GM wheat panned by Canadian consumers, farmers

CANADA: August 1, 2001

WINNIPEG, Manitoba - Canadian consumer groups, scientists and farmers joined
forces yesterday to demand the federal government postpone approval of
genetically modified wheat, saying the engineered crop could devastate wheat
exports and harm human health.

.  "This is an inadequately tested experiment that has no place
contaminating our farms and food," Holly Penfound, a member of Greenpeace
Canada, told a news conference.

"Our government should be calling the shots, not the big biotech companies
pushing GM wheat into the market," said Penfound who is Greenpeace's
environmental health coordinator.

The coalition of environmental groups, consumer watchdogs, and grain
marketers sent a letter to Prime Minister Jean Chretien, asking him to put
the brakes on introducing transgenic wheat until its effects on the
environment, consumer health and agricultural trade are addressed.

The groups were reacting to plans by U.S.-based biotech company Monsanto Co.
to introduce the world's first genetically modified (GM) wheat, known as
"Roundup Ready," a herbicide-tolerant spring wheat variety, between 2003 and
2005.

This past spring, the company seeded several test fields at secret locations
across the Canadian Prairies, news of which heightened public suspicion.

Monsanto and other biotech firms working on transgenic wheat argue their
genetic engineering - Monsanto's crops are designed to resist its Roundup
Ready weedkiller, allowing farmers to destroy weeds without damaging
plants - will boost production and reduce the need for farm chemicals.  But
critics say that GM crops could cross-pollinate and pollute non-GM fields.

"This is just really very powerful technology and it's got a lot of
potential, but it's misapplied in this case.  It's not something farmers
want," said Bill Toews, a grain farmer in Kane, Manitoba.

At a time when many of Canada's wheat customers in Europe and Asia are
demanding GM-free certification, the Canadian grain industry is especially
nervous about the ability and cost of segregating GM and non-GM crops.

Canada is one of the largest wheat producers and exporters in the world -
shipping about 12 million tonnes worth between C$3 billion and C$5 billion
annually.

"The whole world is looking at this from fresh eyes and I think in Canada we
also need to look at our variety registration system or the regulations we
have in place right now for approval and think about the fact that it is new
technology and we may need to make a change," said Patty Rosher, market
development program manager with the Canadian Wheat Board.

The board, which controls all of Canada's wheat, durum and barley exports,
has already lobbied Ottawa to make market acceptance of GM wheat a criteria
for regulatory approval.

Monsanto, which says it will also seeking commercial approval of Roundup
Ready wheat in the United States, has recently tried to ease public mistrust
and industry unease by consulting with various groups.

"If we don't have a product that is going to provide benefit to farmers,
benefit to the industry and it's (not) going to be accepted by consumers,
then essentially we don't have a product," said Trish Jordan, a spokeswoman
with Monsanto Canada, based in Winnipeg.

"They're saying they do not want GM wheat at this time, which is fine
because we're not ready to introduce it at this time," Jordan said.

Story by Kanina Holmes

REUTERS NEWS SERVICE