Industry News

APHIS Determination on Genetically Engineered Wheat

September 29, 2014


    Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced on September 26, 2014, that the genetically engineered wheat found in Oregon was an “isolated incident.”  The United States Department of Agriculture has not approved the commercial sale of genetically engineered wheat.  After the wheat was found in 2013, APHIS conducted an investigation to see if the product had entered the market in the United States.  Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan each temporarily stopped importing US wheat after the genetically engineered wheat was found in Oregon last year.

    APHIS will also investigate the University of Montana where the strain was developed to see if it met “regulatory compliance” requirements while studying the wheat. This strain was designed to “be resistant to the herbicide glyphosate, also known as Roundup.”  APHIS announced that the wheat grown in Montana “is significantly different from the GE [genetically engineered] wheat found growing at the Oregon farm last year.”

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