Inspectors probe how strain of GM wheat ended up in non-GM crop

Inspectors in the US Department of Agriculture are trying to determine how a strain of GM wheat ended up in a non-GM crop in Oregon almost a decade after Monsanto abandoned plans to sell the herbicide-resistant wheat variety.

The inspectors are trying to determine how the strain turned up years later and how widely it may have spread. Development tests were allowed in 16 states. Scientists warn that such incidents are likely to persist, given weak federal rules in the US and the strength of natural selection.

As it established test plots for its genetically modified wheat at the time, Monsanto imposed tight rules, such as forcing researchers to burn or ship back leftover seeds. It wasn’t enough, however.