice contaminates US food supply</a></p><p><a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/20/ap/business/mainD8JJSCL00.shtml">CBS: Japan closes market for US long corn rice</a></p><p><a href="http://www.usda.gov/2006/08/0306.xml">USDA press release: Genetically engineered rice</a></p><p><a href="http://today.reuters.com/news/articleinvesting.aspx?view=CN&storyID=2006-08-21T145326Z_01_L21926299_RTRIDST_0_FOOD-EU-USA-RICE.XML&rpc=66&type=qcna">Reuters: EU demands more details of tainted US biotech rice</a></p><p><a href="http://www.foeeurope.org/press/2006/AB_21_Aug_US_rice.html">FoE Press Release: EU urged to ban North American rice</a></p><p><a href="http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=6914">GMWatch: Background on testing practices and significance of the case</a>

GM-multinational Monsanto announced a second try to take over the largest cotton seed producer Delta and Pine Land for 1,5 billion US $. The takeover would give control over the US cotton seed market and make Monsanto the world largest cotton seed producer. A similar attempt had failed in 1998 when it was stopped by US anti-trust regulators. Monsanto would also aquire a highly controversial patent on the production of so called "Terminator seeds".</p><p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/16/business/16seed.html?_r=1&oref=slogin">New York Times: Monsanto Buys Delta and Pine Land, Top Supplier of Cotton Seeds in U.S. - New York Times</a></p><p><a href="http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/business/stories.nsf/0/07B8D899C913545D862571CC000B7825?OpenDocument">St.Louis Post: Monsanto, Delta & Pine will try again</a>

Citing possible harm to Hawaii`s 329 endangered and threatened species, a federal district judge has ruled that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) violated the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in permitting the cultivation of drug-producing, genetically engineered crops throughout Hawaii. The plaintiffs call for a moratorium on pharma-crop releases. Judge J. Michael Seabright ordered the parties to appear in court on August 22, 2006, to discuss remedies.</p><p><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/15/AR2006081501053.html">Gene-Altered Crops Denounced</a></p><p><a href="http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/Hawaii%20biopharm%20crop%20judgement%20Aug%2010,%202006.cfm">CFS: First Ever Ruling on Controversial Drug-Producing GE Crops</a>

Monsanto has a patent on Roundup Ready seeds in the EU but not in Argentina, where the seeds were introduced in 1996 without a patent. Monsanto says companies in Europe are illegally importing soymeal made from soybeans that Argentine farmers are using without paying royalties. An opinion letter by the European Commission`s legal experts found that EU law governing the protection of biotech inventions doesn't extend to derivatives of patented products.</p><p><a href="http://www.checkbiotech.org/root/index.cfm?fuseaction=newsletter&topic_id=5&subtopic_id=25&doc_id=13292">checkbiotech.org: European Commission supports Argentina in Monsanto battle</a>