Crop science Prof. Rene Van Acker at the University of Guelph says much depends on
threshold levels that will be allowed if and when the Canadian Food Inspection
Agency clears Monsanto to start marketing Roundup-Ready alfalfa varieties
across Canada.
It’s unlikely that the standard will, or can be, zero
tolerance, he says.
However, any escapes that are allowed could pose challenges,
and not only for organic farmers, he said.
In Southern Manitoba, for example, municipalities often
include alfalfa in seed mixtures they plant after roadside construction
projects are finished.
That alfalfa could host cross-pollination from any nearby
fields planted to Roundup-Ready alfalfa and then shed seed for many years that
could carry the Roundup-resistance genetics.
Roundup-resistant alfalfa, growing as a weed in crops such
as canola, corn and soybeans, would pose control challenges if farmers are
planting Roundup-ready crop varieties.
Van Acker said there are control options for these alfalfa
weeds, such as fall tillage, but concedes that by then the plants may have
produced and dropped seed.
“A lot of it comes down to the threshold level” for escapes
from a field planted to Roundup-ready alfalfa, he says.
This issue is a commercial concern, not a risk to the
environment or public health, so it’s beyond the scope of the Canadian Food
Inspection Agency’s current review, he said.
Commercial concerns are, however, quite real to farmers,
including the possibility of losing export markets such as Europe where
governments have zero tolerance for Roundup-ready genetics.
Van Acker said trials in Western Canada have also indicated
that Roundup-ready alfalfa can establish in nearby stands of grass.
If Roundup-ready alfalfas are grown “on any significant
scale, it’s probably not realistic” to think there were be no escapes, Van
Acker said.
He spoke recently at the founding annual meeting of the
Practical Farmers of Ontario organization.
