Growers Are Ready for Genetically Modified Wheat; Are You?

A new survey from the National Association of Wheat Growers found that more than three-quarters of the farmers who grow wheat in this country support using biotechnology to develop new, more-productive strains of grain.

However, the company that’s done the most-significant research in the area — Syngenta — is in no rush to bring genetically altered wheat seeds on the market. Syngenta’s CEO told Reuters that “we are not actively pursuing it in the face of the fact that the biotechnology we have today is still facing consumer resistance.”

As this recent Katherine Glover post underscores, genetically altered foods have been a political hot-button for a couple of decades now, with consumers and activists — particularly in Europe — rebelling against the notion of putting gene-spliced and test-tube altered plants into the human food chain. Proponents say their use can provide more food to the world and point to decade of research that shows they’re safe; the opponents say we don’t know enough about them to predict how they’ll behave in the environment, or whether they’re safe to eat over the long term.

Wheat Growers chief Daren Coppock said the new survey was intended to give seed companies clear guidance into how willing U.S. farmers are to try new seeds modified to increase wheat production or to make the plants more tolerant of severe cold or drought. “Until now, there has only been speculation about the breadth of grower support for biotechnology in wheat,” he said. “Now we have an objective and clear answer.”