Washington, DC
March 6, 2007
USA Rice Federation
supports the U.S. Department of Agriculture action this week
through its Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
to prevent the planting and distribution of Clearfield 131
(CL131) rice seed that could contain trace levels of genetic
material unapproved for commercialization*.
APHIS issued an emergency
action notification Sunday, March 4, “to inform distributors
that this seed, scheduled for planting this spring, must be held
until APHIS can verify and identify the presence of additional
genetic material,” according to an
APHIS news release issued last night.
“The USDA action was clearly
necessary, and the USA Rice Federation will help in any way
possible to support the emergency action by APHIS,” USA Rice
Federation Chairman Al Montna said today.
“By the same token, we are
increasingly frustrated with the apparent lack of ability on the
part of private companies and federal regulators to control
research and maintain accountability of the resulting products,”
Montna said. “The current approach to research, development and
management in the biotechnology industry must be replaced with
more conservative methodologies.”
For the moment it is imperative
that growers not plant CL131 seed, said Jackie Loewer, chairman
of the Louisiana Rice Producers’ Group Board of Directors. “It
is vital that farmers do not plant 131 even if they had been
preparing to do so,” said Loewer. “Unfortunately, we are faced
with the possibility that CL131 may contain genetically
engineered traits that have not been approved, and planting it
could result in greater losses than not planting.”
Meanwhile, “USA Rice is working
diligently with USDA to minimize the impact this latest
genetically engineered rice discovery will have on growers and
the industry,” said Brian King, chairman of the USA Rice
Merchants’ Association. “If there’s a silver lining here, it is
that we now have assurance that CL131 will be removed from
production in all rice-producing states. The Arkansas Plant
Board on Friday banned the planting of CL131 seed in the state,
because it had been found to contain genetically engineered
traits.”
King, who heads the USA Rice
Seed Committee that spearheaded a plan to help guide rice
producers and state agriculture agencies handle the Liberty Link
issue, noted that the Arkansas Plant Board action Friday
demonstrated the effectiveness of the rice industry working
together on this important issue.
In an APHIS statement released Feb. 20, the agency announced
results of its initial testing of CL131 as part of its ongoing
investigation into how trace amounts of Bayer CropScience
Liberty Link traits entered the U.S. commercial rice supply.
That discovery, announced by USDA last summer, rocked the U.S.
rice industry and destabilized U.S. rice export markets,
resulting in the closure of the European Union as a destination
for U.S. rice.
When
USDA and the
U.S. Food
and Drug Administration made their August 18, 2006,
announcement about the trace presence of Liberty Link traits in
U.S. rice, both agencies also announced that the rice was safe
for food and feed consumption.
“The current situation has
resulted in substantial dollar losses for U.S. rice alone, and
losses in markets that could take generations to recover,”
Montna said. “This is unacceptable and it must be fixed.”
“The USA Rice Federation has a
long established policy that there must be market acceptance and
regulatory approval prior to the production of genetically
engineered rice in the United States,” Montna said. “It is also
essential that U.S. government agencies and commercial
enterprises work to gain and maintain control of all current and
future research. That is as essential for farmers and rice
markets as it is for consumers,” Montna said.
USA Rice Federation is the
national advocate for all segments of the rice industry,
conducting activities to influence government programs,
developing and initiating programs to increase worldwide demand
for U.S. rice, and providing other services to increase
profitability for all industry segments.
*U.S. Department of
Agriculture statement regarding APHIS hold on Clearfield
long-grain rice seed |
