By Rob Moritz
Arkansas News Bureau

LITTLE ROCK — A federal jury in St. Louis today ordered Bayer Cropscience to pay $2 million to two Missouri long-grain rice farmers whose crops were harmed by genetically modified rice.

The jury awarded $1.95 million in compensatory damages to Ken Bell of Bell City, Mo., and $53,336 to fellow rice farmer John Hunter of Essex, Mo.

The lawsuit is similar to hundreds of lawsuits filed by farmers in Arkansas and a number of other states claiming that since 2006 their crops were contaminated by a genetically modified strain of rice produced by Bayer Cropscience.

Most of the lawsuits have been transferred to federal court in St. Louis for multi-district litigation.

In October, Don McKenna, an Alabama lawyer who represents nearly 1,500 farmers in a Little Rock case, said the future of all the lawsuits hinged on the outcome of the case resolved Friday.

“The judge is calling this a bellwether case,” McKenna said, adding that depending on the verdict in this case, others settlement negotiations could begin.

Attempts to reach McKenna for comment this afternoon were unsuccessful.

Don Downing, a St. Louis attorney who represented the two Missouri farmers, said in a news release late today that he was pleased with the award.

“The jury spoke loud and clear that Bayer was negligent and is responsible for the damages suffered by Mr. Bell and Mr. Hunter,” he said.

The judge has scheduled four more test trials, with the next one beginning Jan. 11. That trial will include farmers from Arkansas and Mississippi.