Canada
October 7, 2004
Source: Meristem Land &
Science
Europe's hard line
has created a waiting game for major grain exporters aiming to
tap the potential in genetically modified crops. But that
doesn't mean Canada should back off on this technology in the
research arena, cautions a Canadian grains research leader.
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Monsanto Canada's decision to suspend its registration
pursuit for Roundup Ready wheat is the type of
development that spurs national media attention and
rural coffee shop talk about genetically modified
organism (GMO) grain crops. However, often lost in this
debate is the broad future potential of GMOs and of
other less controversial applications of biotechnology,
and the importance of keeping Canada's options open with
ongoing research progress, says Dr. Bill Scowcroft,
Director of the Grain Research Laboratory of the
Canadian Grain Commission.
"We've
been sideswiped by the whole consumer / GMO issue," says
Scowcroft. "As a consequence, there's a danger that
funding for this type of research, and for biotechnology
research as a whole, can be affected."
To
date, nearly all Canadian biotechnology research in
grains has focused on understanding gene function and on
implementing techniques to improve the efficiency of
conventional crop breeding.
"Much of the biotechnology we need is not GMO crops per
se," says Scowcroft. "Rather it's using this technology
to understand more about gene function, so that we can
assemble the naturally occurring genes we need into a
better format. Biotechnology tools provide heretofore
unavailable power to understand the relationship between
a plant's genetic makeup and its useful characteristics.
DNA-Marker Assisted Selection is biotechnology and,
arguably, breeding programs not using DNA-MAS will not
remain competitive. New developments in variety
identification are all based on biotechnology. The fact
that a lot of this science can be affected is a sad
consequence of the antipathy to GMO products." |
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Dr. Bill Scowcroft.
Director of the Grain Research Laboratory of the
Canadian Grain Commission, Scowcroft has viewed the
global grain industry from many perspectives in a
wide-ranging career spanning four decades. |
Herbicide resistance tip of the iceberg
Canada's
experience producing canola, which is considered a GMO crop, and
its requirements for herbicide control have helped drive
domestic interest in GMO cereals ahead of interest in competing
nations such as Australia, he says.
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"In
Australia, crop production is fairly low input,"
explains Scowcroft, who is originally from Australia and
has held executive research positions in both countries.
"The Australians need traits like drought tolerance,
insect resistance and disease resistance more than they
need herbicide tolerance. Whereas, in Canada, we need to
control weeds, because by comparison we have very good
soils with very good moisture, which allows weeds to
grow very competitively."
But
while herbicide resistance has been the first trait
championed by GMO grain efforts, underneath the radar
Australia and others have aggressively developed
innovative molecular biology techniques and are
preparing for a wide range of potential, he says. This
is likely to translate into a strong competitive
advantage as biotechnology advances, including GMO
cereals, become widely accepted in the future.
"There are no genetically modified food products being
grown in Australia (apart from cottonseed oil) right
now, so they've avoided the current market issues and
pressure surrounding the debate." says Scowcroft. |
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Tomorrow's potential, today.
Veteran wheat breeder Dr. Ron DePauw of Agriculture and
Agri-Food Canada in Swift Current tours research plots
in Saskatoon. |
"Nevertheless
there is significant controversy about GMO's in Australia. But
in the meantime, they've had the foresight to continue moving
forward on the research and development side, so they have it
ready when the time is right. In Australia, I know a lot of the
people involved in research and in production, and all of those
people are very strongly supportive of the technology."
Research
progress key during market waiting game
The
introduction of GMO cereals is likely to remain in a holding
pattern for several years, he says. "I think we're going to have
a period of two or three years of waiting, just to find out
where Europe is going to go in this whole issue."
But
countries like Australia will likely become more aggressive in
pursuing this implementation as advantages for improving more
consumer-oriented traits emerge with further research. "I think
you will find that Australia will move back into the whole GMO
area when there are GMO products that give a significant benefit
to consumers, such as nutritional advantages."
Monsanto's
decision on Roundup Ready wheat, combined with its Supreme Court
victory against the Schmeiser challenge, illustrate the bipolar
state of how GMO technology is currently regarded in Canada, he
says.
"I think
the investors in GMO technology in Canada - and these are both
public and private investors - are getting mixed messages. On
the one hand, a strong segment of the industry is saying we
don't want GMO technology in cereals. On the other hand, from a
legal standpoint, we're saying you can develop your intellectual
property ownership on this technology, which is a strong
incentive to pursue its implementation."
"My sense
is we have some fundamental issues to address, to send a clear
message about where we want to head in the future and to begin
building a pathway for that direction. We need to deal with the
philosophical issue, rather than just the technical issue of
market acceptance."
See more of
Scowcroft's views in a related article:
High noon for
global grain competition |
