lanting. Conventional and organic rice is at great risk from being contaminated by GE strains and controlled by multinational corporations and governments.
The rice made by Bayer (called LL62) has been genetically engineered to withstand high doses of glufosinate, a herbicide sprayed on rice fields to control a wide range of weeds. It’s no surprise that Bayer also makes glufosinate. Any use of the GE rice will boost their chemical sales as a consequence. While this is a nice set up for Bayer shareholders, it places farmers, consumers and the environment at risk. Glufosinate is considered to be harmful to human health and is being phased out in Europe - its use will not be allowed under revised EU legislation.
Bayer’s GE rice has been shown to have a different nutritional composition than its natural counterpart. It also has a high risk of producing superweeds by transferring its new gene to weedy relatives. Rice traders and producers worldwide reject the GE rice, because of high economic risks.
How Greenpeace got China to say 'no' to GE rice
It took seven years, one bald guy, one determined Swiss woman, and successive teams of young campaigners but finally late September 2011 Beijing said it was suspending the commercialization of genetically-engineered (GE) rice. Here's a historical look at one of our earliest - and most successful - campaigns in East Asia.