A crack has appeared in the wall of farmer opposition to genetically modified wheat.
The Western Barley Growers Association has decided to cautiously support the introduction of Monsanto’s Roundup Ready wheat, so long as the company fulfills the requirements it has set for itself.
That makes the association the first farm group to support the introduction of GM wheat. No other farm group in Canada has thrown its support behind the crop, which many farm groups fear will wreck Canada’s export wheat markets.
“I’m a believer in biotechnology to advance the future of agriculture,” said barley growers president Albert Wagner.
Read Also
One Beer Market Updates Day 3 – Lentils and beef
Day 3 of the One Beer Market Update at Ag in Motion 2025.
“If we slam the door on this, my fear is we’ll close the door on all research.”
A broad coalition of farm and social groups, including the Canadian Wheat Board, Keystone Agricultural Producers and Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities, recently demanded the federal government stop GM wheat from being registered.
Some farm groups, such as the wheat board, fear foreign customers will refuse to buy any Canadian wheat if GM wheat is allowed on the Prairies. They don’t want GM wheat approved for growing until the market threat has subsided.
Organic farmers, such as those who belong to the Saskatchewan Organic Directorate, say they will lose premium markets if GM wheat is allowed. They say GM wheat will inevitably be spread through the handling system and into farmers’ fields.
Groups such as the National Farmers Union, Greenpeace and the Council of Canadians say there are environmental and human health concerns with GM wheat.
The crops registration system does not allow market acceptance to be taken into account when judging a new variety.
Critics fear GM wheat could slip through this loophole and end up in farmers’ fields, seriously damaging Canada’s ability to sell wheat on the international market.
Right now, they say, no one has the power to say “no” to Monsanto’s GM wheat if it meets the usual standards.
Some farm groups have not taken a firm position on the issue.
Wagner said his organization is worried about the potential market dangers from GM wheat, but said his members are willing to trust Monsanto to live up to its commitments:
- The company has said it will first find guaranteed customers for its GM wheat varieties.
- It will ensure an identity preserved system is in place that can keep GM wheat out of conventional wheat supplies.
- It will not introduce the varieties until there are generally established tolerances for traces of GM wheat that end up by accident in shipments of conventional wheat.
It has said it will not introduce its varieties if it can’t achieve these three goals.
“I believe if Monsanto makes that statement and says it will do it that way, they would create a huge liability if they didn’t,” Wagner said. He added that he believes Monsanto can be trusted.
“I think they’ve demonstrated on the canola side that they will follow the contract.”
Wagner admitted that trusting Monsanto to look out for farmers’ interests is a leap of faith, but he said his organization would rather trust the company than allow government officials any more control over variety registration and release.
“I don’t like the idea of regulators laying out the parameters.”
This issue isn’t just about Roundup Ready wheat, he said. In the next few years many biotech crops may be developed, and obstacles will merely rob farmers of new, lucrative varieties.
“All our approvals to this point are based on sound science. We can’t abandon that,” Wagner said.
The WBGA didn’t want to take a public stand on the issue, Wagner said, because it is cautious about potential market dangers of GM wheat.
But Wagner said many of his members were angered to see the wheat board join with groups like Greenpeace to attack an innovation that might help farmers.
“We were shocked that they would participate in that,” Wagner said.
“We decided that it was time to step up to the plate and say this was good for farmers.”
Monsanto spokesperson Trish Jordan said her company isn’t worried about the general lack of support for GM wheat from farmers.
Monsanto is still trying to achieve its three conditions and doesn’t expect farmers to give their approval until they are met, Jordan said.
