MORDEN, Man. – After their demonstration, the protesters here tried to relax, breaking into small groups to chat, to somersault on the grassy field and to play hacky-sack.
A folk singer sang and pro-organic protesters munched away on free organic treats, but the relaxed mood was strained by a cold northeast wind. It chilled the demonstrators, who had come from Winnipeg to condemn Agriculture Canada’s participation in open-air testing of genetically modified wheat.
It was the kind of wind they feared could spread genetically modified pollen into organic fields.
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“Pollen can spread extremely far,” said Karine Grotte, a Winnipegger, who played hacky-sack with friends in front of the Agriculture Canada research centre in Morden.
“I’m very scared of genetic engineering. I don’t think we have the knowledge to mess around with these kinds of things at all and I’m afraid of what’s going to happen when we release this into the environment.”
Some, such as La Broquerie, Man., organic farmer Gerry Dube, see the open-air trials as a threat to their livelihood.
The wind may blow wheat pollen out of the Agriculture Canada plots and into conventional wheat. If GM genes get into his wheat, he would lose his organic certification, he said.
Dube condemned Agriculture Canada for spending public money on developing a product for Monsanto.
“It has not been proven that this will be beneficial to anybody except the big companies that supply the product.”
Janine Gibson, an inspector with Canadian Organic Growers, said this protest, which she helped organize, was meant to spread the word to the public that Agriculture Canada is testing genetically modified wheat in open fields.
“Our members really do not want their wheat contaminated with genetically engineered DNA,” said Gibson.
Winnipeg folk singer Maria Mango said open-air trials could release GM wheat DNA across the Prairies, and that would take away her right to obtain organic wheat in stores.
“I believe in good food and freedom, and that food is key to freedom,” said Mango.
Agriculture Canada has been working with Monsanto to develop varieties of prairie wheat that would be resistant to glyphosate. No varieties of GM wheat have been approved for farm production.
Open-air testing of GM wheat has not been carried out secretly. Last year, Monsanto took reporters on a tour of its open-air test plots in Western Canada.
But Gibson said many people believe GM wheat is still in the laboratory.
Scientists and developers argue that wheat pollen does not spread widely, and large buffer zones around crop plots will virtually eliminate the widespread mixing of GM wheat DNA into surrounding fields.
But Gibson said organic growers and eaters aren’t willing to trust the crop developers.
“They said the same thing about canola,” said Gibson.
“Why should we believe them now when it didn’t prove true then?”
