The battle to stop the introduction of RR Wheat (GMO) has waged for years. Our network did a lot of work on it around 2004. I don’t have a lot of the information we circulated posted yet.
http://www.foodproductdesign.com/news/2013/05/usda-investigates-monsanto-gmo-wheat-on-oregon-fa.aspx
WASHINGTON—Genetically-modified wheat plants were found on a farm in Oregon, triggering a government investigation because the crops had not been approved for commercial production or sale. Further testing indicated the wheat was the same variety that Monsanto Company had been authorized to test in 16 states from 1998 through 2005, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today.
USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) said the wheat, which had been engineered to resist the herbicide glyphosate, did not present a food-safety concern.
“We are taking this situation very seriously and have launched a formal investigation,” said Michael Firko, acting deputy administrator for APHIS’ Biotechnology Regulatory Services, in a statement. “Our first priority is to as quickly as possible determine the circumstances and extent of the situation and how it happened. We are collaborating with state, industry, and trading partners on this situation and are committed to providing timely information about our findings. USDA will put all necessary resources towards this investigation.”
Monsanto, the agricultural bioengineering company, said it would work with USDA to investigate the situation, but it underscored that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) verified more than a decade ago that its Roundup Ready wheat was safe.
“This is the first report of the Roundup Ready trait being found out of place since Monsanto’s commercial development program was discontinued nine years ago,” Monsanto said in a statement. “Our process for closing out the Roundup Ready wheat program was rigorous, well documented and audited.”
Should a wrongdoer in APHIS’ investigation be found to have violated the Plant Protection Act, it could face civil penalties of up to $1 million and criminal prosecution, the agency said.
The wheat discovery was brought to the attention of APHIS by an Oregon State University scientist who sampled the crop after a farmer detected glyphosate-resistant wheat that had not been intentionally planted.
“We have no reason to believe at this time that the farmer who reported the presence of glyphosate-resistant GE wheat volunteers in his field has committed any infraction,” APHIS said.
In its statement May 29, Monsanto noted USDA had not provided the company details regarding its testing or samples necessary to verify the agency’s findings.
“We will work with USDA to confirm their test results and as they consider appropriate next steps. We will also conduct a rigorous investigation to validate the scope of and to address any presence of a Monsanto Roundup Ready event in commercial wheat seed,” Monsanto said.
USDA’s announcement represented another setback for Monsanto, which recently learned that the agency plans to conduct environmental reviews in connection with the company’s request to deregulate soybean and cotton that are resistant to certain herbicides.
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http://grist.org/news/illegal-monsanto-gmo-wheat-found-in-oregon/
Illegal Monsanto GMO wheat found in Oregon
By John Upton
A farmer in Oregon found a patch of wheat growing like a weed where it wasn’t expected, so the farmer sprayed it with the herbicide Roundup. Surprisingly, some of the wheat survived.
The startled farmer sent samples of the renegade wheat to a laboratory, which confirmed something that should have been impossible: The wheat was a genetically engineered variety that had never been approved to be grown in the U.S., nor anywhere else in the world.
From The New York Times:
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.
The department said it was not known yet whether any of the wheat got into the food supply or into grain shipments. Even if it did, officials said, it would pose no threat to health. The Food and Drug Administration reviewed the wheat and found no safety problems with it in 2004.
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.
It’s not clear when the discovery was made. In a statement on its website, Monsanto said it was contacted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture regarding its investigation “earlier this month.” The USDA announced the discovery on Wednesday and said nine investigators are trying to figure out how the freak wheat wound up growing on the unnamed farmer’s land. Reuters reports that there were eight field trials of Monsanto’s GMO wheat in Oregon from 1999 to 2001.
While the federal government and agriculture industry scramble to investigate and manage fallout from the escaped wheat strain, there is one company that doesn’t seem too concerned. You can guess who that might be. From a statement posted on Monsanto’s website:
Over the past decade, an annual average of 58 million acres of wheat have been planted in the United States. This is the first report of the Roundup Ready trait being found out of place since Monsanto’s commercial wheat development program was discontinued nine years ago. …
Accordingly, while USDA’s results are unexpected, there is considerable reason to believe that the presence of the Roundup Ready trait in wheat, if determined to be valid, is very limited.
Well, if it’s “very limited,” then, I suppose there’s no need for concern. Try telling that to America’s wheat trading partners.
John Upton is a science fan and green news boffin who tweets, posts articles to Facebook, and blogs about ecology. He welcomes reader questions, tips, and incoherent rants: johnupton@gmail.com.
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The Wheat Growers are scrambling, understandably:
http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/us-wheat-associates-and-nawg-statement-response-us/nX6Sc/
U.S. Wheat Associates and NAWG Statement Response to USDA Announcement
. . . Nothing is more important than the trust we’ve earned with our customers at home and around the world by providing a reliable supply of high-quality wheat. As industry leaders, we will cooperate with authorities in the United States and international markets to understand the facts surrounding this incident and help minimize its impact.
We appreciate our customers standing with us while we monitor the investigation, and we will share additional information as soon as it becomes available.