Canadian wheat shipments may contain traces of genetically modified canola and corn because different crops are handled in the same facilities, according to the Canadian Wheat Board.
Grain industry sources in the US have also revealed that traces of GM grain had been found in US wheat and flour, fuelling concerns of farmers and grain marketers who are worried that Monsanto’s GM wheat will cause havoc in the industry if it is approved.
The Canadian Wheat Board said that most of the GM grain which finds its way into wheat shipments can be easily detected and removed by wheat buyers because the seeds are of different sizes and weights that wheat grains.
“The GM wheat, on the other hand, would be visually indistinguishable. You could not clean it out,” Patty Rosher, who manages biotech issues for the Canadian Wheat Board, was quoted by Reuters as saying.
“The risk to the customer who doesn’t want GM wheat is much higher,” she added.
Last week the CWB called on Monsanto’s Canadian division to withdraw its application to test genetically modified wheat in Canada over fears that the country may lose its main wheat markets.
