Toronto 1999 - The international environmental organization Greenpeace congratulated the Canadian Wheat Board today on their call for a moratorium on genetically modified crops. Greg Arason, president of the Board, made the call during a meeting with senior grain industry executives last week.
"Greenpeace is pleased that Canadian agricultural leaders are responding to consumer concerns about genetically modified crops," said campaigner Michael Khoo. "This is the responsible thing to do given the collapse in world-wide markets for genetically modified crops." Greenpeace called on Canada's marketing boards for canola, soya and corn, (crops which are currently genetically modified in Canada) to follow the lead of Wheat Board. As of 1998, 55% of Canada's canola crop was genetically modified, 45% of soy and 25% of corn.
"This is a wake-up call for other marketing boards," said Khoo. "Major retailers from Hong Kong to Berlin are saying no to genetically modified crops. Planting genetically modified crops that have no markets will be bad business for Canadian farmers."
Greenpeace is calling for a ban on the irreversible release of all genetically modified organisms into the environment.
