The state's rice industry on Monday narrowly backed a Sacramento company's plan to launch the first large-scale planting in California of a genetically engineered crop for use in medicines.
Ventria Bioscience needs approval from the state Department of Food and Agriculture before it can begin growing so-called pharmaceutical rice, which has been modified to produce two types of human proteins. The endorsement by the California Rice Commission was forwarded to the agency with the request that it quickly review the plan so Ventria could begin planting in mid-April, the start of the rice season.
Ventria's rice plants act as mini-biological factories to produce two proteins, lactoferrin and lysozyme. The proteins, which inhibit the growth of bacteria and viruses, would be extracted from the rice after harvest. . The rice isn't intended for human consumption.
Privately held Ventria sees a market potential of as much as $500 million for the compounds, which could be administered as pills or in oral-rehydration solutions, such as electrolyte drinks, said Chief Executive Scott Deeter.
Such products would require U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval.
California farmers already grow genetically engineered cotton for commercial use, and there are other modified crops grown elsewhere around the country.
But the rice commission's 6-5 vote, which came after three hours of debate, underscored the larger controversy surrounding the use of genetically modified organisms.
In particular, the planting of genetically altered crops intended for use in pharmaceuticals became a hot-button issuetwo years ago when corn modified to make a pig vaccine tainted soybeans in Nebraska.
The incident forced ProdiGene Inc., the College Station, Texas, company that produced the engineered corn, to destroy half a million bushels and compensate farmers $3 million.
Just last week, the North American Millers Assn. sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture urging more stringent regulatory oversight of such crops.
The letter warned that "the risk of adulteration from genetic material" modified for pharmaceutical or industrial uses entering the food chain was, in its view, "unacceptable."
On Monday, environmentalists and a number of rice farmers objected to Ventria's plan for fear the genetically engineered grain could contaminate California's existing rice crop and hurt exports.
