The government is erring in deciding to take a hands-off approach to plant breeding that involves editing genes, said a group of members of the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network.
They issued a news release denouncing Health Canada ahead of an expected government announcement today that the genetic technologies can go ahead without undergoing the expensive, lengthy and complicated approval process for genetically-modified foods.
Genetically-modified foods involve transferring a gene or genes from one species to another, such as from a bacteria to corn in the case of varieties that can tolerate glyphosate (eg. Roundup) herbicides.
Gene editing involves practices such as turning off, or silencing, a particular gene, for example the one responsible for growing horns on cattle.
The Canadian Biotechnology Action Network claims the government will allow genetically-modified, or GM, foods to be introduced without government oversight.
Calling these GM foods is misleading the public to believe it's like GMO foods. And saying there is no government oversight is also misleading. There has been extensive consultation and a lot of expert study of this new technology leading up to Health Canada's decisions.
The Canadian Biotechnology Action Network significantly omits any mention of any specific risk to the public or the environment it can envision arising from the implementation of gene-editing technology.
In point of fact, the farmer members benefit from traditional plant breeding which has involved new varieties with missing or silenced genes, such as every canola variety in the world. It was lab work that identified that those genes are missing or silenced, so it's difficult to see how that differs from what plant breeders propose to do with more modern gene-identifying technology.
The network said will be left up to the companies marketing the new products to decide how much transparency they will provide. But that is no different from any traditionally-bred variety coming to market.
In June Health Canada wrote to CropLife Canada, Seeds Canada and the Canada Grains Council requesting a commitment that their members would participate in a voluntary transparency initiative.
It seems to me that if this network has its way, Canadian farmers' access to improved crop varieties would be significantly curbed, including all of the many advantages from improved yields, nutrition and protection from pests and diseases.
Among the 15 network members are the National Farmers Union, Canadian Organic Growers, Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario, organic farming associations from Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan and the Yukon and Greenpeace.
