GMO Myths and Truths

5.11 Myth: If GM contamination occurs, it is not a problem
Truth: GM contamination has had severe economic
consequences for farmers, food and feed companies, and markets
“If some people are allowed to choose to
grow, sell and consume GM foods, soon
nobody will be able to choose food, or
a biosphere, free of GM. It’s a one way
choice, like the introduction of rabbits or
cane toads to Australia; once it’s made, it
can’t be reversed.”
– Roger Levett, specialist in sustainable
development 163
GM contamination of crops has had severe
economic consequences, threatening the
livelihoods of farmers who receive premiums for
growing organic and GM-free crops and blocking
export markets to countries with strict regulations
on GMOs.
Examples of GM contamination problems
include:
● In 2011 an unauthorized GM Bt pesticidal
rice, Bt63, was found in baby formula and rice
noodles on sale in China. 146 Contaminated
rice products were also found in Germany 147
and Sweden. 148 The same rice was found in
rice products in New Zealand in 2008, leading
to product recalls. 149 GM Bt rice has not been
shown to be safe for human consumption.
Periodic recalls of products contaminated with
Bt63 rice continue to be reported even today in
Europe.
● In 2009 an unauthorized GM flax called CDC
Triffid contaminated Canadian flax seed
supplies, resulting in the collapse of Canada’s
flax export market to Europe. 150,151
● In 2006 an unapproved experimental GM rice,
grown only for one year in experimental plots,
was found to have contaminated the US rice
supply and seed stocks. 152 Contaminated rice
was found as far away as Africa, Europe, and
Central America. In 2007 US rice exports were
down 20% from the previous year as a result of
the GM contamination. 153 In 2011 the company
that developed the GM rice, Bayer, agreed to
pay $750 million to settle lawsuits brought
by 11,000 US farmers whose rice crops were
contaminated. 154 A court ordered Bayer to pay
$137 million in damages to Riceland, a rice
export company, for loss of sales to the EU. 155
● In Canada, contamination from GM oilseed
rape has made it virtually impossible to
cultivate organic, non-GM oilseed rape. 156
● Organic maize production in Spain has dropped
as the acreage of GM maize production has
increased, due to contamination by crosspollination
with GM maize. 157
● In 2000 GM StarLink maize, produced
by Aventis (now Bayer CropScience), was
found to have contaminated the US maize
supply. StarLink had been approved for
animal feed but not for human consumption.
The discovery led to recalls of StarLinkcontaminated
food products across the US,
spreading to Europe, Japan, Canada, and
other countries. Costs to the food industry
are estimated to have been around $1
billion. 158 In addition, the US government
bore indirect costs of between $172 and
$776 million through the USDA’s Loan
Deficiency Payments Program, which offers
producers short-term loans and direct
payments if the price of a commodity crop
falls below the loan rate. 159 Aventis paid out
$110 million to farmers who brought a class
action suit against the company 160 and spent
another $110 million buying back StarLinkcontaminated
maize. 152
As no official body keeps records of GM
contamination incidents, Greenpeace and
Genewatch UK have stepped into the gap with
their GM Contamination Register. 161 In the years
2005–2007 alone, 216 contamination incidents
were recorded in the database. 162
GMO Myths and Truths 89