What’s Up – for Jan. 28, 2010

Please forward your agricultural events to [email protected] call 204-944-5762 Jan. 27-28 – Manitoba Potato Production Days, Keystone Centre, Brandon. For more info call 204-239-6932 or visit www.mbpotatodays.ca. Jan. 27-28 – Southeast Beef and Forage Days, Shevchenko Ukrainian Centre, Rosa. For more info call MAFRI in Vita at 204-425-5050. Jan. 27-29 – Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP)

Flax Council Decides To Go With Certified Seed

Aplan to require all flax shipments to Europe to be grown from certified seed represents the best opportunity to restore access to the largest export market for Canadian farmers. Canadian flax sales to Europe have been severely restricted since traces of CDC Triffid, a genetically modified (GM) variety, were discovered in some shipments. The council


Certified Seed Part Of Triffid Solution

“What we’re trying to do is find a path forward so we can eradicate or eliminate Triffid from our flax production. That’s the goal.” – RICHARD WANSBUTTER The ongoing CDC Triffid saga could end farmers’ practice of saving flaxseed from year to year, industry sources say. Not all the details have been worked out, but

Flax Output Seen Down On Further GM Issues

Canadian flaxseed production in the upcoming 2010-11 crop year will be significantly lower than during 2009-10 if Canada’s ability to export it remains impeded in Europe, Japan and now Brazil, according to industry sources. “The concern that buyer after buyer would become concerned with importing GMO-contaminated flaxseed from Canada is slowly becoming a reality,” said


You’ll Need A GM Test First Starting Dec. 1

Starting Dec. 1, western Canadian flax will have to be tested for the presence of genetically modified (GM) flax before elevators will accept delivery. It’s part of the protocol reached recently between Canada and the European Union (EU) to ensure the EU gets GM-free flax from Canada, says Flax Council of Canada president Barry Hall.

EU, Canada Agree To Flax-Shipping Protocol

“We found less than 10 positive results in the value chain (handling system) so far.” – REMI GOSSELIN The European Union (EU) has accepted Canada’s protocol designed to keep GM flax out of Canadian flax exports to the EU. It’s another step towards resuming Canadian flax exports to the European Union (EU), on hold since


Progress On Resuming Flax Exports

“No one should be under the impression that the acceptance of this protocol is suddenly going to open up the market in Europe again.” – BARRY HALL Flax industry officials are hopeful a new testing protocol presented to the European Union earlier this month will help restore export trade. A protocol for testing Canadian flax



Low-Level Tolerances Needed For GM Crops

“Once an event has been approved it’s not a question when that event will show up, it’s a question of what day on the calendar it will show up.” – DENNIS STEPHENS Governments must agree on tolerances for small amounts of genet i -cally modified plants (GM) in commodity shipments and Canada’s should take the

CdC Triffid Flax Scare Threatens Access To No. 1 EU Market

Like a movie monster that refuses to die, CDC Triffid, a genetically modified (GM) Canadian flax deregistered in 2001, has surfaced in Germany, European Union (EU) officials believe. And flax prices have plummeted just as farmers feared they might when they lobbied to have the variety voluntarily pulled from the market. Although the Canadian Food