Genetically-modified wheat found recently in Oregon was
limited to one field, says United States Secretary for Agriculture Tom Vilsack.
The discovery has prompted some nations, such as Japan, to
adopt precautions about importing wheat from the U.S.
Monsanto ran some field trials with Roundup-Ready wheat in
Oregon in 2005, but when it faced a storm of protest it withdrew its
application for permission to market the genetically-modified wheat and thought
it had cleaned up all supplies.
There is no threat to public health, Vilsack said.
"This was a finding of a very small number of plants
on 123 acres of land.
“There is no indication it has found its way into
commerce, into flour or wheat that has been sold," Vilsack said during an
appearance at the National Press Club in Washington.
"It has been limited at this point in time to this
particular field."
Nearly all of the soft white wheat grown in Oregon is sold
for export, mainly to Asia, and the discovery of the GM seeds sent wheat prices
falling and could imperil billions of exports.
Lawsuits against Monsanto have already begun to fly with
the lawyer on the first case guessing that the claims could mount to hundreds
of millions of dollars.
