A 133-hectare corn field in Atlay prefecture, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, was found to be illegally planted with genetically modified (GM) seeds in May and was later uprooted, media reported Thursday.
A random sampling test of the corn conducted by the prefectural seed management authorities in Fuhai county on May 21 found that the commercially grown plants showed signs of GM, news site thepaper.cn reported.
"Xinjiang Dingsheng Fenghe Agricultural Investment Co has yet to receive [governmental] approval [to plant GM crops], and the crop is GM corn," read the county agricultural bureau's May 31 ruling. The decision stated that the company must pay a fine of 10,000 yuan ($1,497) and remove all the plants.
The company had obeyed the ruling, reported thepaper.cn.
Fuhai county's agricultural bureau declined to comment when reached by the Global Times on Thursday.
Lu Baorong, a biology professor at Fudan University, told the Global Times that current regulations have yet to allow any individuals or companies to plant GM crops in undesignated areas. "There has been no such area in Xinjiang so far."
Several cities in Northeast China announced in January that they would crack down on sales of GM corn seeds after news reports disclosed that GM corn was being grown in the region in 2015. Jilin Province has since revoked three companies' seed production licenses, according to previous reports.
