Dive Brief:
- Unauthorized, genetically modified wheat has been found at Montana State University's Southern Agricultural Research Center.
- Genetically modified wheat is not approved for commercial production, but regulators do allow test crops to be grown under certain circumstances. Montana State was involved in such tests between 2000 and 2003, but no GMO wheat was supposed to appear after that.
- The Montana tests of a herbicide-resistant strain of wheat were conducted on behalf of agricultural giant Monsanto.
Dive Insight:
The last time the USDA found unauthorized GMO wheat growing in the wild, it didn't go well. Japan promptly canceled U.S. wheat imports. If that were to happen again it would be a particularly tough blow for American agriculture and GMO seed companies, given that China has banned corn imports over similar concerns.