> From page 7 of the June Missouri Sierran newsletter:
> Rice farmers in Arkansas won a $48 MILLION settlement against
> Bayer Corp

The lawsuit didn't involve any human or pollinator safety
issues. Bayer Plans to Appeal the Verdict
http://tinyurl.com/2b9s3c3

Excerpts:

"The facts in this case do not support this award of damages, and
certainly not future damages," said Bruce Mackintosh, General
Counsel for Bayer CropScience LP."

"This decision is especially incomprehensible to us, because the U.S.
Department of Agriculture has completed a thorough and diligent
investigation without concluding that Bayer CropScience violated
any legal requirement with respect to low-level presence of genetically
engineered rice in commercial rice. To insinuate a malicious act by
Bayer in this case is completely unjustified," said Mackintosh."

"Furthermore, the amount awarded to the plaintiffs by the jury
exceeds by far what is permitted by Arkansas law," said Mackintosh.
For that reason alone the verdict should be reversed, he added."

"In the litigation the rice farmers have alleged economic loss
stemming from traces of Bayer CropScience pre-commercial
genetically enhanced rice. Following the detection some countries,
primarily in Europe, imposed restrictions on U.S. long-grain rice
imports."

"The traces of biotech rice posed no food safety issues. The protein
involved, which makes the rice tolerant to a herbicide, has been
affirmed safe for various crops by regulators in a number of
countries, including Canada, the European Union, Japan and the
United States."

Paul Cherubini
El Dorado, Calif.

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