The European Union has approved the main varieties of genetically engineered canola grown in Canada.
Is it a big deal?
Those on the two extremes of the debate over GE crops differ on the answer.
“It’s not going to increase the acceptability of GE food in Europe,” said Greenpeace Canada spokesperson Eric Darier.
Monsanto Canada spokesperson Trish Jordan thinks it may be proof that GE canola will eventually be as acceptable in the European market as it is in North America.
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“We welcome the decision. We think it’s good news for the Canadian canola industry because it means basically Roundup Ready canola varieties could be imported and processed in the European Union,” said Jordan.
Both agreed there will be almost no practical implications in the near future.
The European Commission, which is the highest level of authority in the EU, on Aug. 31 authorized canola varieties that carry Monsanto’s patented gene alteration that makes the crop glyphosate tolerant. But the commission only approved it to be used for animal feed or industrial processing such as biodiesel production, not for human consumption. The crop can be imported but not grown in the EU.
There is little chance any Canadian canola will soon be heading to Europe as a result of this decision. Liberty Link canolas have not been approved, and because Canada’s grain system does not segregate canola by family, there is no easy way to keep Monsanto’s canola varieties separate.
In the long term, Darier thinks GE canola is no closer to becoming a consumer product in Europe because of this decision. He points to the pattern in Europe of food processors and retailers following any official approval of GE products with their own declarations that they will not carry or produce GE products themselves.
Europe’s national governments are also unlikely to approve the import of GE canola, so EU commission approval may not mean much anyway, he said.
And consumers appear to be nowhere near abandoning their fear of GE products.
“There is still widespread market rejection of GE food. Even if GE is authorized, it is not certain it will be on the shelves,” said Darier.
The commission decision “is very important, because it’s one more decision at the European level, but the battle is far from being over.”
Jordan said Monsanto is taking heart from the decision, limited as it is, because it is proof that the tortuous path of European safety approval can be completed.
“It shows that we can keep getting export approvals for our technologies in countries where there are established regulatory systems,” said Jordan.
“It’s important to have open and fair access to all potential markets for Canadian canola.”
Europe is not a major buyer of canola on the world market. Its decision to ban GE canola imports in the mid-1990s did not have a big effect on the Canadian industry since major users like Japan, China, Taiwan and Mexico continued to buy.
Last week Greenpeace took heart from news that two multinational grocery companies – Danone from Europe and Wal-Mart from the United States – had pledged not to carry GE products on their shelves in Brazil in response to consumer sensitivities.
Greenpeace was stunned earlier this year when the Brazilian government approved the growing of GE soybeans and corn, something many farmers had been doing for years illegally.
GE crops may be making huge advances in acreage in Brazil’s farmland, but consumers may be going the other direction.
“It is a confirmation of a worldwide rejection of GE by consumers everywhere,” said Darier.
This week Greenpeace and the Canadian canola industry will assume opposite positions again at hearings in Prince Edward Island.
Premier Pat Binns has raised the idea of making P.E.I. a GE-free zone, which is supported by Greenpeace but opposed by the Canola Council of Canada and many other agricultural organizations.
