Bayer has admitted it has been unable to control the spread of its
genetically-engineered organisms despite ‘the best practices [to stop
contamination]'(1). It shows that all outdoors field trials or
commercial growing of GE crops must be stopped before our crops are
irreversibly contaminated.


$2 million US dollar verdict against Bayer confirms companys liability for an uncontrollable technology

Greenpeace welcomes the United States federal jury ruling on 4 December
2009 that Bayer CropScience LP must pay $2 million US dollars to two
Missouri farmers after their rice crop was contaminated with an
experimental variety of rice that the company was testing in 2006.

This verdict confirms that the responsibility for the consequences of
GE (genetic engineering) contamination rests with the company that
releases GE crops.

Bayer has admitted it has been unable to control the spread of its
genetically-engineered organisms despite ‘the best practices [to stop
contamination]'(1). It shows that all outdoors field trials or
commercial growing of GE crops must be stopped before our crops are
irreversibly contaminated.

A report prepared for Greenpeace International concluded that the total
costs incurred throughout the world as a result of the contamination
are estimated to range from $741 million to $1.285 billion US
dollars.(2) The verdict indicates that Bayer is liable for what could
turn out to be a large proportion of these costs, as it awards damages
in the first two of more than 1,000 currently pending lawsuits. The
decision must be used to support all claims for losses incurred by
other US farmers whose crops have suffered from GE contamination.

(1) Bayers Defense lawyer, Mark Ferguson as reported in Harris, A. 2009.
Bayer Blamed at Trial for Crops ‘Contaminatedby Modified Rice. Bloomberg News 4th November 2009, available at:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aT…
 
(2) E.N. Blue (2007) Risky Business. Economic and regulatory impacts
from the unintended release of genetically engineered rice varieties
into the rice merchandising system of the US. Report prepared for
Greenpeace International, available online at http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/international/press….