Plants > Biotechnology / PNTs  

Update - Genetically Engineered Rice Unintentionally Released in the US

Related Updates: Technical Recommendations | 2006-09-29 | 2006-09-07 | 2006-08-28

September 7, 2006

On August 18, 2006, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that trace amounts of a line of genetically engineered rice (LLRICE601), developed by Bayer Crop Science, had been unintentionally released in long grain rice in the United States. This rice has been genetically engineered to be tolerant to a herbicide.

At the time of notification, the USDA and Bayer CropScience provided the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Health Canada with information that allowed Canada to undertake preliminary scientific risk assessments. These assessments indicate that the presence of LLRICE601 at levels detected in the U.S. is unlikely to pose a risk to human health, the environment or livestock.

LLRICE601 is genetically very similar to another rice line, LLRICE62, which is approved for human consumption in both the U.S. and Canada. In addition to this very close genetic similarity, one cannot cultivate regular rice in Canada due to the climate in this country. What is known as wild rice in Canada, is in fact a different species incapable of interbreeding with regular rice. LLRICE601, therefore, poses no environmental concern whatsoever. The determination of the unlikelihood of risk to humans and livestock animals is underscored by close genetic similarities of LLRICE601 and the fully assessed and approved related LLRICE62, plus the levels of detection of the unapproved LLRICE601 appearing to be at a trace level.

Nevertheless, Health Canada and the CFIA are gathering additional information from Bayer CropScience and from the USDA with a view to completing Canada's risk assessment. In addition, the CFIA has received the necessary information from Bayer CropScience to develop and validate testing methodology to identify this specific line of rice, should it be inadvertently introduced into Canada. The Agency is validating this methodology and determining the most appropriate use for testing.

The CFIA has reminded industry that, although LLRICE601 poses no identified health, environmental or livestock safety risk, it is not approved for release into the Canadian market. The Agency has also clarified industry's responsibility to take appropriate steps to minimize the potential for LLRICE601 to be inadvertently brought into Canada, either as food or livestock feed.

An active verification program, carried out in cooperation with industry, is to begin shortly to ascertain industry compliance.