WASHINGTON, D.C. (Reuters) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture, said it is working to make more rapid tests available to detect genetically modified wheat, following the discovery of unapproved GM wheat growing in Oregon.
Domestic and overseas buyers are keen to have rapid tests to ensure GM grain is not in their shipments.
Japan has excluded white wheat grown in the U.S. Pacific Northwest from its regular tenders since the discovery, although it has continued to buy other U.S. wheat varieties. South Korea and the European Union plan to test imports.
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In a news release, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said no other examples of the unapproved strain have been found, and it has no information that any GM wheat is in commercial supply chains.
Separately, USDA said it continues to issue, upon request by exporters, letters saying simply, “There are no transgenic wheat varieties for sale or in commercial production in the United States at this time.”
Monsanto, developer of the wheat, has provided to foreign regulators information on how to test for its genetic modification. But the tests are complex and time consuming.
The unapproved wheat found in Oregon was developed years ago by Monsanto, which abandoned field tests in 2005 because there was no market for the wheat. It was approved as safe for human and animal consumption, but was never registered.
