GMO alfalfa stalls at the Canadian border

Thursday, February 3, 2011

by KRISTIAN PARTINGTON

It will be several years before glyphosate tolerant alfalfa comes into commercial use in Canada, predicts a spokesman with the company that developed the technology.

Mike McGuire, a director with Monsanto Canada, said although Roundup Ready alfalfa was deregulated in the United States last week, there are no immediate plans for its commercialization in Canada.

“First off, they’re going to be pretty focused on getting things up and running in the U.S.,” said McGuire of Forage Genetics International, the company that’s commercializing the technology and the one that would decide on whether to market it to Canadian producers.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s plant biosafety office approved the technology as safe for food, feed and environment in 2005. McGuire said, however, performance testing would have to take place and without a plan for commercialization here, the earliest testing could begin would be 2012. “There’s no magic moment,” he said. Testing could take a few years.

Sean McGivern, a board member with the National Farmers Union, said his organization is concerned about the introduction of glyphosate tolerant alfalfa to Canada: “There's a lot of seed growers, especially in western Canada, who are worried about contamination.” He explained that Canadian forage products are sold globally where many markets, especially in Europe and the Middle East, prohibit genetically modified agriculture products. The potential for cross-contamination between glyphosate tolerant and traditional alfalfa varieties could negatively affect these export marketing opportunities.

“We could lose those European markets if we follow the United States on this.”

That's why, he said, the union backs bill C-474. If passed it would amend the federal Seeds Regulations Act to require genetically modified seeds to undergo an export-market assessment before being registered in Canada.

The bill comes up for third reading in the House of Commons next week and was introduced by NDP Agriculture Critic Alex Atamanenko.

Grain Farmers of Ontario is among the farm groups that have opposed the bill, arguing that it creates more red tape, reduces the science-based components of the approval process and puts Canadian growers at a competitive disadvantage.

Patty Townsend, Vice-President of the Canadian Seed Trade Association said they are also opposed and noted decisions of a regulatory nature should be based on verifiable scientific examination and not market analysis.

To evaluate a new engineered variety, analysts “would have to go to all the markets,” she pointed out. “The bill doesn't define what markets (but) it says you have to find out if 'they' would accept it before it can be approved in the regulatory system for sale.”  

McGivern said it's unlikely the bill will pass into law.

During a meeting with the federal liberal agriculture caucus last week agriculture critic Wayne Easter told them that the liberal vote would go against the bill, McGivern said. BF