Contrary to claims from a group of Canadian growers, organic and genetically modified crops can be grown side-by-side in complete harmony in North America.
That was the key finding of a recent study published by PG Economics Ltd., a British agriculture consulting firm that specializes in writing reports related to plant biotechnology.
“Survey evidence amongst U.S. organic farmers shows that the vast majority have not incurred any direct additional costs or incurred losses due to GM crops having being grown near their crops,” states the report entitled Co-existence in North American Agriculture: Can GM Crops be Grown with Conventional and Organic Crops?
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The authors were referring to a survey conducted by the American Organic Farming Research Foundation, which found 92 percent of respondents had not borne extra costs or damages related to the presence of GMOs in agriculture.
Another finding of the PG Economics paper was that U.S. organic corn and soybean acreages increased 187 and 270 percent respectively between 1995 and 2001, a period in which GM acreage of those two crops rose from zero to 71 million acres.
The report said that proves the two production methods can flourish side by side.
“The only crop (or) sector where there appears to be disputes about the feasibility of co-existence between GM and non GM-organic crops is canola in Canada,” stated the June 7 report, funded in part by Canadian biotechnology firms.
Arnold Taylor, president of the Saskatchewan Organic Directorate, took issue with the insinuation that everything is working in perfect harmony south of the 49th parallel.
“It’s forced co-existence,” said Taylor, whose group is attempting to launch a class action lawsuit against the developers of GM canola.
He said the percentage increase in organic corn and soybean acres mentioned in the PG Economics paper is deceiving because the starting point was so small to begin with. And he hypothesized the increase would have been much bigger had GM crops never been introduced.
Taylor also cast doubt on the survey results, having spoken to U.S. corn and soybean farmers who are tired of paying for expensive tests to detect the presence of GM material in their grain.
“The onus is on the organic producers to protect themselves against the GM crops.”
Taylor said that is the crux of SOD’s lawsuit against Monsanto and Bayer CropScience Inc., which was directly referenced in the PG Economics paper as having “limited points of relevance.”
The report’s authors said the amount of organic canola planted in Canada has never amounted to one percent of total canola plantings.
“The lack of available data and evidence makes assessment of these claims difficult.”
The authors contend it is highly unlikely farmers would have planted more than the 5,000 acres of canola in 2003 because it is a difficult crop to grow organically due to susceptibility to weeds and a requirement for high levels of nitrogen.
Taylor challenged the consulting firm to find 5,000 acres of organic canola in Canada. He doesn’t know of any farmers planting the crop. He also accused the authors of not giving growers enough credit for being innovative.
“If you give me $20-$25 a bushel, I’ll find a way to grow canola without chemicals.”
While he doesn’t dispute the fact the oilseed has never been a big organic crop, Taylor said acreage would certainly have been larger today if GM varieties hadn’t been introduced to the Prairies.
