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Monsanto Plans to Force Feed GE Wheat on Canadians

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MONSANTO PLANS GENETICALLY MODIFIED WHEAT IN FIVE YEARS
WebPosted Fri Jul 13 09:15:21 2001

FREDERICTON--Modified wheat is coming, whether Canadian farmers want
it or not, says an executive of international food giant Monsanto.

Bob Ingratta, Monsanto vice-president of regulatory affairs, told a
national conference of seed producers in Fredericton on Thursday the
company hopes to have genetically modified wheat to sell in five years.

"We need to make sure in Western Canada that we make some significant
changes in wheat over the long term that will help farmers improve
productivity and improve profitability," he said.

GM soybeans, corn and canola have been effective tools for farmers over
the past years.

But wheat farmers are reluctant to embrace the technology – or to
contemplate putting it in the ground.

One reason is that the largest market for Canadian wheat is Europe,
where GM foods are not allowed.

"Certainly most people have read the news and heard that Europe does not
want any (genetically modified organisms) at all," said Jerry Kubik, a
wheat farmer from Wrentham, Alberta.

And Edmund Lesfrund, whose wheat farm is in Vulcan, Alberta, said the
technology can't be trusted.

"There is the morbid fear that science may fail us," he said. "Wheat is
far too close to people's well-being to have a gamble."

Monsanto hopes to change some of those minds before it introduces its
seed in half a decade.