Monsanto

U.S. investigating rogue GM wheat found in Oregon field

"An escape that hasn't been noticed for this long period of time, I think, is unlikely," he said. "But certainly, the investigators are looking at all possibilities." The wheat variety was genetically engineered by the agricultural technology company Monsanto to be resistant to the common pesticide RoundUp. The company tested it across the U.S. in the early 2000s, but decided there wasn't enough of a market for the product, and abandoned its commercialization efforts completely by 2005, Flowers said. The discovery of the GM strain has prompted Japan to suspend shipments of white winter wheat from Oregon, a state that exports 90 per cent of its wheat.

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