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Japanese consumers tell Canada to stop GM wheat

Reuters, 03.22.04, 1:38 PM ET

 

By Roberta Rampton

 

WINNIPEG, Manitoba, March 22 (Reuters) - Japan will stop buying Canadian

wheat if Canada approves a variety of genetically modified wheat, a

delegation of Japanese consumer groups warned on Monday.

 

Bearing a petition signed by 414 Japanese organizations and companies, and

saying that they represent more than 1.1 million people, the activists said

they wanted to take their message to Canadian politicians in person.

 

"We will reject GM wheat," said Keisuke Amagasa of the No! GMO Campaign. "If

GM wheat is approved and commercial planting begins here, we will take

action to prevent the import of wheat from Canada."

 

Japanese consumers are worried that biotech crops have not had enough

testing to prove they are safe, Amagasa said.

 

Japan is one of Canada's biggest wheat markets, buying an average of 1.3

million tonnes a year.

 

Genetically modified wheat is not yet grown commercially, but Canadian and

U.S. regulators for more than a year have been reviewing safety data for a

variety developed by Monsanto Co.

 

The wheat has been altered so it can withstand Roundup, a Monsanto

herbicide. Regulators have not said how long their review will take.

 

The Canadian Wheat Board, which has a monopoly on most of Canada's wheat

crop, has said government approvals would put most of its markets in

jeopardy.

 

But Monsanto has promised it will wait to commercialize its wheat until it

can keep it segregated from traditional grain and find customers who will

buy it.

 

It has also promised it will not commercialize the wheat until regulators in

the United States and Japan have also approved it.

 

"We recognize that there will be buyers who show a preference for

non-biotech wheat," said Trish Jordan, a spokeswoman for Monsanto Canada.

 

"So what we're trying to do ... is to set up a system that maintains choice

for all buyers," she said.

 

The company has made its final submissions of regulatory data in Canada and

the United States. It has also submitted preliminary safety data to Japan

and several other countries, Jordan said.

 

"Even though we're a long way away from commercial introduction, there

should be no reason why Japan cannot continue to buy Canadian wheat," Jordan

said.

 

The Japanese delegates said millers had told them it would be too difficult

and expensive to segregate GM wheat from traditional wheat.

 

"Millers have therefore said that unless Japanese consumers ... accept

(genetically modified) wheat, they will not be able to sell it," said Koga

Masaka of Consumers Union of Japan.

 

The delegates planned to take their petition to Ottawa on Tuesday and then

to state legislatures in Montana and North Dakota later in the week.

 

***************************************************************

 

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MARCH 22, 2004

 

1 million Japanese say no to GE wheat

 

WINNIPEG - A coalition of Japanese consumer and food industry groups

declared today that Japanese consumers will not buy wheat from Canada if it

introduces genetically engineered (GE) wheat.

 

The Japanese coalition will present a petition to the Minister of Agriculture

and Agri-Food Canada, Bob Speller. Signed by over 410 consumer

groups and food manufacturing companies representing over 1,000,000

Japanese, the petition expresses concern over the potential introduction of

GE wheat in North America.

 

“For us, wheat is our staple food after rice, and it appears on our kitchen

tables at almost every meal in the form of noodles, bread, desserts and so

on,†says Keisuke Amagasa of the No! GMO Campaign, a Japanese association of

consumers, producers, and distributors.

 

“Japan is almost entirely dependant on North America, specifically Canada,

for our wheat. But Japanese consumers will not buy or eat foods that are

genetically engineered, so if Canada’s wheat is engineered or could be

contaminated by engineered products, we will have to look elsewhere to meet

our needs.â€

 

Japan is the largest foreign buyer of Canadian wheat, purchasing an average

of 1Mt of our famed Canada Western Red Spring wheat each year.

 

“The Japanese are telling us that we will lose their business if we

introduce Monsanto’s GE wheat. And Japan is not alone; figures from the

Canadian Wheat Board show that 82% of Canada’s wheat customers will refuse

to buy GE wheat,†says Nadège Adam of the Council of Canadians, an NGO that

is assisting the Japanese coalition in making its voice heard in Canada.

 

“The Canadian government must realize that GE wheat is a market destroyer.

Its introduction would leave Canadian farmers unable to sell one of their

most profitable exports, and cripple the communities that rely on its

production for their survival.â€

 

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is currently reviewing an application

from Monsanto for the release of Roundup Ready (GE) wheat in Canada.

Canadian consumers, farmers, and food industry representatives have

expressed grave concerns over the potential impact of government approval of

the controversial GE wheat. Now foreign customers are joining the

increasingly large group of dissenters, calling on Canada to deny Monsanto’s

application.

 

“We simply cannot understand why Canada would risk jeopardizing the strong

relationship between the producers and consumers of our respective

countries,†says Keisuke Amagasa. “We hope that our petition will impress

upon them the serious repercussions of this decision.â€

 

After meeting with Canadian government officials, the Japanese delegation

will travel to the United States to present a similar petition to American

officials.

 

- 30 -

 

For more information, please contact:

Laura Sewell, Media Officer, Council of Canadians: 613.233.4487 ext 234;

613.795.8685 (cell); lsewell; www.canadians.org