Plant samples taken from an Eastern Washington farm contain a low level of genetic modification, even though the farmer didn’t intend to grow GM crops.
Plant samples taken from an Eastern Washington farm contain a low level of genetic modification, even though the farmer didn’t intend to grow GM crops.
The agency said the samples showed a low-level presence of a genetic trait called Round-Up Ready, meaning they are able to tolerate the well-known herbicide. The tests did not reveal the percentage of Round-Up Ready presence in the samples. The testing was ordered after a hay farmer who intended to grow alfalfa that was not genetically modified had his crop rejected by a broker who found evidence of genetically modified pesticide resistance.
Genetically modified alfalfa is legal to grow and sell in the U.S. That makes this incident different from May’s discovery of genetically modified wheat in an Oregon field. Modified wheat is illegal in the U.S. outside of licensed test fields.
Read more at OregonLive.com.
