Two varieties of genetically altered canola have been pulled off the market and seed is being recalled from farms because they carry the wrong gene, says the company that developed the varieties.
Two varieties of Limagrain’s canola, which is resistant to the herbicide Roundup, were pulled from the market last week, said Ray Mowling, Monsanto’s vice-president of government and public affairs.
The varieties recalled are Limagrain’s LG 3315 and LG 3295.
Monsanto has worked for years developing lines of canola with inserted Roundup-resistant genes. Two lines, with the research designation 73 and 200, went through the federal environmental review. To speed the process, Monsanto carried only type 73 onward to complete the food and feed review process
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Monsanto licensed the gene to seed companies such as Limagrain which multiply and sell the seed.
But the number 200 gene from the unlicensed line of canola has appeared in Limagrain’s canola. The approved number 73 gene is not there.
“It appears the confusion was in the traditional breeding process,” said Mowling, who believes the contamination occurred when the seed was multiplied in the field.
But a spokesperson for Limagrain isn’t sure the blame for the contamination lies totally with his company.
“On the basis of information provided by the herbicide-tolerant gene owner, and on that basis only, the products LG 3295 and LG 3315, which have been proposed to the market may not be in accordance with the ones which have been registered,” said Limagrain in a release.
Gary Bauman, Limagrain sales and marketing manager, said the company has neither the expertise nor equipment to test for the genes.
“The apparent contamination, discovered by Monsanto, is something only they are able to detect. We are not even allowed to try to investigate how to look at and discover this gene within our own varieties.
Monsanto said it detected a gene from the unapproved canola line during quality control tests two weeks ago, early enough for the seed to be recalled.
Fields plowed under
About 60,000 bags of the two varieties, enough for 600,000 acres, will be recalled. Two farmers in southern Alberta have already seeded the canola, and those fields will be plowed under.
Bauman said it is too early to estimate the cost of the recall. But the cost to a farmer of the Roundup Ready technology, not including seed, is $19.50 an acre – $15 for the technology use agreement and $4.50 for half a litre of the herbicide. That cost spread over 600,000 acres would be almost $12 million.
Limagrain was charging a little more than $3 a pound for its seed.
While there isn’t enough time before spring seeding to retest the LG 3315 variety, LG 3295 might be reapproved within 10 days.
More than half the recalled seed is LG 3295.
Greg Thirsk, a dealer for Limagrain in Kelsey, Alta., has been on the phone to farmers since he got notice to stop selling the seed. He and other Limagrain distributors have been scrambling to find replacement seed.
“The seed was available for testing since last fall. Why did this only come up now, two weeks before it’s in the ground?” said Thirsk.
Tim Sjovold, sales and marketing representative with Greenland Fertilizers in Melfort, Sask., said farmers are wondering what to do now.
Many were planning to use transgenic canola.
Quest, a genetically modified canola sold by the three prairie wheat pools, contains the approved Roundup-resistant gene and is not affected by the recall.
