NOTE: In a US court case against Bayer, the GM/agrochemical company responsible for contaminating the US rice supply with unapproved GM rice, Bayer executive Scott Johnson has admitted he has no idea how the worst catastrophe in the history of the rice industry occurred: "It happened, but we don't know how."

Oh, and an eminent professor who's a GM expert, and the USDA don't know, either.
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Florida professor: Bayer responsible for contamination
By Leigh Kreimeier
Daily Leader
Posted Feb 28, 2011
http://bit.ly/eTK8TP

Stuttgart, Ark. - Bayer executive Scott Johnson's video deposition was played for the jury Friday in the case of Riceland Foods against Bayer Crop Science. Johnson was the U.S. rice breeder and development manager of the Liberty Link Rice Project for Bayer from 1997 until 2005. Riceland's counsel questioned Johnson on the company's containment practices.

Johnson told the jury the company followed the United States Department of Agriculture guidelines during its testing phase. According to Johnson, there were field trials in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi and Puerto Rico.

Riceland's attorneys produced exhibits showing the company possibly considered doing the field trials "in house," which could have been more regulated, but also more expensive.

"It happened, but we don't know how," Johnson said about the genetically-modified rice contaminating the U.S. rice supply.

On Aug. 18, 2006, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that genetically-modified (GM) rice was found in the U.S. long grain rice supply. It was Bayer's Liberty Link rice, which consists of several varieties, that was found.

The end result was a loss to the rice market due to the European Union (EU) market being shut off to the U.S. The EU consists of 27 countries and does not accept GM rice.

Riceland is claiming the negligence of Bayer Crop Science in the handling of genetically-modified rice cost them $379,930,000 in projected future losses and losses since 2006.

The trial began Tuesday in the Arkansas County Circuit Courthouse in Stuttgart and resumed at 9 a.m. today.

In opening statements, attorneys for Bayer told the jury that Riceland knew the EU had a zero tolerance policy for GM rice. Bayer claims Riceland continued to ship barges after knowing that a trace amount of the GM rice was detected, resulting in the loss of the market.

Riceland also called University of Florida professor Harry Klee to testify as an expert witness in plant biology, field trials and transgenic (GM) plants. Klee said the first field test done on GM plants was held in 1986.

"When you are done with the experiment there (should be) no trace on the environment," Klee said about the end result of a field trial.

Klee read through thousands of internal Bayer documents and was paid for his services at the rate of $400 an hour, according to Riceland attorneys.
"I don't think they (Bayer) complied with reasonable standards ”” I believe they were responsible," Klee said.

Klee was asked to pin point how the contamination occurred, but told the jury he could not.

"The USDA spent 8,000 hours investigating this and they couldn't verify," Klee said.

The Daily Leader will pick back up with coverage of the trial in Wednesday's edition.Ӭ

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