Malaysian farmers, environmental groups call for rejection of GMO rice trial

A coalition of farmers, consumer associations and environmental groups is urging Malaysia’s National Biosafety Board to reject a proposed field trial of genetically modified rice, warning Tuesday the project could pose risks to food safety, the environment and farmers.The board is evaluating an application by Zen Cropscience for the confined field trial in northern Perak state that involves a genetically modified version of the MR219 rice variety that is tolerant to the herbicide glyphosate and resists diseases caused by bacteria and fungi.The coalition of 61 organizations said Tuesday it …READ FULL ARTICLE