Louisiana Rice Tests Positive for GMO Liberty Link
Date: 01-Sep-06
Country: US
Author: Lisa Haarlander
The foundation seed for the Cheniere variety contained a trace amount of genetic material from LLRICE 601, a variety engineered to resist herbicides. Cheniere is a widely grown variety across the southern United States.
Foundation seed is grown by producers to make the seed stock that farmers will plant for the next crop.
The positive results were for the 2003 foundation Cheniere seed. The 2005 foundation Cheniere seed was free of Liberty Link, the center said. Tests also indicated that 13 other varieties were free of Liberty Link.
Government officials said Aug. 18 that trace amounts of an unapproved biotech rice had been detected in storage bins in some southern states.
The genetically modified variety of rice called LLRice 601 led to Japan shutting down imports of US long grain rice, and to the European Union requiring certification that long grain rice from the United States is free of the transgenic strain.
Chicago Board of Trade rice futures have fallen to their lowest level in three months following news of the GMO contamination.