On the heels of a joint statement from the U.S., Canadian and Australian wheat industries supporting development of genetically modified wheat, anti-technology groups have come out against it.
Fifteen groups last week released a statement criticizing the use of genetically engineered traits, according to a press release from the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network.
Katherine Ozer, executive director of the National Family Farm Coalition, one of the 15 groups, said she expects other groups to sign on during the summer, reaffirming their position against genetically modified wheat.
Ozer said her concerns are tied into a "strong economic analysis" indicating a 30 to 35 percent drop in farm incomes as a result of consumer rejection of genetically modified wheat.
Another concern is yield. Other genetically modified crops, including corn and soybeans, have not produced the yields that were promised, Ozer said.
Daren Coppock, CEO of the National Association of Wheat Growers, one of the organizations supporting the use of biotechnology in wheat, said the statement comes from the same set of "anti-technology" groups that protest biotechnology in every crop.
"The organizations that signed the 'rejection' petition cannot make a credible claim to represent wheat growers," Coppock said.
A grower survey conducted by the association earlier this year showed 76 percent of respondents supported commercializing biotechnology traits in wheat, Coppock said.
"It fully validated the position of NAWG and U.S. Wheat Associates on biotechnology," he said. "The producer position is clear."
Keith Bailey, a board member for the Washington Wheat Commission and chairman of the Portland, Ore.-based Wheat Marketing Center, said genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, have the potential to allow for more economic production.
But Bailey said more education is in order, to get customers comfortable with the idea the traits do not threaten human health or well-being.
Many people in the industry already understand the science behind such crops involved safety precautions and other measures, he said, but there is still a public perception that a gene could create health concerns.
"We don't want to see our markets damaged," Bailey said. "It won't do us much good to produce higher quality and more production if users don't want it."
Genetically modified organisms are already in the market in other commodities, Bailey said, but wheat is in a wait-and-see mode.
"Until the markets are ready for it, we're probably not going to be able to supply GMOs," he said.
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