MULTINATIONAL crop science company Bayer have been ordered to pay $137 million in damages to a United States farmers' co-operative whose business was crippled by contamination of rice stocks with unapproved GM varieties.

The firm, Riceland, took the case to court in Arkansas, arguing that Bayer, in its rush to beat Monsanto to the market with a GM rice variety, had neglected its obligation to properly manage trial plots, allowing GM material to contaminate the US’s seed stocks.

In 2006, when the presence of the modified ‘Liberty Link’ strain was confirmed in supposedly non-GM US rice, Europe’s zero tolerance approach to unapproved GM put an abrupt end to any and all imports of US rice.

Counsel for Riceland, Barry Deacon, told the jury that Bayer had made commitments to Riceland, along with the US government, that they would not let the unapproved rice persist in the environment. However, its initial trial plots were set up “right in the middle” of conventional rice breeding.

“What happened? It contaminated two of the most popular varieties,” said Mr Deacon, who noted that Bayer had allowed multiple GM varieties to escape. “I think that says a lot of Bayer’s containment practices,” he added.

A spokesman for UK biotech-objectors, GM Freeze commented: “The latest judgement against Bayer is very welcome as it should encourage biotech companies to adopt a much higher degree of care with control and management of GM seeds and test plots. It is another clear reminder of why we need full liability regulations in place before any GM crops are grown.”