Orlando, Florida
December 3, 2007
Test results for the 2007 U.S.
long-grain rice crop show the overwhelming absence of
genetically engineered rice traits,
USA Rice Federation Senior
VP Bob Cummings told attendees of the USA Rice Outlook
Conference here.
“Rice farmers have produced a clean 2007 long-grain rice crop,”
Cummings said. “Congratulations and thank you!”
The 608 voluntary test samples submitted to the USA Rice
Federation represented a total of more than 1.62 million metric
tons (about 36 million cwt) of long-grain rice in the five
affected states, of which all but one half of one percent (0.5%)
of the total were negative for the Bayer CropScience Liberty
Link (LL) traits.
“That de minimis presence for Liberty Link is a good result, and
will go long way toward showing key export markets that the U.S.
rice supply meets their regulatory requirements,” Cummings said.
USA Rice is working diligently with the U.S. Trade
Representative’s office, members of the U.S. Department of
Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service, European Commission
officers and members of the European rice industry to
reestablish trade with the European Union, he said. USA Rice is
also working to reduce onerous and unnecessary testing
requirements in other markets.
The focus is on the long-grain rice crop, he said, because the
LL traits were found only in that type of rice.
Future Action Cummings explained that the 2007 USA Rice seed
plan has been effectively rolled over into 2008 to ensure
further elimination of the vestiges of the LL traits from the
commercial supply. In regulatory action taken by the state of
Arkansas in which more than one half of the U.S. long-grain crop
is produced:
- Mandatory seed testing has
been extended for the 2008 crop
- Cheniere seed that traces
back to foundation seed containing Liberty Link traits and
Clearfield 131 seed are banned for planting in 2008
- Severe penalties are in
place for non-compliance with the regulations
BASF, the producer of Clearfield
131 will withhold that seed from the market until 2009 to assist
in the LL trait removal, Cummings said.
“The integrity of U.S. rice is not an issue,” Cummings said.
“U.S. rice offers the high quality that consumers want and that
foreign competitors cannot match.”
The USA Rice Federation is the global advocate for all segments
of the U.S. rice industry with a mission to promote and protect
the interests of producers, millers, merchants and allied
businesses. |
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