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The Flax Council of Canada is posting regular website updates on the GMO issue. Europe has discovered genetically modified material in Canadian flax shipments. The Europeans claim it’s the GMO variety known as Triffod which came out of the Crop Development Centre in Saskatoon. Canadian officials say Triffod can’t be confirmed until a specific test has been developed and proven. The Plant Biotechnology Institute in Saskatoon is working on a Triffod specific test. Europe has a zero tolerance policy which is crazy since no system can guarantee zero contamination. Today’s tests can detect the presence of GM material in one out of 10,000 seeds. However, there shouldn’t have been any Triffod around for the Europeans to detect. The variety was pulled and all the seed supposedly destroyed years ago. This is a regulatory issue, not a safety issue. Triffod is still authorized for feed and food purposes in North America. Unfortunately, most Canadian flax in Europe is currently quarantined and Europe represents about 70 per cent of Canadian flax exports. To find out more, go to www.flaxcouncil.ca. I’m Kevin Hursh.
Kevin Hursh PAg CAC