Bayer in crop contamination and hiding behind old name shocker

Ooooops!
DEFRA and the Scottish Executive revealed on the 15th August that GM oil seed rape (OSR) grown at more than 20 farm scale trial sites in the UK was contaminated with substantial quantities of an unlicensed variety of GM OSR. The contamination was discovered by the Scottish Agricultural College, who found that seed from one of Bayer CropScience's trials contained an unapproved GM OSR variety (also owned by Bayer). The contaminating variety (imaginatively named MS1 -RF1/RF2), as well as being resistant to Bayer's herbicide Liberty also includes genes giving resistance to the antibiotics neomycin and kanamycin. The implications of this are serious, since recent studies suggest that it is possible for modified DNA to be taken up by bacteria in the human gut, and that both antibiotics are still used to treat potentially fatal diseases, such as meningitis. Subsequent tests have revealed that the contaminated seed has been sown in over 20 Farm Scale Trials across the UK over the last 3 years.

Suspension of farmscale trials?
News of the contamination has resulted in ministerial calls for the suspension of the last round of the winter OSR farm scale trials due to be planted in the next couple of weeks. At present it is unclear whether any 'suspension' will result in the cancellation of the trials, setting back the Farm Scale Trial process by a year and throwing government and industry plans for GM crop commercialisation into turmoil.

Bayer behind bars?
It is possible that Bayer CropScience may face criminal proceedings for failing to prevent the contamination. Unconvinced that any legal action taken against Bayer would result in the corporation being held accountable for its illegal activities, around 50 people partially decontaminated a Bayer OSR test site near Hilton in Dorset on August 18th. However, pulling up illegal crops was deemed to be more illegal than growing them in the first place and 14 people were arrested for criminal damage.

Bayer CropScience pretend they don't exist.
Meanwhile Bayer CropScience, the company responsible for the mess, is doing a good job of hiding behind its old identity Aventis CropScience. Thus far Bayer's public image has remained fairly unscathed, with the company ensuring that all negative publicity is directed towards Aventis, a company that no longer has any involvement in GM crops. Despite having become part of the new Bayer CropScience in early June, signs and flags at old Aventis CropScience factories and offices, as well as official letters all still bear the Aventis name, and when you ring them the voice on the end of the phone still answers "Hello, Aventis".

For more info check out: www.bayerhazard.com