A long battle was fought in recent years over the development of genetically modified wheat and whether it should be released to growers in Western Canada.
A number of farm groups and the Canadian Wheat Board feared that the release of a Roundup Ready wheat variety by Monsanto could jeopardize markets for western Canadian wheat.
The wheat board was being told by its customers that they did not want GM wheat and there was no surefire way to segregate a GM variety from conventional varieties.
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The battle abated somewhat last year when Monsanto announced it was backing away from plans to commercialize Roundup Ready wheat, but a director for the Canadian Wheat Board said the issue is far from over.
During a meeting with producers in Brandon March 9, director Bill Nicholson said there are other potential GM wheat varieties in development, and it may be only a matter of time before they are brought forward for registration.
Because of that, he said, work must continue on the grain registration system so the merits and drawbacks of commercially releasing a GM wheat can be taken into account.
One of the main changes sought by the wheat board is to have market acceptance included as a factor when a GM variety is put forward for registration. The board also wants the costs and benefits to producers considered.
“We want to be in a position to reject it if it doesn’t meet farmers’ needs and accept it if it does,” said Nicholson, in an interview at a CWB accountability meeting.
“The regulatory system is not adequate to address the issue of GM wheat, at present.”
Nicholson said other issues need to be looked at so that if a GM wheat does get registered, there is some way to manage it within the commercial grain handling system.
Technology is needed that can easily and affordably detect GM wheat in a shipment of grain, he said. A system to segregate GM wheat to prevent cross-contamination is also needed.The cost of that segregation, and who would pay it have to be considered.
Meeting international tolerance levels for GM wheat allowed in a shipment of non-GM wheat is another challenge.
International tolerance levels on GM crops are inconsistent. In some cases the tolerance for cross-contamination is zero, “which is impossible for anyone to achieve,” Nicholson said.
Changes to the registration system would not be designed only to thwart the introduction of GM wheat varieties, he said. There could be times when the potential benefits to farmers and wheat board customers outweighed the risks or costs.
“If a variety was fusarium resistant, for example, certainly farmers would see an advantage in access to that.
“Customers might also find that advantageous. Fusarium can result in some toxins that our customers are really wary of and their tolerances are very tight.”
A wheat with fusarium resistance is under development, he said, and may be the next GM variety brought forward for registration. However, that variety, according to Nicholson, is years away from an attempt at registration.
He said Monsanto’s decision to defer commercialization of its Roundup Ready wheat is a “catastrophe avoided,” because of the risk of cross-contamination, and the bearing that would have on customer perceptions of wheat from Western Canada.
