“I think consumers will boycott the
whole wheat industry. […] Millers have no
choice, consumers do. If the consumers
don't accept GM wheat, then the millers
won't. The consumer is king.”
Dong Jin Chung, senior vice chairman of
KOFMIA and president of the Daehan Flour
Mills (CropChoice News, May 2, 2003 ).
© greenpeace/chi
yun
“We don't want GMO wheat.”
Hi Sang Lee, chairman of the Korea Flour
Mills Industrial Association (KOFMIA).
KOFMIA represents nearly 100 percent of
Korea's flour millers. (CropChoice News,
May 2, 2003).
In December 2002, Monsanto applied for
commercial authorization to cultivate GM
wheat in Canada and the US , anticipating
its introduction in both countries in
2004-2005. The new variety that Monsanto
has in the pipeline is a Roundup Ready
herbicidetolerant wheat.
The introduction of wheat in the US and
Canada is very controversial, and many
farmers in these countries reacted
skeptically to Monsanto's GM wheat plans,
particularly given the possible negative
economic consequences.
The National Farmers Union of Canada and
the Canadian Wheat Board expressed in the
strongest terms their concerns that GM
wheat will damage exports. In the US , farm
representatives in North Dakota and Montana
have sought legislation restricting GM
wheat production, saying that their
customers will not accept GM wheat. In a
letter to the Canadian Prime Minister, over
300 industry associations, local
governments, citizen groups, experts and
researchers said: “We represent diverse
constituencies and interests, but we are
unified in asking that you act immediately
to prevent the introduction of GM wheat
into Canadian food and fields unless the
concerns of Canadian farmers, industry, and
consumers are addressed adequately.”
Importers from the rest of the world are
reacting to Monsanto's plans to market GM
wheat. For example, a US Wheat Associates
survey on the Asian markets found
overwhelming opposition: “100 percent of
the markets surveyed in China , Korea , and
Japan indicated that they would not buy
Roundup Ready wheat. 82 percent surveyed in
Taiwan , and 78 percent in South Asia said
they would not buy genetically modified
wheat.”
In Europe , the major wheat importers
had similar reactions. Antonio Costato, CEO
of Italy's biggest miller Grandi Molini
Italiani, confirmed the company's
opposition to GM wheat: “We will not only
avoid buying GM wheat, but we will probably
be forced to completely avoid importing
from those countries/regions where it is
known that GM wheat is grown.”
Opposition continues to blossom on every
continent. Millers in Latin America , like
the country's largest wheat importer
Molinos de Costa Rica, wrote a letter to US
Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman informing
the Department of Agriculture that they
will not buy wheat from the US if it
commercializes genetically modified
varieties. In Africa , Ethiopian millers
have announced similar measures.
The rejection of GM wheat is gaining
momentum within the US and Canada as well
as at the international level, putting a
brake on Monsanto's ambitious plans. The
biotech giant has already announced that it
will not seek registration for the grain
for production in 2004, as was initially
planned.
more information:
GE Food AlertWebsite:
www.gefoodalert.org/pages/home.cfm
