Monsanto’s biotech wheat, however, was never approved for commercial use because the company cancelled the project when world wheat markets turned their backs on GMOs. Half of the U.S. wheat crop is for export, a $9 billion market.
Wheat growers do not want to see a repeat of the debacle experienced in 2006 when unapproved genetically engineered rice was found in U.S. harvest, causing it to be locked out of world markets and costing growers millions in lost foreign sales.
While both Korea and Japan are suspending shipments, there is no evidence yet than any GM wheat has entered the supply chain.
Globally in 2005 farmers paid a premium of $2.2 billion for GMO seeds, which represent the “technology fee”.
Moe Parr, a United States seed harvester for nearly thirty years, said that in 2007 he was sued by the bio-tech company Monsanto for “aiding, abetting and encouraging” farmers to break patent laws by collecting seeds from their crops for re-use in the next season. As part of a court settlement, Mr. Parr has to now send the results of contamination tests to Monsanto from all seeds he harvests. As a result of such practices, he says that farmers are being sued for breach of patent because their supposed non-GM crops contain GM seeds.