2-Plants: Contamination fears halted Canadian GM wheat trial

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                                  PART I
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TITLE:  Contamination fears halted GM wheat trial
SOURCE: Saskatchewan News Network/Regina Leader-Post, Canada, by Angela Hall
        http://www.canada.com/search/story.aspx?id=48565a24-fdd0-4b19-bcac-
        9142812f04d1
DATE:   Mar 26, 2003

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Contamination fears halted GM wheat trial

REGINA -- The federal agriculture department suspended a trial of
genetically modified wheat two years ago at its Indian Head experimental
farm -- a centre for breeder seed -- due to "the low probability" seed
might mix, said an official this week.

But tests of Monsanto's Roundup Ready wheat continues at other government
sites and some farm groups say they will continue to advocate an end to
all such trials.

John Culley, program director with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
research branch in Ottawa, said officials took all the necessary
precautions with the Indian Head test site but decided to end the trial
in 2001 after concerns were raised internally.

"We were just concerned that there might be a small chance that the seed
might get mixed up . . . If it's not there, it can't happen," sad Culley.

"We viewed it as an extremely low possibility but we were concerned about
its potential impact, so we decided to terminate it."

Monsanto spokesperson Trish Jordan said the company supported the
government's decision to stop testing in Indian Head.

"They wanted to make sure their breeder seed was clean. Basically (it's)
an extra precaution."

Arnold Taylor, president of the Saskatchewan Organic Directorate, said he
was pleased to hear the government ended the test but hopes more
locations will follow suit.

"To me it's irresponsible they're even doing these test plots, especially
when the market -- consumers and customers -- said they don't want it."

"We just want to emphasize that it looks really, really unlikely that any
contamination was there," said Darrin Qualman with the National Farmers Union.

"But that's not the same as saying there's no concern or threat in the
future. It doesn't appear, at this time, that they know enough to
completely control this stuff."

The same year Indian Head ended its test project, the isolation zone
around GM crops was changed from 10 metres to 30 metres, based on
University of Saskatchewan research findings on how far wheat pollen
might travel, said Stephen Yarrow with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

Monsanto said it plans to test genetically modified wheat on about 18
acres spread over 29 private and government locations in Western Canada
this year.


                                  PART II
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TITLE:  No GM wheat contamination, feds say
SOURCE: Canadian Press/Regina Leader-Post
        http://www.canada.com/regina/news/story.asp?id=97A5D427-226B-4A97-
        9817-80891DE5B29A
DATE:   Mar 25, 2003

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No GM wheat contamination, feds say

Canada's conventional wheat supply was not tainted when genetically
modified crops were grown on the same government farm as traditional
plants, says Agriculture Canada.

Media reports that the crops grew just three metres apart were
inaccurate, department spokesman John Culley said Tuesday.

In fact, a 1,500-metre buffer zone and different growing cycles made
cross-pollination impossible, he said in an interview.

But the GM experiment, funded by multinational biotech giant Monsanto,
was still cancelled to avoid seed mix-ups, he explained.

Genetically modified crops are still being tested at six other
unpublicized government sites -- at a safe distance from conventional
plants, Culley confirmed.

The project at the Indian Head Research Farm in Regina was nixed in 2000
after one year, Culley said.

"It didn't really have anything to do with pollen flow. We produced
breeders' seed, and we had these other (GM) trials running. We were
concerned that ... there was a possibility that a seed might get mixed up
or something."

Indian Head farm is a special case because it is a key supplier of
conventional seed for farmers, Culley said.

"You want to make sure you keep your varietal purity."

Initial reports raised alarms about contamination when it was thought
that genetically modified and conventional crops had grown in close quarters.

But Canadian Wheat Board spokeswoman Patty Rosher said Tuesday that
there's no obvious cause for concern: "We're not aware of any contamination."

Rosher said she has seen no data to suggest cross-pollination can occur
at a distance of 1,500 metres.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency requires a buffer zone of at least 30
metres to separate GM plants.

"And we respect that by a good amount," Culley said. "We are well beyond
30 metres in all cases."

Some critics say such safeguards aren't enough.

"The Liberals have been secretive and irresponsible in allowing these
tests," charged New Democrat MP Dick Proctor, the party's agriculture critic.

He called on the federal government to stop allowing similar experiments.

"Canadian Wheat Board customers have made it abundantly clear that they
do not want genetically modified wheat," Proctor said.

"And if they believe that our conventional wheat has been contaminated,
they will stop buying. Our farmers will be the big losers."

The Canadian Wheat Board, representing more than 85,000 growers of wheat
and barley in western Canada, sees the merit of such experiments.

"Agriculture Canada is in the business of wheat research," said Rosher.
"In order to research wheat, you have to grow it and test what's
produced. Public research is important."

With annual sales of between $4 billion and $6 billion, the wheat board
is one of Canada's biggest exporters.

It sells more than 20 million tonnes of wheat and barley to over 70
countries each year.


                                  PART III
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TITLE:  JAPAN TO TEST US WHEAT IF SUPPLIER GROWS GMO BEFORE GOVT'S OK
SOURCE: Dow Jones, edited and sent by Agnet, Canada
DATE:   Mar 25, 2003

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JAPAN TO TEST US WHEAT IF SUPPLIER GROWS GMO BEFORE GOVT'S OK

Singapore - Akira Miki, assistant director for biotech food safety under
the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's Inspection and Safety
Division, which is responsible for the safety assessment of GMO foods,
including grains, was cited as telling OsterDowJones Tuesday that Japan
will subject U.S. wheat imports to testing if the U.S. commercializes
wheat containing genetically modified organisms before Japanese approval
is given, and that for the moment, Japan will continue to maintain a zero
tolerance level for GMO wheat, adding, "If GMO wheat is (planted) in the
U.S. (before) our approval of safety assessment (is ready), we will begin
to (sample and test) cargoes of wheat imported from the U.S." Currently,
Japan has no safety assessment for GMO wheat, although it has already
approved some varieties of GMO corn and soybeans for food use. A company
official was cited as telling OsterDowJones earlier that Monsanto Co.
this year will officially seek approval from the Japanese government for
its biotech variety of wheat. According to official statistics, Japan
imported around 5.2 million metric tons of wheat for food use in the
fiscal year ended March 31, 2002, with more than half its imports coming
from the U.S. The other suppliers are Canada and Australia.