World Grain - December 2024 - 46

FEATURE: GM WHEAT INCHES FORWARD IN US
DeMarchi said. " They have indicated that they have
strong identity preservation systems that they're using,
but we have not reviewed those ourselves.
Gilpin said he hopes Bioceres takes a " broad approach "
in working with public and private breeding
companies by allowing access to the HB4 wheat trait
for introgression and evaluation, though " the initial
stewardship and segregation growing pains for non-GM
wheat demand on companies " could be challenging.
" Other crops have already gone through this process
that the US wheat industry will be able to use as blueprints
for success, " he said.
Before there
is support for
a commercial
launch of
HB4 wheat,
the United
States will
need to seek
approval of
the genetically
modified
variety in key
export markets.
that they're getting exactly what they demand and are
paying for. And I think that's a challenge in the US grain
handling industry being met by other grain classes.
While most corn and soybean production are genetically
modified crops, there certainly is a marketplace for those
that are not, and there are buyers demanding them who
need to be guaranteed they're not getting them. "
Practices to identify and separate HB4 wheat will
need to " flow all through the chain, " O'Connor said.
" There will be buyers up and down the chain who
will not be concerned - it would be viewed to them
as wheat - and there will be buyers who will want
to know that they are not getting a genetically modified
(product), " he said. " The industry is going to have
to make certain that the wheat that goes to the miller,
the flour that goes from the miller to the baker, and the
goods from the baker that go to the next step in the
chain are going to have to be handled in a way that
sensitive buyers can be satisfied. "
Bioceres' Trucco said the company already has " an
effective way " to identify HB4 presence in wheat shipments
via developments in Argentina with optic devices,
which are " available at all points of delivery and
carry almost negligible costs for HB4 detection. "
" And that will be partnered with outreach and educational
programs so we can have all elements in place
at the time of launch and hopefully take advantage of
this opportunity in the medium term, " he said in the
call. " In the short term, I think that the approval in the
US also serves as a validation in our domestic market
in Argentina and Brazil, where we're currently scaling
HB4 wheat. "
Both DeMarchi and Gilpin said they want more
details about Bioceres' US stewardship strategy for
HB4 wheat.
" Another area that we will be talking about with
Bioceres is what are their plans for stewardship, both
for field trials and then also once it's commercialized to
make sure that you maintain separation between conventional
non-BE varieties and any of the HB4 wheat, "
46
Ongoing process
The wheat commissions of Idaho, Oregon and
Washington - representing Pacific Northwest wheat
(PNW) producers - said USDA deregulation of HB4
wheat " provides a pathway to future commercialization
of the HB4 trait in wheat in the United States " but
noted that " the scientific process is lengthy, " making
US commercial cultivation or availability unlikely for
at least three to five years.
" The PNW wheat industry supports and encourages
new technologies that increase producer profitability
and will help feed the growing world population, "
PNW said in a statement after the USDA announced
its HB4 wheat approval. " At the same time, we remain
committed to providing our customers with the
quality and reliability they have come to expect from
PNW wheat.
The balance between sustainability benefits and bioengineering
concerns stands as the key marketplace
" unknown " for HB4 wheat, said O'Connor.
" HB4 probably will be a bit more sustainable from
a production standpoint, " he said. " The yield per acre
against a set of input costs and/or environmental scoring
might be more positive because it's able to perform
better in the situation of extreme drought conditions.
But then the offset might be, 'Well, is there enough demand
for it that it will come through the marketplace
as a winner, or will there be minimal demand for it?' "
Industry stakeholders agreed the global context -
unprecedented
climate
change
impacting
growers
worldwide; a long war between major wheat-producing
nations Russia and Ukraine; recovering post-pandemic
supply chains; and heightened concerns about food insecurity
- will stir high interest in the potential of a
product like Bioceres' HB4 wheat.
Russ Redman is senior editor of Milling & Baking News.
He can be reached at rredman@sosland.com.
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December 2024 / World Grain / World-Grain.com
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World Grain - December 2024

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