Bayer settles with farmers on modified rice seeds - New York Times

The settlement, announced Friday, ends scores of the prosecution unit of Bayer CropScience of society by farmers in Texas, Louisiana, Missouri, Arkansas and Mississippi.

In August 2006, the Ministry of Agriculture said that traces of experimental LibertyLink strain of the company were found in the long-grain rice. Within four days, reduced rice future farmers cost approximately $ 150 million, according to a complaint filed by the farmers. News of the contamination caused prices to about 14 percent of the fall term.

"At the outset of this case, we indicated clearly to the Bayer that the company would step up and take responsibility for damage to the producers of American rice with its non-certified rice seeds," Adam Levitt, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said Friday. "This excellent regulation goes a long way towards the achievement of this objective."

Bayer confirmed the settlement.

"While that Bayer CropScience believes that he acted in a responsible manner in the handling of its rice biotechnology, the company considers important to resolve the dispute so that it can move forward on its fundamental mission to provide innovative solutions for modern agriculture," said a spokesman for the company.

The agreement is dependent on the participation of the producers representing at least 85 percent of the United States area of rice long-grain planted between 2006 and 2009, the company and counsel for the plaintiffs said separately.

Bayer and Louisiana State University had tested the rice, bred resistant to the herbicide Liberty-mark Bayer in a school-run facility in the Crowley (Louisiana).

The genetically modified variety crossing with and "contaminated" more than 30 percent of the United States ricelands, Don Downing, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said at the start of the trial of the first farmers' in November 2009.

Exports fell as the European Union, the Japan, the Russia and other buyers foreign stopped or slow down their orders for grain testing long rice grown in the United States, the farmers said.

The company denied that the testing program has been carelessly managed and argues that the selling prices had rebounded after the initial fall. He said traces of rice LibertyLink no threat to people.