WASHINGTON - February 12 - “We welcome the ruling from a federal court in Arkansas requiring Bayer Crop Science to pay $1.5 million to two U.S. rice farmers as compensation for contamination. We are pleased to see the federal court step in to protect farmers and consumers when regulatory bodies fail.

“We hope this proves once and for all that genetically modified crops cannot ‘coexist’ with conventional crops. Bayer Crop Science has already been ordered to pay $2 million to two other farmers and three more test cases will be heard soon, including one from a rice exporter. 

“This recent ruling is set against the backdrop of other U.S. court cases halting the cultivation of GM alfalfa and sugar beets because the regulators failed to adequately assess the impacts of the crops and because of potential irreversible environmental damage. The U.S. Supreme Court will soon hear a case about the safety of GM seed and the U.S. Department of Justice is pursuing an anti-trust investigation of Monsanto.” 

Furthermore, U.S. rice exports to the EU are continuing to be affected by a contamination incident some three and a half years later, showing just how damaging GM crops can be. This is just more evidence that this technology is not economically or environmentally viable.”

For more information, visit http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/world/europe