Paul Gregory, a forage seed dealer in Manitoba’s Interlake, isn’t sure why Keystone Agricultural Producers are opposed to Roundup Ready alfalfa but don’t support Bill C-474.
The bill, introduced earlier this year by NDP MP Alex Atamanenko, would require an economic assessment of potential harm to export markets before new genetically modified varieties were approved.
The bill would prevent the release of GM alfalfa and wheat in Canada, according to Atamanenko’s website.
At its general council meeting in Portage la Prairie, Man., last week, KAP passed a resolution that met Bill-C-474 half way by holding the federal government responsible for economic losses if Roundup Ready alfalfa is introduced in Canada.
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However, Gregory doesn’t understand why KAP won’t go all the way and support the bill.
“To me, for a farm policy organization, we have to be cognizant of what can hurt farmers and can hurt markets,” said Gregory, who owns Interlake Forage Seeds in Fisher Branch.
He introduced a separate resolution at the general council asking KAP delegates to support Bill C-474, but president Ian Wishart decided to table the resolution until the organization studies the merits of the bill.
For Gregory, no further study is needed.
He said farmers will lose export sales if Roundup Ready alfalfa is allowed to be grown in Canada.
“Approximately half of Canada’s alfalfa seed is exported. This is more of a seed issue than a forage issue,” Gregory said.
“For us, we’re a very small forage seed company.… We’d lose about 35 percent of our market.”
KAP vice-president Rob Brunel said he’s concerned about the wide reaching implications of Bill C-474.
“If it is entrenched in law, then there’s ramifications of that,” he said.
“Is that going too far, or are there measures in place that could meet those market needs… but it doesn’t need to be an actual law?”
Theresa Bergsma, manager of the Manitoba Corn Growers Association, said farmers should be consistent in their requests. She said they can’t ask governments to make decisions according to science and then ask for decisions based on markets.
“We are constantly asking scientific based stuff. How do you do that with this kind of economic loss (policy)? What are we going to use as a measuring stick?”
