Canada has fallen behind GM-free Australia in the development of genetically modified wheat.
Australia’s Office of the Gene Technology Regulator has approved field testing of up to 30 lines of drought tolerant wheat in 2007 in an effort to stem the harmful effects of continual dry conditions in that country.
Contrary to published reports, it is not the first ever trial of GM wheat in Australia, but it represents a serious boost in research and development on that front and has Canadian biotechnology promoters scratching their heads.
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“It’s going to leave us behind the technology wave for wheat,” said Denise Dewar, executive director of plant biotechnology with CropLife Canada.
“I don’t think that’s where we want to be. We don’t want our competitors ahead of us on these things.”
Dewar said GM wheat research slowed to a trickle in Canada after Monsanto shelved its Roundup Ready wheat project in 2004 because of market acceptance concerns and a lack of support from industry groups, including the Canadian Wheat Board.
Only three of the 250 field trials of GM crops that took place in 2006 were for GM wheat, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Two trials were conducted in Manitoba for herbicide tolerant durum and one in Saskatchewan for fungal resistant spring wheat.
“It just has not been worth the hassle to do that work here,” Dewar said.
The Australian lines will contain one of six different genes derived from thale cress and corn plants, a moss and a yeast. They will also contain a herbicide tolerance gene and an antibiotic resistance gene used as markers.
Dewar said it is pathetic that a country that does not grow any GM crops will be field-testing 30 lines of drought tolerant wheat on two sites covering about one acre of land, while Canada twiddles its thumbs.
“Drought tolerant wheat would be something we would definitely be interested in,” she said.
Not according to Terry Boehm, vice-president of the National Farmers Union.
“I think it’s laughable, this description that somehow you’re falling behind if you’re not on the GM bandwagon,” he said.
Australian farmers receive price premiums in world markets for their GM-free canola. It puzzles Boehm why they would be interested in GM wheat, although he is confident that when it comes time to register the crop, there will be a revolt in the farming community.
Boehm said drought tolerance is a trait held up by biotechnology firms as a panacea, but there are numerous other less intrusive methods farmers employ to deal with the effects of prolonged dry spells.
As well, he pointed out that one of the side effects of drought is higher grain prices due to restricted supply.
“GM wheat would universally result in lower returns to farmers because the consumers of the world don’t want to eat it. They simply do not want it.”
Boehm said the tradeoff in lost markets and price discounts is not worth the slight yield increase during the occasional drought.
