A farmer discovered 22 herbicide-resistant wheat plants growing in an unplanted field.
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South Korea will increase quarantine measures for US milling and feed wheat following information from the USA government that an unapproved strain of genetically modified grain had been found in the state of Washington, the country’s food andagriculture ministries said on Friday.
The discovery comes as the latest blow for the US wheat market as prices hover near multi-year lows amid record-large stocks and stiff competition in global markets from low cost suppliers.
Department officials say they are testing the farmer’s commercial wheat harvest for the unapproved GMO wheat but so far have found none.
There are now no commercially approved genetically modified wheat varieties and incidences of rogue plants are rare.
The discovery could impact trade with countries that have concerns about genetically modified foods. The department says it’s taking action and “has no evidence of GE wheat in commerce”. More unapproved wheat was found in Montana in 2014.
Asia imports more than 40 million metric tons of wheat annually, nearly a third of the global trade, with the bulk of the region’s supply coming from the US.
The USDA said Monsanto had developed a test for Monday 71700, the strain found in Washington state, which would be available for its trading partners.
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The US government has approved genetically engineered crops such as corn and soybeans designated for livestock, and approved their conversion into cornstarch, soybean oil, and high fructose corn syrup, which are used in many popular processed foods.
