Promoters of agricultural biotechnology are heartened by what they are hearing from Canada’s young Conservative government.
In particular they were pleased that in his budget address on May 5, agriculture minister Chuck Strahl identified technological innovation as one of his department’s four main themes.
The minister told the Calgary chamber of commerce his government is committed to developing new uses for agricultural products in the fields of nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, biofuel and other biomass projects to help combat slumping commodity prices.
“It is this innovation and science and research that will be at the core of the future of agriculture,” said Strahl.
Read Also
Agriculture ministers agree to AgriStability changes
federal government proposed several months ago to increase the compensation rate from 80 to 90 per cent and double the maximum payment from $3 million to $6 million
Denise Dewar, executive director of plant biotechnology at CropLife Canada, said her organization, which represents the country’s plant science companies, has yet to meet with the minister face-to-face.
“But what we have read with respect to his innovation policy is very forward-looking and very favourable. We’re encouraged with what we’ve heard from the minister so far.”
She is pleased Strahl focused on the development of agriculture-based industrial, pharmaceutical and health products.
“Those are the platforms we’re interested in from a seed development standpoint.”
But Dewar said if Canada doesn’t address some of the shortcomings in the regulatory system governing GM crops, the country will continue to lose the type of innovative companies the new government says it wants to foster.
She cited the example of Sembiosys Genetics Inc., a Canadian biotechnology company born out of a Canadian university that is moving its operations to the United States.
The company has devised a safflower-produced insulin to help service the $4.3 billion US market for the diabetes drug.
But the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has a 21/2 acre limit on plant-made pharmaceuticals and the company needs a larger land base to produce its product.
Sembiosys has also experienced other frustrations in its five-year campaign to get its product registered in Canada and is now looking for another route to the marketplace.
“We’ve just sent our innovative technology in agriculture south of the border,” said Dewar.
As a result, Canadian producers have lost the opportunity to participate in what could be a lucrative niche market for a prairie-grown specialty crop.
She gets the sense the new government won’t allow that to happen.
CropLife isn’t the only group picking up a pro-biotech vibe from prime minister Stephen Harper’s Conservatives. Greenpeace Canada sent out a News release
news last month entitled, “Harper at the helm, the return of GE wheat?”
Greenpeace and a few farm groups are calling on the Conservatives to tighten regulations, not loosen them. They want mandatory labelling and a strict regulatory regime that among other things would make GM crop developers liable for incidents of contamination.
“It is time for the Canadian government to choose biosafety over narrow commercial interests and the associated spread of genetic contamination,” said Greenpeace Canada campaigner Eric Darier.
Dewar said Agriculture Canada appears to be sitting on its hands when it comes to developing workable regulations for GM crops with industrial or pharmaceutical traits. The department seems unwilling to move until it receives further direction from government.
She hopes Harper will deliver a clear message to the department that will pave the way for biotech developers to move ahead with their projects.
“We don’t need more Sembiosyses going south of the border,” said Dewar.
