Where does that wheat in your bread come from?
scanner | 29.07.2001 01:36
Canadian Ministry of Agriculture colludes with Novartis to pollute Canadian wheat. The location of test plots for genetically modified wheat on Prince Edward Island has been kept so secret that even the provincial agriculture minister has been kept in the dark.
by CBC News Online News 4:49pm Sat Jul 28 '01
Ultra Secrecy Surrounds GM
Wheat Testing - Farmers Concerned
CBC News Online News
7-27-1
CHARLOTTETOWN [Canada] - The location of test plots for genetically modified
wheat on Prince Edward Island has been kept so secret that even the provincial
agriculture minister has been kept in the dark.
"I absolutely think the province has a right to know," said P.E.I. Agriculture Minister
Mitch Murphy.
But a series of government documents published in an Island newspaper revealed the
province didn't know where the GM wheat was planted.
Last March, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency told P.E.I. that biotechnology
company Novartis wanted to test some GM wheat in the province.
P.E.I.'s agriculture minister sent back a list of questions. The CFIA asked Novartis to
answer them.
In response to the question, "What are the exact locations of the field trial sites?",
Novartis wrote that was "strictly confidential."
Novartis says it is worried about vandalism and ensuring the safety of its personnel. The
company also says it wants to protect its intellectual property from industrial espionage.
"I don't think the issue of industrial espionage, if we can use that term, is a good enough
reason not to be transparent with the information," said Murphy.
Farmers across Canada concerned
Island farmers like David Mol are also curious. The Kensington, P.E.I. farmer wonders
if one of the test sites was anywhere near his fields.
"I'd be concerned with cross-pollination, or that proper procedures and safety protocols
were followed," said Mol.
Farmers across the country have expressed their concerns about the test plots.
Earlier this week, a group representing Saskatchewan farmers and health activists called
on the prime minister to prevent the introduction of GM wheat.
The Canadian Wheat Board has also failed in its attempts to find out where the test plots are located.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says its hands are tied by privacy laws
CFIA spokesperson Stephen Yarrow said he's sympathetic to the reasons why people
want to know.
But he said, "we are on the side of the protection of proprietary information. That's how
it looks because that's how it is."
Transparent process needed
Murphy says more openness will lead to greater acceptance of GM wheat once it's
ready to market.
"If we're going to give this technology a true evaluation then the process used to test it
has to be open and transparent," said Murphy.
Murphy also said Ottawa didn't answer his inquiry about who would be liable if
something went wrong with the tests.
Written by CBC News Online staff
http://cbc.ca/cgi-bin/templates/view.cgi?/news/2001/07/26/gm_wheatpei010726
Ultra Secrecy Surrounds GM
Wheat Testing - Farmers Concerned
CBC News Online News
7-27-1
CHARLOTTETOWN [Canada] - The location of test plots for genetically modified
wheat on Prince Edward Island has been kept so secret that even the provincial
agriculture minister has been kept in the dark.
"I absolutely think the province has a right to know," said P.E.I. Agriculture Minister
Mitch Murphy.
But a series of government documents published in an Island newspaper revealed the
province didn't know where the GM wheat was planted.
Last March, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency told P.E.I. that biotechnology
company Novartis wanted to test some GM wheat in the province.
P.E.I.'s agriculture minister sent back a list of questions. The CFIA asked Novartis to
answer them.
In response to the question, "What are the exact locations of the field trial sites?",
Novartis wrote that was "strictly confidential."
Novartis says it is worried about vandalism and ensuring the safety of its personnel. The
company also says it wants to protect its intellectual property from industrial espionage.
"I don't think the issue of industrial espionage, if we can use that term, is a good enough
reason not to be transparent with the information," said Murphy.
Farmers across Canada concerned
Island farmers like David Mol are also curious. The Kensington, P.E.I. farmer wonders
if one of the test sites was anywhere near his fields.
"I'd be concerned with cross-pollination, or that proper procedures and safety protocols
were followed," said Mol.
Farmers across the country have expressed their concerns about the test plots.
Earlier this week, a group representing Saskatchewan farmers and health activists called
on the prime minister to prevent the introduction of GM wheat.
The Canadian Wheat Board has also failed in its attempts to find out where the test plots are located.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says its hands are tied by privacy laws
CFIA spokesperson Stephen Yarrow said he's sympathetic to the reasons why people
want to know.
But he said, "we are on the side of the protection of proprietary information. That's how
it looks because that's how it is."
Transparent process needed
Murphy says more openness will lead to greater acceptance of GM wheat once it's
ready to market.
"If we're going to give this technology a true evaluation then the process used to test it
has to be open and transparent," said Murphy.
Murphy also said Ottawa didn't answer his inquiry about who would be liable if
something went wrong with the tests.
Written by CBC News Online staff
http://cbc.ca/cgi-bin/templates/view.cgi?/news/2001/07/26/gm_wheatpei010726
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