Reuters: Bayer's GMO rice safe without oversight, USDA says

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=scienceNews&storyid=2006-11-25T001302Z_01_WAT006629_RTRUKOC_0_US-FOOD-USDA-RICE.xml

Bayer's GMO rice safe without oversight, USDA says

Fri Nov 24, 2006 7:13 PM ET

By Missy Ryan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Friday formally approved a strain of genetically engineered rice whose discovery in commercial stocks earlier this year triggered a food market dispute with the European Union and Japan.

"The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today announced that after a thorough review of scientific evidence it will deregulate genetically engineered LLRICE601 based on the fact that it is as safe as its traditionally bred counterparts," USDA said in a statement.

Rachel Iadiciccio, a USDA spokesman, said the LLRICE601 rice had been found to be safe for the environment and could now be grown without USDA oversight.

In August, the Food and Drug Administration and USDA announced that testing by Bayer CropScience, a division of Bayer AG, had discovered the genetically modified rice in bins in Arkansas and Missouri.

USDA said then there were no environmental or health concerns with the genetically modified rice and it did not plan to recall or destroy the contaminated commercial product.

The genetically engineered rice has a protein known as LibertyLink, which allows the crop to withstand applications of an herbicide used to kill weeds.

Some of that rice made its way to Europe, where consumers are more suspicious of biotech foods than in the United States. The discovery of the engineered product prompted the European Union and Japan to tighten import rules for U.S. rice.

...

[Wiley50]

1. Yeah. But The Herbicide (roundup) that it's able to withstand

Kills.

Somehow, I don't think they are taking everything into consideration.

[OKIsItJustMe]

5. LibertyLink® is similar to but not the same as Roundup Ready®

The active ingredient in "Liberty" is glufosinate-ammonium.

There are a number of different "formulations" marketed by Monsanto as "RoundUp," which is based on glyphosate.

[NickB79]

13. Compared to what it replaced, Roundup is amazing

My entire family is made up of farmers, several generations of them. Before herbicides like Round-Up, they used atrazine. Now, if you are unfamiliar with the health effects of atrazine, do a quick Google search on it and you will find that is it a carcinogen, and can last for months, if not years, in the soil and water. Round-Up, on the other hand, is much less harmful and biodegrades within a month or so of application. Another benefit is that with GM plants resistant to Round-Up, you need to apply far less herbicide that in the past, and plow between the rows less.

No herbicide is perfect; after all, they are designed to kill a broad spectrum of weeds. But short of completely going organic, there is no substitute for them. We can only use the least amount of herbicide that does the job with the fewest side-effects.

[Jcrowley]

2. Certainly

a trustworthy organization there at the USDA.

[silverweb]

3. "LibertyLink" ??

Oh, good grief.

Liberty for who, may we ask? Certainly not for the people who do not wish to be forced to ingest genetically modified foods!

:grr:

[PSPS]

4. "[European] consumers are more suspicious of biotech foods than in the United States."

Some of that rice made its way to Europe, where consumers are more suspicious of biotech foods than in the United States.

No, US consumers are just as "suspicious." They conveniently omit the fact that the bush crony at the USDA fights tooth and nail to obscure the presence of these frankenfoods in the food supply so we can't know what we're eating.

[rumpel]

6. Union of Concerned Scientists Statement:

Government Oversight of Genetically Engineered Crops
To USDA: Deregulation of LLRICE601
Comments from the Union of Concerned Scientists
October 10, 2006

Regulatory Analysis and Development
USDA APHIS PPD
Station 3A-03.8
4700 River Road Unit 118
Riverdale, MD 20737-1238

Submitted via Federal eRulemaking Portal: Docket No. APHIS-2006-0140

To whom it may concern:

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) is grateful for the opportunity to comment on the USDA's environmental assessment of and preliminary decision to deregulate Bayer CropScience's genetically engineered (GE) rice variety, LibertyLink® (LL) 601.

UCS, the leading science-based nonprofit working for a healthy environment and a safer world, combines independent scientific research and citizen action to develop innovative, practical solutions and secure responsible changes in government policy, corporate practices, and consumer choices. A major goal of UCS's Food and Environment Program is to strengthen the regulatory system that applies to products of agricultural biotechnology.

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on our review of USDA, Bayer, and other relevant documents, UCS recommends that the USDA:

1. Take no action on Bayer's petition to deregulate LL601 until:

The department fully investigates LL601's contamination of U.S. commercial rice and seed supplies and determines whether Bayer failed to comply with field-testing performance standards or the performance standards were inadequate to prevent the contamination
The department reevaluates the plant pest characteristics of LL601, prepares a new environmental assessment of LL601 that fully evaluates its environmental risks, and allows the public to comment on the new assessment and the department's new preliminary decision on deregulation
The FDA issues a food safety consultation letter on LL601.

http://www.ucsusa.org/food_and_environment/genetic_engineering/llrice601-comments.html

[OneBlueSky]

7. this is absolute insanity . . . and the Dems need to put a stop to it . . . n/t

.

[roody]

8. You can make sure that you are not eating it by

buying organically grown rice. Ironically, USDA certified organic.

[MadHound]

12. Actually, that is the problem, you can't make sure you're not eating it

Even by buying certified organic rice. Pollen blows in the wind, transported by animals and insects, contaminates an organic crop, and unless one does a DNA analysis on your rice, you won't be sure. Certainly, you might get some signs, differentiation in size and color, but frankly most of the holders of USDA organic certification are corporate farmers, and they'll take a look at the rice, shrug their shoulders, and harvest the rice for profit.

And frankly, if Bayer, or the farmer suspects that their GM crop has contaminated an organic or non GM operation, they will sue to have the crop destroyed, and win. Another method of driving small farmers out of business.

And frankly USDA certified has become such a mess, hassle and expense that many small organic farmers are foregoing the label. In fact the certification label was designed to favor corporate farmers, no the small ones. The expense is prohibitive, as is the record keeping. Doing the research for compliance factors is time consuming and confusing, as is the list of materials that one can use on the crops. Corporate farmers have the money and manpower to pull this off, thus they can look green while continuing to kill farmland. Meanwhile, the small, concientous organic farmer can't afford the certification, or worse yet has his application denied over some obscure BS that he didn't catch in all the legalese.

Better than USDA certified organic, look for the Certified Naturally Grown label. Designed for small organic farmers, and actually more reliable than corporate organics, you'll find CNG at your local farmers' market. Support small farms, buy local, buy CNG.<http://www.naturallygrown.org/> And whereas a certified organic operation would probably allow GM rice to slide on buy, CNG farmers won't. They not only pay more attention to their crops, and care more about their product quality, they also care more about their customers.

[pokercat999]

9. Bayer....hmmmm, am I wrong or was this the company

that supplied the gas for Hitler's ovens?

[robcon]

10. Finally, some sense by the USDA.

This has been long in coming.

[MetaTrope]

11. So now overseas markets won't buy American rice...or corn...or soybeans

Never mind the beef... Seems we're becoming as big a pariah agriculturally as we are politically.