USDA to Rubber-Stamp Contamination of Food with Illegal, Genetically Engineered
Rice Banned in Japan and Europe

U.S. Dismantles Regulation of Genetically Engineered Crops to Serve Interests of Biotechnology Industry

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has initiated fast-track market approval of an illegal, genetically-engineered (GE) rice variety that has contaminated long-grain rice throughout the South, throwing rice markets into turmoil and causing potential harm to consumers and the environment.  The variety, known as LL601, was developed by Bayer CropScience.  Bayer field-tested  LL601 from 1998-2001, but for unknown reasons never applied to USDA for market approval.

Though it is known that LL601 is illegally present in rice supplies, U.S. authorities have failed to recall LL601-contaminated rice supplies or food products,  despite a lack of information on potential health or environmental impacts. In contrast, Japan has banned U.S. long-grain rice imports, and the European Union is testing U.S. rice shipments and rejecting those that contain LL601.

Bayer is now asking USDA to grant retroactive market approval of the illegal rice, even though it remains inadequately tested, and the company gave up plans to market LL601 in 2001.

Consumers should not be asked to pay for Bayer's mistake. USDA should hold Bayer accountable: test and recall contaminated food products, make all test protocols and positive samples available to the public, destroy the contaminated rice and compensate farmers and food companies for their losses - not deregulate an illegal product after the fact.

A public comment period is open now through October 10th. Tell USDA NOT to approve this illegal, inadequately tested rice, and to hold Bayer CropScience accountable!

**Please note that due to the diffulties many of you have had in posting your public comments to the USDA's new web system (regulations.gov), we will be collecting your comments and delivering them to USDA at the close of the comment period. If you choose to download and mail your comments after your email is sent, USDA requests 4 copies of your comments.

Sample Letter for Campaign

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

Docket No. APHIS-2006-0140 Regulatory Analysis and Development PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8 4700 River Road, Unit 118 Riverdale, MD 20737

Re: Docket #APHIS-2006-0140 No Deregulation of Bayer CropScience GE Rice, LL601

To whom it may concern,

As an American consumer, I am extremely concerned about the recent contamination of long-grain US rice by an illegal, genetically engineered variety. Of even greater concern is the idea that the USDA is considering granting market approval for this illegal rice after the fact.

This rice was never approved for human consumption, and should not be in the food supply. To retroactively deregulate a variety never reviewed by USDA makes consumers and American farmers pay for the mistakes of the biotech industry. Already Japan, South Korea and the European Union have banned or restricted the importation of ANY long-grain rice from the US, sinking rice futures by 5% - the largest decrease in years, in an already struggling US farm economy. As a consumer, I prefer to eat foods free of genetically engineered ingredients. Allowing the contamination, and subsequent deregulation, of a food not thought to be genetically engineered, like rice, makes that choice impossible.

In its petition for deregulation, Bayer presents data that is supposed to support the safety of LLRICE601. USDA has accepted Bayer's assertion of safety in its preliminary Environmental Assessment (EA). But there are a number of disturbing deficiencies revealed in this petition. First, about a third of the safety data is claimed as confidential business information (CBI) by Bayer, which makes effective public oversight impossible. Second, the comparisons between LLRICE601 and the non-biotech variety are much less extensive than the standards for either USDA deregulation or for FDA review. These comparisons are important in order to determine whether changes have occurred in the engineered rice that may have health or environmental consequences. For example, several important constituents of rice were checked for the previously deregulated types of LL rice (and found to differ), but were not checked in LLRICE601. Additionally, the nature of the engineered herbicide-resistance protein was not adequately tested to see if it had been altered in the plant. Recently, changes in the protein in biotech peas in Australia was were found to cause immunological reactions in mice. Subsequently, the biotech peas were discontinued, after 10 years of development. All-in-all, the safety testing Bayer performed, and submitted to USDA, was substantially less than is usually accepted for deregulation.

Contamination should not be a route to commercialization. I urge USDA NOT to approve Bayer's rice in the US food supply, and to hold the company responsible for their actions. USDA should make testing protocols and test samples available to the public and independent testing laboratories to test and recall contaminated food products. In addition, they should destroy any contaminated rice, and require Bayer to compensate US farmers and food companies for their losses.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
September 14, 2006