There's Nothing Like The Real Potatoe
Posted 2nd April 2001
By Peter Reschke

Ontario Farmer M onsanto has decided to get out of the genetically modified business - for potatoes. Starting with the 2001 season, the company will no longer market its NatureMark potato, the one that features a Bt gene to help it ward off Colorado potato beetles. Adele Pelland, the company's manager of public affairs, says Monsanto will buy back any pre-commercial lead seed that growers have already purchased. Common seed, which is currently held by a few growers, can still be planted this year since the varieties are still registered, she says. The announcement came "as kind of a surprise", says OMAFRA potato specialist Eugenia Banks. She says seed growers received letters announcing the decision a couple of weeks ago.

Although the genetically modified varieties Shepordy and Atlantic gave growers new resistance against insects and disease, Banks says sales of the varieties "were not very good." She says the varieties were agronomically good but there was concern about consumer reaction, which was heightened when one major processor, McCain, decided it would no longer buy GMO spuds. Pelland played down the antiGMO controversy and would only say that Monsanto has been forced to concentrate its biotech resources in strategic areas. From now on the company will be focusing on corn, oilseeds, wheat and cotton. "We've had to scale back our activities with other crops," she says. [no soy?!?] Shepordy had two resistance genes, one to combat Colorado potato beetles, the other against mosaic virus, Banks says. Atlantic only carried the Bt gene against the beetles.