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Winnipeg, Manitoba
July 9, 2003
Three leading plant
scientists from the University of Manitoba have concluded that
the unconfined release of Monsanto's Roundup Ready wheat in
Western Canada poses an unacceptable level of environmental
risk.
"The unconfined release of Roundup Ready wheat will negatively
affect the environment and limit
farmers' ability to conserve natural resources on farms in
Western Canada," note Dr. Rene Van Acker,
Dr. Anita Brűlé-Babel and Lyle Friesen in their report (http://www.cwb.ca/en/topics/biotechnology/report/pdf/070803.pdf
). "Under
current conditions the release of Roundup Ready wheat in Western
Canada would be environmentally unsafe." All three researchers
are with the
Department
of Plant Science
in the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences at the
University of Manitoba and were asked by the Canadian Wheat
Board to independently assess the impact of unconfined release.
The Canadian Wheat Board wants
to prevent the premature unconfined release of Monsanto's
genetically modified (GM) wheat variety, which is currently
being assessed by the federal government for food, feed and
environmental safety.
The results of the study have been submitted to the Plant
Biosafety Office of the Canadian Food
Inspection Agency, the federal agency responsible for assessing
Roundup Ready wheat's
environmental safety.
"The study shows that this product, if granted unconfined
release, will cause environmental problems
for all farmers, not just those who choose to grow it," said Ken
Ritter, chairman of the CWB's
farmer-controlled board of directors. "We urge the federal
government to consider this scientific
evidence in their assessment process."
"The unconfined release of this product will threaten the
sustainability of reduced tillage cropping
systems in Western Canada and as such it will pose a risk to the
environment and natural resource
conservation on managed ecosystems (farms) in Western Canada,"
the study also notes.
The complete study is available on the
CWB Web site at
http://www.cwb.ca/en/topics/biotechnology/report/pdf/070803.pdf
Controlled by western Canadian farmers, the CWB is the largest
wheat and barley marketer in the
world. As one of Canada's biggest exporters, the Winnipeg-based
organization sells grain to more
than 70 countries and returns all sales revenue, less the costs
of marketing, to Prairie farmers. |
