Est. 2min 13-09-2006 (updated: 05-11-2012 ) Euractiv is part of the Trust Project >>> Languages: Français | DeutschPrint Email Facebook X LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Almost one in five samples of imported rice is contaminated with the unauthorised, genetically manipulated LL601, European rice-traders told the Commission. In a hearing on 11 September 2006, the Commission Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health heard a presentation by the European Federation of Rice Millers, which represents about 90% of the rice trade in the EU. The trade association reported that out of 162 samples of rice tested by its members so far, 33 had been tested positive for the LL601 variant. Rice samples taken from the market and tested in Sweden and France have also been tested positive for LL601. The two countries are so far the only to use two newly developed methods for LL601 testing, which produce much more accurate results. It is expected that once the new method is applied in other member states, which will take another one to two weeks, more samples will test positive for LL601. 20,000 tons of imported rice from the US are currently blocked in the port of Rotterdam, after three out of 23 barges have been tested positive for LL601. The barges tested positive will either be sent back to the US or destroyed. Read more with Euractiv First avian flu vaccines get EU-wide authorisation At the onset of the autumn migration period, the Commission gives the go-ahead to two poultry vaccines against bird flu. Subscribe now to our newsletter EU Elections Decoded Email Address * Politics Newsletters PositionsOn 11 September, the Commission reminded the industry "of their legal obligation to inform Member State authorities when a consignment on their markets is found to contain an unauthorised GMO". At the same time, the Commission urged Member States "to intensify testing of products on the market as soon as possible and to provide an extensive report back on the results". BackgroundThe Commission was informed on 18 August 2006 by US Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns that traces of non-authorised genetically modified rice had been detected in samples of commercial long-grain rice from the US. The source of the contamination appears to be an experimental GM rice called LL601, produced by the German-based biotech company Bayer. LL rice is not approved for food or cultivation anywhere in the world except for the United States and Canada. Following the disclosure, the Commission decided to impose stricter national border controls (see EURACTIV, 24 August 2006) to make sure that unauthorised GMO rice be kept off European markets. On 5 September 2006, NGOs Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace found traces of either the Cry1Ac protein or a fusion Cry1Ab/Cry1Ac protein in rice sticks and rice vermicelli of five different brands sold in the three countries (see EURACTIV, 6 September 2006). Timeline On 12 September 2006, the Germany-based discount chain Aldi Nord, which operates around 3,500 shops in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, France, Spain and Portugal, decided to take its 'Bon-Ri' rice brand off the shelves, following a claim by NGO Greenpeace that rice of the brand had tested positive for LL601. The discounter contested the Greenpeace tests and said that it would carry out its own tests. Also on 12 September 2006, Swiss supermarket chain Migros confirmed finding traces of LL601, saying it was unclear whether any of the rice actually went on sale. Further ReadingEU official documents Commission - Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCFCAH):GM Food & Environmental Risk(Portal) Commission (Memo):GM rice situation reviewed at the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health Business & Industry AG bios:GM database EuropaBio:Press room NGOs and Think-Tanks Greenpeace:US illegal GE rice contamination spreads further into Europe Friends of the Earth Europe:Bayer, not taxpayers, must pay for GM rice testing in Europe Press articles Deutsche Welle:Genetically Modified Rice Found in German Supermarkets(12 September 2006) Reuters:EU confirms presence of tainted GMO rice(11 September 2006) Forbes:Presence of unapproved GM rice in Europe alarms food industry(12 September 2006) Easy Bourse:EU Reports 33 Positive Tests For Illegal Biotech Rice(11 September 2006) SwissInfo:Genetically modified rice hits Switzerland(12 September 2006) Nouvel Observateur:Du riz génétiquement modifié non autorisé retrouvé dans les rayons d'un supermarché, selon Greenpeace(12 September 2006) L'Express:Du riz américain génétiquement modifié trouvé à Rotterdam(11 September 2006) La Libre Belgique:Du riz aux OGM, cadeau de l'Oncle Sam(13 September 2006) Le Temps:Le riz transgénique déjà dans nos assiettes(13 September 2006) Süddeutsche Zeitung:Die Spur der Körner(12 September 2006) Financial Times Deutschland:Reisproduzenten fürchten Imageschaden(13 September 2006) ARD:"LL601" auch in Frankreich und Schweden(12 September 2006)
