AP News, March 6th, 2007
The Agriculture Department is trying to block the planting and distribution of a long-grain rice seed because it may contain traces of genetically engineered rice, officials said Monday.
The department began telling distributors Sunday they must hold the rice seed, scheduled for planting this spring.
The seed, known as Clearfield CL131, is trademarked by BASF AG, a German company that is the world's largest chemical maker, and licensed for marketing by Horizon Ag of Memphis, Tenn. Farmers also are being notified, the department said.
Clearfield CL131 was not developed as a genetically modified rice, the department said. Even so, BASF and Horizon Ag reported to the department last week that test results had shown possible traces of unapproved genetic material.
"USDA, through its own testing, is in the process of confirming the results reported by BASF Corporation," said Ron DeHaven, head of the department's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
DeHaven said trace levels of an already-approved genetically engineered trait also were identified in Clearfield CL131 last week.
"Because of the possibility that the genetic material in question is regulated," the inspection service is investigating "to determine the circumstances surrounding the release and whether any violations of USDA regulations occurred," he said.
In a similar case, an unapproved strain of genetically modified rice made by Bayer CropScience AG, Liberty Link Rice 601, was discovered in grain elevators last year.
European Union nations decided to test all U.S. long-grain rice imports to make sure they did not contain biotech varieties not approved by the EU. The department subsequently approved the rice.
