Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Yes, I did appear before you then. I appreciate the opportunity to be here to address you today.
My name is Larry Black. I am an organic grain and dairy producer from southwestern Manitoba. I appreciate the opportunity to address the committee today on the subject of genetically modified organisms.
The recent approval of GM alfalfa in the U.S.A. and the threat of its release in Canada is of great concern to me for a number of reasons. For those consumers who really don't want to consume GMOs in their food, certified organic is the only avenue to ensure the purity of GM-free food. There is a zero tolerance to GMOs by the certifiers of the organic industry.
Shortly after Roundup Ready canola was introduced, pollen drift from those fields contaminated almost all other canola crops. It is impossible to grow organic canola in Canada today because of inadvertent cross-pollination with GMO crops. The same fate is guaranteed for organic alfalfa if GMO alfalfa is released. This would be catastrophic for the organic industry. Alfalfa is a widely utilized crop throughout organic agriculture, and it is used on grain, vegetable, and meat farms as a soil builder and as a livestock feed. On our farm, a full one-third of our acres grow alfalfa in any given year.
I spoke with Trish Jordan, a Monsanto spokesperson, to ask her their view on how our two industries could coexist. Ms. Jordan stated that Monsanto's intention is to recommend a half-mile separation between the GMO and other alfalfa crops to prevent cross-pollination. She stated that Monsanto believes organic consumers must accept a small level of GMO contamination.
The bees that pollinate crops have at least a two-mile radius for gathering honey. As well, a Manitoba forage specialist informed me that the wind can carry the pollen for up to 10 miles. You have to keep in mind that this is 10 miles in any direction, so we're talking about 20 miles around. I also have a thesis by a University of Manitoba student who was looking at the role that feral alfalfa in the ditches and so on would play in the pollen transfer. It would be something you'd be unable to control. That would add to your inability to have any kind of set-back distance and be confident in it.
When you consider this, it is obvious that there is no way to contain GMO contamination. Considering that Monsanto is recommending a mere 5% of the separation distance required to prevent cross-pollination, it would appear that Monsanto would like nothing more than to effect widespread co-mingling of their new technology.
How can anyone stop the contamination level from building from 1% to 5% to 25% and beyond? If it were no longer possible to grow organic alfalfa, that would be devastating to the organic industry. And what is the next GM crop to be introduced? One by one, all of our cropping options will be eliminated.
Our farm has been a pioneer in organic agriculture, growing crops without chemical inputs for four generations. It seems odd to me that even though Black Family Farm has been able to build a business by giving consumers what they want and filling a market demand, the biotechnology industry is able to come along and destroy what we have built without any consequence to themselves.
The biotech industry is in it for the profit, yet it seems they are immune to paying the costs for the damage they create. If you own a dog, and even if that dog is licensed, if it bites the neighbour you are liable for the damages. Why is it any different for the biotech companies? Who will compensate the stakeholders who become collateral damage?
I was on the Manitoba Forage Council when this issue was being debated. Not a single commodity group had a desire for Roundup Ready alfalfa. Agronomically, alfalfa is a very competitive crop and requires no pesticides to control the weeds in the stand. At present, most conventional farmers use Roundup to kill their alfalfa fields in preparation for the next cropping option. Stakeholders were actually worried that Roundup Ready alfalfa would create a problem for farmers, because it would be resistant to the glyphosphate that they spray to clean the fields for competition prior to replanting. Instead, Roundup Ready alfalfa will become a persistent weed in farmers' fields, as it will be impervious to the glyphosphate. The seed industry also expressed grave concerns that they will no longer be able to guarantee the purity of their seed because of GMO contamination. If this happened, they would lose their organic markets and their lucrative export markets.
There is no demand for this technology at present. As far as I can see, the costs outweigh the benefits by far.
I'd like to draw your attention to this photograph. I apologize that the placard on the side of the truck is a bit illegible, but I'll tell you what says. It says, “It's a powerful insecticide, and it's harmless to humans”. It depicts the contemporary scientific wisdom of 1945. in later years, DDT was found to be so toxic that it was banned. The truly devastating effects of DDT were not suspected until the damage was done.
Tobacco provides a similar example. The tobacco industry denied any correlation between cigarettes and lung cancer for years. There are many other examples of approved substances later found to be harmful, including thalidomide.
My point is that we, as a society, need to understand that there are risks associated with genetically modified organisms. There has been no long-term independent research into GMOs. Any negative long-term effects cannot possibly be known yet. These effects may destroy organic farming systems and could profoundly affect the natural systems of our world.
The terrifying difference between the examples of DDT and tobacco, and that of genetically modified organisms, is the irreversible nature of GMO contamination. The infection will undoubtedly spread and be pervasive. If, in the years ahead, new evidence suggests a looming problem with GMOs, we cannot go back and rescind them. The cat will be out of the bag.
I believe that consumers would be more comfortable with GMO foods if the technology were subjected to long-term testing by independent researchers. There is a long list of GMO crops on the doorstep waiting for approval. If we proceed with no restrictions, in 10 to 20 years, what won't be genetically modified?
Can we afford to risk the balance of our natural world and the health of our own food supply? Our government is tasked with protecting food security for Canadians. It must employ independent research to ensure the safety of new agricultural technologies and to protect the public good. It is imperative that the federal government place a moratorium on Roundup Ready alfalfa test plots to protect us from the contamination threat they pose.
I'd like to thank you for this opportunity to express my concerns. I mentioned not having any recourse if Roundup Ready products deprive me of my ability to grow them and their counterparts. I would ask you to tell me what I should do when that happens.
Thank you.