e-mailLL601, LL62, Reis den niemand will
Oktober, 2006. In Deutschland und anderen Ländern der Europäischen Union sind in Reisproben aus dem Handel Spuren der in Europa nicht zugelassenen gentechnisch veränderten Reissorte LL 601 nachgewiesen worden. LL601 ist ein gentechnisch veränderter Reis des deutschen Konzerns Bayer CropScience. Da er nirgendwo eine Zulassung besitzt, dürfte er in keinem Land der Welt in der Nahrungsmittelkette auftauchen. Doch im August und September ist genau dies passiert: LL601 ist in Reiscontainern in den USA, in Schiffsladungen in Rotterdam, in Reissilos in Basel und letzlich in Reisprodukten von Aldi in Deutschland entdeckt worden. Mit genmanipuliertem Langkornreis bekommt es der Verbraucher nun erstmals mit einer Gentechnik-Variante zu tun, die weltweit als Grundnahrungsmittel, ohne besondere Weiterverarbeitung, verzehrt wird. Der Verband der europäischen Reismüller gab bekannt, dass jede fünfte untersuchte Reisprobe aus den USA mit LL601 verunreinigt war. die EU reagierte prompt und ordnete umgehend Zwangstests an, als sie Mitte August erstmals von den US-Behörden über das Auftauchern des nicht genemigten gentechnisch veränderten Reises informiert wurde. Der Reis zählt zu den herbizidtoleranten Gentechnik-Sorten und ist unempfindlich gegenüber dem Unkrautvernichtungsmittel Liberty Link. Auch wenn die zuständigen Behörden in der Schweiz, Deutschland und der EU ein Gesundheitsrisiko verneinen, aus Sicht der öffentlichen Gesundheit ist der Fall dennoch bedenklich. Denn er weist darauf hin, dass die Sicherheitsvorkehrungen, die eine Einbringung nicht genehmigter Gentechnik-Produkte verhindern sollen, entweder unzureichend sind oder nicht eingehalten werden.
Weiterführende Informationen: 
AgBios GM database - LL601
Inzwischen bemüht sich Bayer CropScience um die Zulassung ihrer neuen gentechnisch veränderten Reissorte LL62. Greenpeace hat eine weltweite Kampagne gegen die Zulassung von Bayers LL62 gestartet und macht in Österreich mit Unterschriftenlisten mobil. Auch die Koordinantion gegen Bayer-Gefahren organisiert Protest...
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Offizielle Dokumente
Bayer
24 November 2006, Bayer CropScience comments on the deregulation of LLRICE601 in the USA
19 September 2006, Comments of Bayer CropScience on LLRICE601
18 August 2006, Bayer Crop Science: Comments on the identification of traces of biotechnology rice in U.S. rice samples
US documents
5 October 2007, USDA APHIS, 
Report of LibertyLink Rice Incidents
5 October 2007, USDA APHIS, Lessons learned
5 October 2007, USDA APHIS, Transcript of Technical Briefing on Rice Investigation with Cindy Smith, Administrator, Animal Plant Health Inspection Service
28 November 2006, USA Rice Federation, U.S. Rice Industry Recommendations to Reestablish Supply and Marketability of U.S. Rice
24 November 2006, US Department of Agriculture: USDA deregulates line of genetically engineered rice
24 November 2006, US Department of Agriculture: USDA provides upddate for farmers on genetically engineered rice
24 November 2006, US Department of Agriculture / Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS): Finding of No Significant Impact - Extension on Nonregulated Status to Rice Line LLRICE601
24 November 2006, CFS: USDA gives rubber-stamp market approval to genetically engineered rice contaminating food supply
November 2006, Information Systems for Biotechnology (ISB): Wild Rice
11 October 2006, Center for Food Safety (CFS): Comments on Bayer's petition for deregulation of LL601
14 September 2006, Center for Food Safety (CFS): USDA Urged to Deny Approval of Illegal Genetically Engineered Rice Found in Food Chain
14 September 2006, Center for Food Safety (CFS): Petition for Banning All "LibertyLink" Rice as Plant Pests
8 September 2006, US Department of Agriculture: Invitation for Bids (Rice in Bags) to the Philippines - Purchase Authorization (last amended 18 September 2006)
30 August 2006, various plaintiffs: Geeridge Inc.vs. Bayer crop science, first class action law suite on LL Rice contamination
To pay compensation, be punished and obliged to decontaminate fields and harvest and storage facilities of plaintiffs and prevent further spread
23 August 2006, US Department of Agriculture: Philippines to purchase $20 million of U.S. rice under Public Law 480, Title I.
