Just wonderful - GMO plants in the wild in Oregon
Going to be an interesting lawsuit for sure -- from the
New York Times:
Modified Wheat Is Discovered in Oregon
Unapproved genetically engineered wheat has been found growing on a farm in Oregon, federal officials said Wednesday, a development that could disrupt American exports of the grain.
The Agriculture Department said the wheat was of the type developed by Monsanto to be resistant to the herbicide Roundup, also known as glyphosate. Such wheat was field-tested in 16 states, including Oregon, from 1998 through 2005, but Monsanto dropped the project before the wheat was ever approved for commercial planting.
A bit more:
Still, the mere presence of the genetically modified plant could cause some countries to turn away exports of American wheat, especially if any traces of the unapproved grain were found in shipments. About $8.1 billion in American wheat was exported in 2012, representing nearly half the total $17.9 billion crop, according to U.S. Wheat Associates, which promotes American wheat abroad. About 90 percent of Oregon’s wheat crop is exported.
Ouch! The wheat was discovered by a farmer when the plants were growing wild:
In the case of the wheat, the genetically modified plants were growing where they were not wanted, like a weed.
When the farmer tried to kill them with glyphosate, “a small percentage of them didn’t die,” Mr. Firko said. The farmer had them tested at Oregon State University, which found the Roundup-resistant gene in them. That finding has since been confirmed by the Agriculture Department.
As for the "potential" impact on grain exports -- from another article at the
New York Times:
Japan Suspends Some Imports of U.S. Wheat
Japan has suspended some imports of wheat from the United States after genetically engineered wheat was found on an Oregon farm.
The Agriculture Department announced the discovery on Wednesday. No genetically engineered wheat has been approved for American farming.
Japan is one of the largest export markets for American wheat growers. Katsuhiro Saka, a counselor at the Japanese Embassy in Washington, said Thursday that Japan had canceled orders of western white wheat from the Pacific Northwest and also of some feed-grade wheat.
Monsanto is going to be paying a lot of money for this -- how a GM crop could be allowed to drift like this is unconcionable...
Posted by DaveH at May 31, 2013 1:01 PM