The EC adopted a decision last week requiring imports of long grain rice from the USA to be certified as free from the unauthorised GM (genetically modified) LL Rice 601from Bayer.
But despite such swift action, the issue has provided useful ammunition for the anti-GM lobby, which claims that it underlines the high risk of GM contamination that exists.
"Rice is the world's most important staple food and contamination of rice supplies by Bayer, a company pushing its GM rice around the world, must be stopped," said Jeremy Tager, Greenpeace International GM campaigner.
"This latest contamination scandal once again shows the GE industry is utterly incapable of controlling GM organisms.
"Countries that import US rice, such as the EU, Mexico, Brasil and Canada must become serious about preventing this kind of threat to our food supplies by banning any imports of GM rice, removing all contaminated food from supermarket shelves and rejecting applications for the commercial cultivation of rice."
The presence of LL Rice 601 was first notified to the European Commission by the US authorities on 18 August. The emergency measures adopted by the Commission mean that, with immediate effect, only consignments of US long grain rice that have been tested by an accredited laboratory using a validated testing method and accompanied by a certificate assuring the absence of LL Rice 601, can enter the EU.
"We have strict legislation in place in the EU to ensure that any GM product put on the European market has undergone a thorough authorisation procedure based on scientific assessment," said Markos Kyprianou, European commissioner for health and consumer protection.
"There is no flexibility for unauthorised GMs - these cannot enter the EU food and feed chain under any circumstances. The measures we have taken today will ensure that unauthorised GM rice is not inadvertently imported."
US authorities have determined that the unauthorised GM rice does not present a danger to human health. But anti-GM pressure groups such as Greenpeace are determined to use this issue to try to force through even tighter measures.
"Relevant authorities in importing countries must also conduct an investigation into the contamination caused by Bayer and also determine whether any other GE rice varieties being tested by Bayer have contaminated the world's food chain," said Tager.The USA is one of the major suppliers of rice to the EU. The EU imports approximately 20,000 tons of long grain husked, semi-milled and wholly-milled rice from the USA per month on average.
In fact, the US provides about 12 per cent of world rice trade. In 2005, 80 per cent of rice exports were long grain varieties.
Other major suppliers of rice to the EU are India, Thailand and Guyana.
More than 100 varieties of rice are commercially produced primarily in six states (Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and California) in the US. According to estimates for the 2006 crop year, rice production in the U.S. is valued at $1.88 billion, approximately half of which is expected to be exported.