18 August 2006, US Department of Agriculture: Statement by Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns Regarding Genetically Engineered Rice
18 August 2006, U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Statement on Report of Bioengineered Rice in the Food Supply
18 August 2006, USDA: Factsheet genetically engineered rice
January 2006, USDA Office of Inspector General: Audit report: APHIS Controls Over Issuance of Genetically Engineered Organism Release Permits
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture "Current (USDA) regulations, policies and procedures do not ensure the safe introduction of agricultural biotechnology". The USDA audit report says the agency "lacks basic information" on where field tests are or what is done with the crops after they are harvested.
EU documents
October 2008, EU Food and Veterenary Office: Inspection Report on the measures taken in the USA regarding the emergency measures on rice imports to the EU concludes that strong measures are now in place to prevent the contamination of US rice exports with LL602, but points to uncertainties as well.
6 November 2006, Food Standard Agency, UK: Legal challenge on GM rice
24 October 2006, FoE Europe: American rice imports must be tested for GM contamination
16 October 2006, Greenpeace: Thailand benefits from GMO rice contamination scandal
9 October 2006, Finnish Food Safety Authority (EVIRA): Evira investigated presence of genetically modified rice in foods and feeds marketed in Finland
21 September 2006, Greenpeace: False GM-free Certification for US rice - EU should stop all rice imports from US
21 September 2006, FoE Europe: Outrage as illegal genetically modified rice slips through the net
15 September 2006, EFSA’s GMO Panel provides reply to European Commission request on GM rice LLRICE601
The GMO Panel has evaluated the available scientific data on LLRICE601. According to the Statement of the Panel issued today there is insufficient data to provide a full risk assessment in accordance with EFSA’s GM guidance.
11 September 2006, EU Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health, Summary record of the 11th meeting on 11 September 2006
The presence of the genetically modified rice LLRICE601 in food and feed products on the European market is, even at extremely low levels, illegal. Rice containing LLRICE601 is not allowed to be placed on the market. The European Commission has raised awareness of industry at EU level with respect to their responsibilities of ensuring that the food they produce is safe in all Member States and will continue to do so. Member States will do the same at national level. On the basis of the knowledge available today, the Standing Committee agreed that, as a matter of priority, it was necessary to ensure that illegal GM long grain rice originating from the USA does not enter the EU market or is not further distributed in the food chain. In case of unfavourable results the contaminated long grain rice as defined in Article 1 of Decision 2006/601/EC should be withdrawn from the market.
1 September 2006, FoE Europe: Bayer, not taxpayers, must pay for GM rice testing in Europe
30 August 2006, EU Community Reference Laboratory: Detection of rice GM events containing p35S::bar sequences and Detection of rice GM event LLRICE601
23 August 2006 FoE Europe: Press release on EU imports 23 August
23 August 2006 EU Commission: Commission requires certification of US rice exports to stop unauthorised GMO entering the EU
23 August 2006 EU Commission: Questions and Answers on the finding of unauthorised GM rice on the US market
21 August 2006 EU Commission: Letter to the USDA
Japanese documents
August 19, 2006 Announcement of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Office of Import Food Safety
Hintergrundpapiere
Greenpeace International, 8. October 2007: Bayer contaminates our Rice
AgreVo, 1998 (now Bayer): Petition for deregulation of Liberty Link Rice (172 pages application and risk assessment)
APHIS, 1999, Deregulation of herbicide tolerant rice LLRICE06, LLRICE62 Overview on all deregulated crops in the US
EFSA: Summary of the dossier EFSA GMO UK 2004 - 04 (LLRICE62, letzte Aktualisierung Juli 2006
Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, September 2005: The risks of Bayer’s genetically modified LLRICE62 rice
Biosafety Clearinghouse (last update: 2007-10-19): Unique Identification Registry - Liberty Link™ Rice - ACS-OSØØ1-4 - LLRICE06
USDA September 14, 2004: Workshop on Confinement of Genetically Engineered Crops During Field Testing Greenbelt MD USA
Abstracts:
>> Donna Mitten, Bayer Crop Science: Opportunities for confinement of rice full presentation
>> David R. Gealy USDA-ARS, DB NRRC, Stuttgart, AR: Dynamics of Pollen Dispersal and Confinement in U.S. Rice
>> John Nelsen, Rice Tech: Gene containment via process management
>> Ana M. Espinoza, University of Costa Rica: Gene flow from Oryza sativa to wild relatives of rice and weedy rice under tropical conditions
