Agriculture and Forestry Minister Eric Hammill said today that he is not misleading anybody about his department's relationship with Monsanto and the export of genetically-improved seed potato varieties to eastern Europe.
"We have certainly cooperated with Monsanto, Prince Edward Island potato producers and the governments of Ukraine and Romania over the past three years to field test genetically-improved seed potato varieties, and commercial sales to those countries from our potato industry have been made during that time," said Mr. Hammill. "That has been the extent of our relationship with Monsanto."
Earlier this month, Mr. Hammill met with a coalition of groups and individuals who demanded the province ban genetically-modified foods in the province and end its relationship with Monsanto through Solanum-PEI, an arms-length company of the department. "The media conveniently confused the past and the present, and confused a lot of Islanders," said Mr. Hammill. "I was asked a simple question and I gave a simple answer. We do not now and never had a formal relationship with Monsanto. And I am not apologizing for our past collaboration. Looking for new business opportunities for our industry is part of my job."
Mr. Hammill said that the department is aggressively pursuing opportunities to market Prince Edward Island seed potatoes and related potato systems expertise, knowledge and technologies to other potato growing areas. He said that genetically-improved potato varieties which are resistant to pests and diseases can be of tremendous benefit to countries which experience pest and disease problems, and the department needs to keep abreast of developments in this field. "All varieties we were working with in eastern Europe are fully approved in North America," he said.
"Genetically-improved seed potatoes may or may not be the long-term solution for potato producers, but we cannot afford to ignore its potential," said the minister. "At the same time, we will continue to market a full range of knowledge and services to help secure Prince Edward Island's position as a world leader in the seed potato industry. Seed trials are a part of that for sure, but there are many other initiatives such as our World Potato Learning Centre which offers customized training to producers from around the world."
Mr. Hammill said that part of the role of government is to support the potato industry and expand opportunities for a product the industry was already producing. "It would be an abdication of our responsibilities if we did not fully investigate the potential of new products or technologies," he said.