Class-Action Lawsuit Filed Against Riceland Foods for GM contamination of crops
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A class-action lawsuit was filed Wednesday by Arkansas rice farmers against Riceland Foods Inc. in Lonoke County Circuit Court that seeks compensatory and punitive damages for the tainted rice that entered the 2006 rice crop.
The contaminated, genetically-engineered rice that got into the crop could not be exported to numerous countries and the price fell.
"While Riceland Foods is a very important corporation in Arkansas, they breached the trust of their farmer members - and that of all rice farmers - by failing to act in a timely and proper manner regarding the tainted rice," said Paul Byrd, managing counsel of the Arkansas office of the Hare Wynn Newell & Newton Law Firm.
"Essentially," Byrd said in a news release, "our case today is based on our belief that Riceland is responsible for the LL62 contamination of non-genetically engineered long-grain rice in Arkansas in 2006; that Riceland, in collaboration with Aventis (previously known as Bayer), tested LL62 rice in such a way as to permit cross-pollination with non-GE long-grain rice; that Riceland, in its collaboration with Aventis, and in its 2000-2001 testing, planting, growing, harvesting, storing, transporting and disposal of LL62 rice, permitted the commingling of LL62 rice with non-GE rice such as to contaminate the 2006 Arkansas long-grain rice crop; and that Riceland was negligent or otherwise legally responsible in its handling of LL62 rice such that the U.S. long-grain rice crop was contaminated by LL62 and GE rice in 2006."
Rice sales are about $2 billion each year, Byrd said, and about 50 percent of the rice grown is exported. Arkansas is the leading rice-producing state in the nation and grows about 60 percent of the long-grain variety.
In 2005 the European Union, he said, bought about $800 million worth of U.S. long-grain rice. With the contamination, plaintiffs were unable to sell all their long-grain crop for the higher price it would have brought if it had not been tainted.
The contaminated, genetically-engineered rice that got into the crop could not be exported to numerous countries and the price fell.
"While Riceland Foods is a very important corporation in Arkansas, they breached the trust of their farmer members - and that of all rice farmers - by failing to act in a timely and proper manner regarding the tainted rice," said Paul Byrd, managing counsel of the Arkansas office of the Hare Wynn Newell & Newton Law Firm.
"Essentially," Byrd said in a news release, "our case today is based on our belief that Riceland is responsible for the LL62 contamination of non-genetically engineered long-grain rice in Arkansas in 2006; that Riceland, in collaboration with Aventis (previously known as Bayer), tested LL62 rice in such a way as to permit cross-pollination with non-GE long-grain rice; that Riceland, in its collaboration with Aventis, and in its 2000-2001 testing, planting, growing, harvesting, storing, transporting and disposal of LL62 rice, permitted the commingling of LL62 rice with non-GE rice such as to contaminate the 2006 Arkansas long-grain rice crop; and that Riceland was negligent or otherwise legally responsible in its handling of LL62 rice such that the U.S. long-grain rice crop was contaminated by LL62 and GE rice in 2006."
Rice sales are about $2 billion each year, Byrd said, and about 50 percent of the rice grown is exported. Arkansas is the leading rice-producing state in the nation and grows about 60 percent of the long-grain variety.
In 2005 the European Union, he said, bought about $800 million worth of U.S. long-grain rice. With the contamination, plaintiffs were unable to sell all their long-grain crop for the higher price it would have brought if it had not been tainted.
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