Monsanto modified wheat mystery

The Monsanto modified wheat mystery started in May 2013. Glyphosate-resistant genetically modified wheat that was not yet approved for release (but which had been declared safe for consumption in the USA) was discovered in a farm in Oregon, growing as a weed or "volunteer plant".
The wheat was developed by Monsanto, and was a strain that was field-tested from 1998 to 2005 and was in the American regulatory approval process before Monsanto withdrew it based on concern that importers would avoid the crop. The last field test in Oregon occurred in 2001. As of May 2013 there was no information as to how the wheat got there or whether it had entered the food supply; volunteer wheat from a field two miles away owned by the same farmer and planted with the same seed was tested and it was not found to be glyphosate-resistant. Penalties up to $1 million may be imposed on Monsanto if violations of the Plant Protection Act are found. According to a New York Times article, the discovery could have threatened U.S. wheat exports, which totaled $8.1 billion in 2012; the US is the world's largest wheat exporter. As a result of the discovery of the unapproved strain, Japan and South Korea halted wheat orders from the United States, leaving wheat growers in neighboring communities unable to decide what to plant next season. The crop growing when the GMO wheat was discovered had already been sold or insured. On June 14, 2013, the USDA announced: "As of today, USDA has neither found nor been informed of anything that would indicate that this incident amounts to more than a single isolated incident in a single field on a single farm. All information collected so far shows no indication of the presence of GE wheat in commerce."
Later in the month, Monsanto suggested that the presence of this wheat was likely an act of sabotage. As of August 30, 2013, while the source of the GM wheat remained unknown, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan had all resumed placing orders, and the disruption of the export market ended.

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