There's a new twist in the story of genetically modified
wheat discovered growing rogue by an Oregon farmer. Monsanto, the company which
developed the pesticide resistant strain, has now suggested the stalks were
intentionally planted.
The discovery of this wheat is a big deal for two
reasons. The first has to do with markets. When the wheat was discovered, Japan
immediately stopped imports of U.S. Western White wheat, (grown in Oregon), the
European Union announced inspections of incoming shipments and wheat futures
fell. This leads to the second reason it matters: the politics of genetically
modified (GM) food. The markets moved not because of an actual risk to health
from the wheat, but because the world doesn't trust GM products, largely
because of a misinformation campaign conducted by activists.
Crops are considered genetically modified if proteins in
their DNA were added in a lab instead of through repetitive breeding.
Currently, no GM wheat exists for commercial sale. The wheat discovered in
Oregon was tested and found to be the same type that Monsanto was developing as
part of the approval process for eventual sale. Initially it was theorized that
it was left over from those trials. However, the company has since revealed
that the seeds are only viable for two years if left in the soil. The last
field trial in Oregon was 2001……To ReadMore….
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