EDMONTON

Monsanto Canada has asked the federal government for permission to release genetically modified wheat into the farm marketplace.

If approved, the request would allow farmers to seed the pesticide-tolerant crop in their fields and feed it to their animals, potentially extending the controversy over bioengineered foods to Canada's largest agricultural export. But a Monsanto spokeswoman said it will probably be years before the wheat, engineered to tolerate high doses of the company's pesticide RoundUp, sees commercial use.

"While regulatory approval will certainly provide an important level of confidence across the wheat industry, it doesn't mean we're going to be ready to introduce the product," Trish Jordan said Tuesday.

The issue of genetically modified foods is an emotional one for farmers and consumers alike. The move to genetically modified canola in Canada has cost the country its European market, where consumers are wary of its safety and environmental impacts. Some fear Canada's wheat customers would have the same reaction.

Monsanto has promised not to market the genetically modified wheat until a grain handling system has been devised to keep it separate from normal wheat, including a way of paying for it.

Researchers estimate it could cost farmers an extra $4 a tonne to keep the high-tech wheat separate from conventional wheat to satisfy customers such as those in the European Union who refuse to buy genetically modified crops.

Monsanto has also said it will also not sell the product until the market accepts it, said Jordan.

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