SASKATOON – Fears that pollen drift from trial plots of Roundup Ready wheat could compromise commercially grown wheat crops prompted calls last week for more measures to offset the risk, which is not completely understood.
Monsanto and Agriculture Canada have been developing Roundup Ready wheat in trial plots across the Prairies for several years. In recent years, a 30-metre buffer between those plots and surrounding commercial fields was used to offset the risk of outcrossing, whereby the genetics of one crop could get mixed with that of another through pollen drift.
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During last week’s meeting of the Prairie Registration Recommending Committee for Grain in Saskatoon, Marc Loiselle of the Saskatchewan Organic Directorate questioned whether 30 m is adequate. He suggested the buffer should be extended considerably.
“Even a little bit of contamination is too much,” said Loiselle, noting that the appearance of Roundup Ready wheat in a shipment of commercial grain could jeopardize markets for Canadian milling wheat due to the sensitivity of buyers like Japan.
The protocols for the co-op trials for Roundup Ready wheat were debated at length last week by the wheat, rye and triticale subcommittee of the recommending committee. At the end of the debate, it was agreed that the buffer between the trials for the Roundup Ready wheat plots and surrounding fields should be extended to 300 m, beginning this year.
Those protocols appear binding, since a company that did not meet them would be unable to get the data from its co-op trials reviewed by the committee, which is one step needed to gain registration for a crop variety.
Monsanto Canada spokesperson Trish Jordan said the company is willing to comply with the protocols established for crop trials. However, the protocols should be based on proven science, she said, and not so restrictive that they stifle the development of new crops.
“Until you do the research, it seems kind of silly to be pulling numbers out of the air.”
The 30 m buffer used in the Roundup Ready wheat trials included a five-m band of corn as well as 25 m of canola.
Protecting the integrity of Western Canada’s grain system is a top priority for Monsanto, said Jordan, “but at the same time we have to have the ability to conduct research.”
Monsanto has said it will not release the herbicide-tolerant wheat commercially until several issues have been addressed, including market acceptance of the crop in a world where many key buyers have indicated they would not buy genetically modified wheat. That commitment has not changed, said Jordan.
Barry Reisner, president of the Canadian Seed Growers’ Association, said the requirement for a 300 m buffer was a cautious one, but he also felt it was warranted.
“I thought it was a good decision, he said.”
There was a shared sentiment at the meeting last week that almost all pollen from a trial plot would stay confined within 30 m. However, the slight possibility of outcrossing remained a concern, although no one could say with certainty what the degree of risk was.
Because of that, Loiselle also wanted a moratorium this year on trials of Roundup Ready wheat until more research is done on the risk of outcrossing. That was not supported by the wheat, rye and triticale subcommittee.
Jordan said such a measure would be unacceptable and suggested Loiselle was motivated by a desire to stop all development of genetically modified wheat.
Agriculture Canada has indicated it is shifting its attention to other pressing research priorities, meaning that it will be up to Monsanto to carry development of Roundup Ready wheat forward.
