Bayer buried over 2,000 tonnes of failed GM rice in 2001
3 September 2006
Some very interesting extracts from the class action lawsuit by Geeridge and Watson against Bayer CropScience (Cohen, Milstein, Hausfeld & Toll) 28th August 2006.
Note that the rice buried by Bayer in 2001 was from the 2000 harvest. Much
of was probably LL601 -- but I doubt that they'll confirm that...... they also
kept 113 tonnes of seed for further testing, and presumably planted that in
research sites all over the place.. Aventis / Bayer has an appalling record
on biosecurity and has previously shown contempt for the regulations.
They were in trouble with GM rice in Brazil in 1999.
It's quite possible that there were other massive landfill dumps of "redundant" rice
crops as well. Does anybody have info on this?
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Para 3. ".... as a bio-engineered product, LLRICE601 could not be commercialized without (US regulatory) approval. Bayer has not obtained regulatory approval for LLRICE601 and it is not presently deemed fit for human consumption.
Para 26. "Bayer was aware of these concerns regarding the health and safety of biotech aspects of products such as LLRICE601 and the potential detrimental market effects arising therefrom.
Para 27. Bayer's predecessor, Aventis CropScience, conducted field tests of LLRICE601 between 1998 and 2001. They ultimately decided not to commercially develop this product.
Para 28. A May 22, 2001 Houston Chronicle article reported: "One by one Monday, 18-wheel trucks began hauling away nearly 5 million lbs (2,267 tonnes) of genetically modified rice from a Brazoria County farm to a landfill for burial. The rice, the first to be genetically enhanced, was approved by the FDA and USDA, but approval by the EPA is pending. Without EPA approval, the rice cannot be served as food, say officials with Aventis CropScience, which developed the biotech rice. ...... Aventis has been criticized for losing track of some of its GM StarLink corn, which reached consumers before it had received Government approval. Aventis "didn't want to create an issue" with its biotech rice, Cherny (a company spokeswoman) said. The rice has been dubbed "Liberty Link"" because it is resistant to Liberty herbicide, a weedkiller commonly used on corn and canola. Harvested last August, about 250,000 lbs (113 tonnes) will be retained for Aventis use for testing. The rest, about 4.75 million lbs (2,154 tonnes), will be buried."
93. Bayer tested LLRICE601 rice seed, a defective and unreasonably dangerous product,which, when used as anticipated, produced unapproved rice deemed unfit for human consumption that became commingled with Plaintiff's and all other members of the Class's rice, and contaminated their rice crops.
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Note that Bayer CropScience is actually the new name for Aventis CrapScience (oops -- was that a typing error? maybe not...), those nice people who wanted (up to March 2004) to cram Chardon LL down our throats, and who were responsible for the StarLink fiasco in 2001. This is a good history of that particular fiasco:
http://www.foe.org/safefood/starlink.pdf#search=%22starlink%20corn%20%2B%20FoE%22
and of course it was a public relations disaster for the company and for the GM industry generally.
Other snippets:
http://www.scottishga.vispa.com/Aventis.htm
http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/biotech_firm_ditches_gm_ma_31032004.html
Oct 2000: - Facing potential prosecution after unauthorised GM seed found in National Seed Listing trials at 2 sites. If Aventis cannot contain the spread of transgenes in National Seed Listing trials, what chance have they in any commercial environment.
1999: - Brazil’s National Biosecurity Technical Committee ordered that AgrEvo’s (formerly Aventis) experimental herbicide-resistant transgenic rice be burned. The company had failed to take compulsory biosecurity measures.
1999: - Conducted a secret trial of GM forage maize in Shropshire. They were exposed but not before they had lied in attempt to cover up the truth by denying the site existed.