Farmer Sues Monsanto Over Franken-Wheat

The first lawsuit related to the bizarre discovery of unapproved genetically engineered wheat in an Oregon field has arrived, and similar suits are said to be in the works. A Kansas farmer is suing Monsanto over last week's incident, claiming it hurt US growers because wheat prices dropped and some international markets, including Japan, suspended certain imports. Ernest Barnes is seeking unspecified damages in the federal civil suit, the AP reports; one of his attorneys says the damages could run to the hundreds of millions.

USDA officials say the GMO wheat is the same strain tested by Monsanto up until 2005. So far, there's no evidence the GMO wheat entered the marketplace. US wheat imported by Japan, South Korea, and Europe has been tested, and no evidence of the GMO strain has been found, BusinessWeek reports; there is also no evidence of any more GMO wheat in the field where the strain was discovered. Of course, Monsanto denies liability, and one agriculture expert says the lawsuit smells funny to him, considering it was filed so soon and the market has already stabilized. (More GMO stories.)