Reuters AlertNet Lite - Philippines reviews GMO rice bid from Bayer

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Philippines reviews GMO rice bid from Bayer

15 Feb 2007 11:04:01 GMT
Source: Reuters

MANILA, Feb 15 (Reuters) - The Philippines said on Thursday it was reviewing an application by a division of Bayer AG <BAYG.DE> for the domestic sale of genetically modified (GMO) rice for food and animal feed.

The Bureau of Plant Industry is checking the safety of the GMO rice of Bayer CropScience known as LLRICE 62, Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap told reporters.

"We are still reviewing the application," he said.

A government scientist said the application by Bayer would allow the Philippines to import GMO rice for food, feed and processing but not for planting.

The GMO rice has a protein known as Liberty Link, which allows the crop to withstand applications of a herbicide used to kill weeds.

The Philippines was the first country in Asia to commercialise GMO corn in 2002.

The country has since allowed about 20 varieties of GMO corn to be imported, of which two could be planted by local farmers, a scientist at the Bureau of Plant Industry told Reuters.

The same scientist said that the GMO rice application from Bayer has been pending since August 2006.

Environmentalist, consumer groups and even some church leaders have warned the government against allowing the entry of GMO rice due to fears of its effect on health and the environment.

"Rice is a staple food and source of livelihood of more than 50 million farmers in our country, with roots in our own culture and traditions and thus should be taken with utmost care," Agnes Lintao, policy officer at NGO group SEARICE said in a statement.

"The approval will allow the first genetically modified rice into the country, and would thus set a precedent," SEARICE said.

Last week, Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales asked the government to look into the sale of GMO rice in local stores and stop the import of rice from the United States.

"We believe that we should strongly oppose any experiment or attempt to use genetically engineered food that are not safe or good to the environment," Rosales said in a letter to Arroyo, a copy of which was released by his office.

"We should feed our people with food that are produced through natural means."

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Last updated:Thu Feb 15 11:04:54 2007