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Greenpeace Quarantines Government Research Farm
Planting of Genetically Engineered Wheat Set to Begin
For Immediate Release
Morden, Manitoba, June 5th, 2003 - Greenpeace activists quarantined
the Agriculture and Agri-food Canada (AAFC) Research Farm in Morden,
Manitoba at dawn today. Four activists climbed onto the roof of
the building with a 120 sq. m banner reading Stop GE Wheat as others
locked the front doors of the building.
Signs reading �Biohazard: Stop Genetically Engineered Wheat� were
driven into the ground at the farm while the front doors were blocked
with quarantine signs. The AAFC farm at Morden is one of the sites
where open air field trials of genetically engineered wheat will
take place in 2003. �We are quarantining this facility because of
the risks GE wheat poses to the environment and Canada�s farmers,�
said Holly Penfound, Greenpeace Genetic Engineering Campaigner.
�The government should be prohibiting the release of GE wheat, not
growing it for Monsanto in the open environment.� The Canadian Wheat
Board estimates that up to 80 per cent of Canada�s $3 billion wheat
market will not purchase genetically engineered wheat.
While Monsanto has proposed segregation of GE from non-GE crops,
recent research shows that such segregation would be impossible.
�Farmers can adapt to the ongoing changes of nature that ultimately
determine the success of each year's efforts," said Fred Tait, a
farmer from Rossendale, Manitoba and past president of the National
Farmers Union. "Farmers are however not prepared to allow Monsanto
and the federal government to introduce permanent and costly changes
to agriculture and to the environment with the forced introduction
of GE wheat." Monsanto applied to the Canadian government for unrestricted
environmental release of its genetically engineered wheat on December
23, 2002. AAFC is a co-developer of the wheat with Monsanto, and
is paying for many of the development costs.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency, a division of AAFC, is responsible
for approving or denying Monsanto�s application. The Royal Society
of Canada found the government to be in a conflict of interest in
how it regulates food biotechnology. While the government refuses
to reveal the locations of dozens of on-going field trials of genetically
engineered crops, documents obtained by Greenpeace in April of this
year show that field trials of GE wheat have been on-going at several
government sites.
For more information contact: Holly Penfound, Greenpeace Environmental
Health Campaigner, 416-597-8408 x3050 cell 416-723-9425 Andrew Male,
Greenpeace Communications Co-ordinator, 416-597-8408 x3030 cell
416-880-2757 Stills and Arial footage will be available at 2 pm
Central time by calling Greenpeace Communications Co-ordinator Andrew
Male. Photos also available on Canada Newswire. Background information
is available at: www.greenpeace.ca
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