A coalition of grain industry groups will likely soon ask the federal government to incorporate the idea of market acceptance into the grain variety registration process.
It’s unclear yet how many groups will sign on to the request being organized by the Canadian Wheat Board.
That will be determined at an industry meeting slated for the third week of March.
If enough groups agree to participate, the next step would be to meet with federal agriculture minister Lyle Vanclief in April and make a formal proposal.
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A board official directly involved in the project said the response from industry groups has been positive.
“Generally what this proposal is saying fits with what most of these groups are telling us,” said Patty Rosher.
What they’re saying is that no new variety should be registered or released commercially unless it is acceptable to buyers of Canadian grain and oilseeds.
“The view that you have to grow what the customers want is pervasive among farm groups,” Rosher said.
They say the registration process should include a cost-benefit analysis to figure out the net effect of any new variety on farm revenue.
The issue is taking on more urgency because Monsanto has begun the process of seeking regulatory approval for its genetically modified Roundup Ready wheat, which could happen as early as February 2004.
While the company says it won’t release the wheat commercially until all concerns, including market acceptability, have been dealt with, the board and some farm groups want new regulations to ensure that can’t happen.
In a letter sent to more than 30 grain industry and farm groups
Feb. 5, CWB chief executive officer Adrian Measner asked them to express their support for a regulatory change.
He said there is clearly widespread agreement that new rules are needed to manage the introduction of GM wheat and other crops.
As of last week, only three groups had declined to join in the coalition. The Western Canadian Wheat Growers and Western Barley Growers Association don’t want market acceptance to be part of the registration process, while Pulse Canada doesn’t want to get involved in what it sees as a wheat issue.
Some opposition
The barley growers and wheat growers associations say they don’t want a subjective economic issue like market acceptance introduced into what should be a science-based process for approving new varieties.
In a Feb. 24 letter to Measner, barley growers president Douglas McBain also said the proposal would undermine Canada’s position in world trade and lead to reduced investment in research and crop development.
Both groups say decisions about what crops to grow should be made by farmers responding to market forces.
“If it’s profitable and if there’s a market for it, they’ll grow it,” said wheat growers president Art Enns. “It’s not up to a committee to decide if it’s acceptable.”
Rosher said it’s no surprise that those two commodity groups don’t support the proposal.
“A big part of it, I think, is that they are opposed to any perceived increase in regulation,” she said.
She emphasized that the board decided to get involved in the issue only after it was approached by overseas customers worried about the possibility of receiving unwanted GM wheat.
“They are watching this very carefully and they are very much supportive of the stance we have taken on this,” Rosher said.
Meanwhile, the wheat board distanced itself from a Monsanto boycott organized by the National Farmers Union. The NFU is urging farmers opposed to the introduction of Roundup Ready wheat to refuse to buy the company’s popular herbicide Roundup and instead buy a competing glyphosate product.
