Groups petition US for moratorium on biotech wheat

Tuesday March 11, 1:34 pm ET 
By Carey Gillam 


KANSAS CITY,  Mo.,  March 11 (Reuters)  -  A consortium  of  U.S.
agricultural  and  environmental groups opposed to Monsanto Co.'s
(NYSE:MON -  News)  planned introduction of genetically  modified
wheat  filed  a legal petition on Tuesday with the USDA seeking a
federal moratorium on the biotech wheat.  

Citing surveys that show widespread foreign opposition to  buying
biotech wheat, the groups are demanding that the U.S.  Department
of  Agriculture  withhold  approval  of  Monsanto's Roundup Ready
wheat  variety  until  the  government  assesses   the   complete
environmental   and   economic   impacts  of  a  release  of  the
herbicide-resistant wheat.  

"We have had drought,  hail,  floods.  But none of these  natural
disasters  can  compare with the potential devastating effects of
the introduction of genetically engineered wheat,"  said  Montana
wheat farmer Helen Waller,  who is among the petitioners.  Waller
said she and her husband have raised wheat in eastern Montana for
decades.  

"We  would  most  likely  lose  the  market  for  our  grain   if
genetically  modified  wheat  is  introduced.  Our wheat farm and
many others would no longer be a viable operation," she said.  

The petition was submitted  Tuesday  by  three  farmer  and  land
protection  organizations -  the Dakota Resource Council of North
Dakota, the Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society, also
of North Dakota,  and the Northern  Plains  Resource  Council  of
Montana.  

Both  states  produce  spring  wheat,  with  North Dakota holding
distinction as the largest spring wheat producing  state  in  the
U.S.   Monsanto's  Roundup  Ready  wheat  is designed to be first
introduced in spring wheat and has been genetically engineered to
tolerate herbicide to make weed control easier for farmers.  

Joseph Mendelson,  legal director for the Center for Food  Safety
who filed the petition for the groups, said the legal petition is
the  first  step  toward  a  likely  lawsuit  if the USDA did not
address the concerns.  

"This is a major product for Monsanto," said Mendelson.  "It will
push very hard to have this product commercialized.  We need  the
USDA  to  take  a  step  back  from  its process that has favored
commercialization...and really do an honest assessment." 

Mendelson  said  Monsanto's  final  regulatory  filing  was  made
December  19  and  he  believed the biotech wheat would be out in
time for the 2004 planting season if some sort  of  restraint  is
not placed on its approval.  

Monsanto  defended  its product development work Tuesday and said
it is working closely with the wheat industry to  ensure  that  a
rollout of the biotech wheat does not disrupt markets.  

"We continue to make progress," said Monsanto spokeswoman Shannon
Troughton.   "We're  committed to the responsible introduction of
the product,"  she said.  "We're not going to make  it  available
until there is a market for the grain." 

Troughton said Monsanto was carefully "taking everyone's concerns
and questions into account as we go forward." 

The  petitioners  said  Tuesday that there was too much potential
damage the biotech wheat could do to their  markets  to  make  it
worthwhile as a commercial product.  

Studies  by  wheat  export  experts  have  shown  that many large
foreign buyers of U.S.  wheat will shun U.S.  wheat  supplies  if
Roundup Ready wheat is introduced to the marketplace.  

Iowa  State  University  professor  of  economics Bob Wisner said
Tuesday that university researchers had  determined  that  prices
for U.S.  spring wheat would drop by at least one-third and up to
half  of  the  U.S.  export market for the wheat could be lost if
Monsanto's biotech wheat is released in the next few years.  

"There is the widespread negative consumer attitude...that places
our exports at high risk," he said.  

North Dakota wheat  farmer  Tom  Wiley  called  on  Secretary  of
Agriculture Ann Veneman to study the issue closely.  

"This  Roundup Ready wheat variety...it's an economic train wreck
coming down the track and we need some help," said Wiley.  "If we
lose markets, it will be tough to win them back."