For related articles and more information, please visit OCA’s Genetic Engineering page and our Millions Against Monsanto page.

Riceland Foods is the largest rice cooperative in the U.S.  The cooperative filed suit against the Bayer Corporation for damages it suffered as a result of Bayer’s unapproved genetically-modified rice contaminating natural long-grain rice — one of hundreds of similar lawsuits that have been filed against Bayer in federal and state courts.

As a result of this contamination, countries within the European Union refused to purchase U.S. long grain rice, and rice farmers and cooperatives lost millions of dollars in sales. They also incurred substantial clean-up costs.

According to the Jere Beasley Report:

 “Riceland alleged in its lawsuit that the presence of Bayer’s Liberty Link rice caused the cooperative to lose $389 million in projected and future earnings. The jury found that Bayer caused tremendous harm to Riceland and the entire industry and awarded Riceland $11.8 million in compensatory damages and $125 million in punitive damages. The jury also found that Bayer was solely responsible for any damages incurred by farmers as a result of the loss of the European market.”

In related news, a new electron microscopic pathogen in the shape of a medium-sized virus has been discovered, which appears to significantly impact the health of plants, animals, and probably human beings.

In the video below, David Murphy of Food Democracy Now interviews Dr. Don Huber regarding the discovery of a new organism and how it relates to crop disease, livestock infertility and how it threatens U.S. food and agriculture.

Dr. Huber Explains Science Behind New Organism and Threat from Monsanto’s Roundup, GMOs to Disease and Infertility from Food Democracy Now! on Vimeo.

On January 17, 2011, Dr. Huber sent a letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack alerting him to a serious problem facing U.S. agriculture — a previously unknown pathogen. Dr. Huber’s letter revealed that a top team of scientists had discovered a link between the new pathogen, the steady rise of plant diseases in genetically modified Roundup Ready corn and soybean crops, and the high rates of infertility and spontaneous abortions of animal livestock.

Sources:
Jere Beasley Report April 28, 2011
Farm and Ranch Freedom May 4, 2011

 Dr. Mercola’s Comments:

Riceland Foods, the largest rice cooperative in the U.S. filed suit against the Bayer Corporation after its natural long-grain rice was contaminated with Bayer’s unapproved genetically-modified (GM) rice-and they won. The jury determined that Bayer caused “tremendous harm to Riceland and the entire industry,” awarding Riceland $11.8 million in compensatory damages and $125 million in punitive damages.