Genetically modified wheat poses a significant threat to human health,
economics and the environment, says Greenpeace.
The environmental organization last week in Regina released what it
called the most comprehensive report on GM wheat to date.
Against the Grain: The Threat of Genetically Engineered Wheat draws
heavily on information from newspaper articles to build its case.
Both Holly Penfound, Greenpeace’s environmental health campaign
co-ordinator, and Rod MacRae, a food policy consultant hired by
Greenpeace, said the consequences of introducing GM wheat are grave.
“Our conclusion is that Canada cannot put effective affordable systems
in place to ensure that (GM) wheat wouldn’t contaminate the wheat
supply and the environment,” said MacRae. “No one, not even (GM) wheat
developers, believes that 100 percent containment of (GM) wheat is
possible. At each point of the chain there would be significant
opportunities for (GM) wheat to contaminate conventional and organic
wheat.”
