herbicide shortage may threaten grain crop

With two months to go until the Wimmera-Mallee's sowing season, farmers are struggling to get hold of the herbicide glyphosate.

The Victoria's Farmers Federation's Geoff Nalder says he understands the shortfall is because less of the product is being manufactured overseas.

"It's a major problem. Short-term wise, there's only limited supplies coming in and from what I can ascertain from the research that I've done, that short-term supply problem could well last until well into this year, which will take us well past our sowing window," Mr Nalder said.

The group opposed to genetically modified (GM) grain, Gene Ethics, says the chemical shortage is a sign of things to come.

A spokesman for the group, Bob Phelps, says new herbicide-resistant crops rely on the use of specific brand glyphosate weed killer.

He says farmers will be at the mercy of the world's big farm chemical and seed producers, Monsanto and Bayer.