NGO urges BPI not to approve Bayer’s LLRICE 62

The Southeast Asia Regional Initiatives for Community Empowerment (SEARICE) urges the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Plant and Industry (DA-BPI) not to approve the application of Bayer for its LLRICE 62 for feed, food and processing. The approval will allow the first genetically modified rice into the country, and would thus set a precedent to the entry of other genetically modified rice in the Philippines.

"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. Allowing Bayer’s LLRICE 62 into the country will completely alter this, especially since we are talking about an important food crop that is synonymous to our country’s sovereignty. These should be enough reasons for regulators to prudently pause and prayerfully reconsider." said Ms. Agnes Lintao, Policy Officer of SEARICE.

Liberty Link (LL)RICE 62 is developed by Bayer Cropscience, a German company based in US. This, and two other Liberty Link rice varieties – LLRICE 06 and LLRICE 601 – are genetically modified rice resistant to glufosinate-containing herbicides. LLRICE 601, in particular, has figured in much controversy in contamination issues in the US and Europe, especially since it has not been approved for human consumption anywhere else in the world except for the US. Most recently, it has also been found that the imported rice "Uncle Sam Texas Long Grain Rice" is contaminated with LLRICE 601, and is being sold in the country’s leading supermarkets. This poses potential health risk to the general public thus the need to take extra precaution on the approval of LLRICE62.

"The consumer should be cautious and conscious in buying their rice, better yet patronize locally and organically produced rice", Ms. Lintao said

The BPI is the regulating body in the country, which approves genetically modified organisms (GMOs) for direct use, propagation, and commercialization. Ms. Lintao further stresses that the BPI should look beyond the promises that genetic engineering (GE) has deceivingly portrayed in saving the world from hunger and increasing yields. Officials at the agency should keep in mind that even in the Cartagena Protocol, of which the Philippines is a Party, productivity as the main thrust for the promotion of GMOs, but there has been no productivity evaluation to date.

"The BPI, though mandated in just evaluating the safety of GE crops being applied for approval, should still consider and maintain a higher principle in the approval process. A single approval would signify a devastating impact to the country’s food supply in the long term. It is with utmost urgency that we call on the BPI to deny the approval of Bayer’s LLRICE 62."