Canola Spread Far and Near by Tornado

Concerns raised over unregulated spread of GM crops

CBC 8aug01

HOMEFIELD, MANITOBA - Manitoba canola farmers say they could use a little rain, and a lot less wind.

Last week near Homefield, canola that was raining down after a tornado cut through Vic Martens' fields. "The tornado actually picked up the canola plants and actually wrapped them around these trees," he said.

The canola crop was genetically modified. The seeds from the crop were blown into other canola fields up to eight kilometres away raising concerns among those that worry about the uncontrolled spread of genetically modified seeds.

Brian Ellis, a professor of plant biotechnology, says genetic modification of plants, combined with extreme weather deserves to be studied.

"This is something the regulators never even thought of. It just goes to show that you can't control something once you get it out into real nature," said Ellis.

Ellis worries the same will happen with strains of GM wheat currently being tested in secret locations. The Canadian Wheat Board has already said it won't sell GM contaminated wheat because of health concerns in foreign markets.

GM canola hasn't met the same opposition, but it's patented seeds pose legal problems for farmers.

Percy Schmeiser was sued by Monsanto when GM canola showed up in his field near Saskatoon. He has long argued there is no way to control where GM seeds go. "One of my neighbours had a twister. It picked up seed in his field and my field and took it for four miles."

Monsanto also holds the patent on the tornado canola. It says anyone with unwanted or unlicensed canola can ask to have it pulled out in the spring, if it doesn't die this winter.

Tornado in Winnipeg spread genetically modified

BRIAN STEWART: What happens when genetically modified seeds spread in an uncontrolled way? Some Manitoba farmers may be about to find out. A Tornado this weekend churned up a field of genetically modified canola in Homefield, near Winnipeg, blowing the seeds into neighbouring farms. As Cameron MacIntosh reports, some are wondering about the consequences of nature mixing it up with science.

CAMERON MACINTOSH (Reporter): In southwestern Manitoba, canola farmers say they could use a little rain. But last week, Vic Martins' canola was raining down after a Tornado ripped up his crops.

VIC MARTIN (Farmer): Wrapped them around the trunks of some of these trees you can see here.

MACINTOSH: That crop was genetically modified. Some of the seeds from that crop blew to other canola fields, some up to eight kilometres away, raising concerns among those worried about the uncontrolled spread of genetically modified seeds.

DR. BRIAN ELLIS: Mother nature can throw curves at you that you perhaps never expected.

MACINTOSH: Dr. Brian Ellis is a professor of plant biotechnology. He calls this an interesting case.

ELLIS: This is something that I suspect the regulators never even considered in their scenarios. It shows you that it's very difficult to control what mother nature wants to do.

MACINTOSH: Ellis worries the same will happen when strains of genetically modified wheat, currently being tested. The Canadian Wheat Board has already said it won't sell GM wheat because of consumer concerns in foreign markets. But that's not the only problem with genetically modified seeds. They're patented, owned by the companies that develop them. Percy Schmeiser was sued by Monsanto when GM canola showed up in his field near Saskatoon. He has long argued there is no way to control where GM seeds go. A legal fight he lost.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN (1): One of my neighbours had a twister go through this fall. It was about fifty feet wide and it took that canola from my field and his field for miles.

MACINTOSH: Monsanto also holds the patent on the tornado canola that spread near Homefield. It says anyone with unwanted or unlicensed canola can ask to have it pulled out in the spring if it doesn't die this winter. But Peter Hide says it doesn't matter to him if he has the tornado seeds or not. He's licensed to grow them anyway.

PETER HIDE (Farmer): You've got a contract, and you've got to make sure you sign the certificates and everything that you're growing that kind of canola. You've got to pay them a royalty.

MACINTOSH: His only real worry right now is to get it all harvested and delivered to a market willing to buy genetically modified canola. Cameron MacIntosh, CBC News, near Homefield, Manitoba.