Wheat Industry Concerned with GE Wheat Discovery in Oregon
On Wednesday the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced that they had results of plant samples from an Oregon farm which indicated the presence of genetically engineered glyphosate-resistant or Round-Up resistant wheat plants in a field.
Washington Grain Commission CEO Glen Squires says there is an critical fact to remember when considering this situation.
Squires: “There is no genetically engineered wheat that is currently approved for cultivation anywhere in the U.S. So this discovery of this an unregulated event in Oregon is certainly troubling but what is important is that there is no genetically engineered wheat used for cultivation.”
With more than 90 percent of both Oregon and Washington wheat being exported, Squires says it is critical that APHIS’ investigation get to the bottom of issue and determine the circumstances and extent of the situation and how it happened.
Squires: “Our hope and what we are pushing for is for APHIS -- the regulator over an unregulated event -- to conclude in their investigation in a very timely matter. The market needs answers to the questions regarding how wide spread this is or is it an isolated event that is not geographically dispersed.”
It was reported yesterday that Japan has halted imports of western-white wheat and feed wheat. Other top Asian wheat importers will be closely monitoring the situation.
