From this weeks agriweek
<b>Flax export outlook for Europe deteriorates</b>
Fanatic European regulations threaten Canada’s flax industry
Canadian flax was officially banned from entering Europe last week, until further notice, due to the discovery last month of unapproved GMO material in two Canadian flax cargoes. The ban is not expected to be permanent, but it comes at the time of year when shipments usually peak before closure of the St. Lawrence Seaway for the winter. From the point of view of European flax users, Canadian supply has suddenly become unreliable. Since there are few other sources of linseed flax, European usage is likely to drop, with possible long-term consequences.
<B>German authorities who made the discovery have refused to share details of the test results with Canadian officials. The tests could be very suspect.</b> According to the Plant Biotechnology Institute in Saskatoon, which developed the GMO variety Triffid, which is now causing the trouble, <b>there is no specific test to identify the presence of this material.</b> A late report said the German government has agreed to co-operate with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which is sending reference material for use with future tests, in refining its test procedures.
Canada may be able to propose a protocol to assure the EU that Canadian flax shipments in the future comply with EU requirements. A high-level meeting has been set for Oct. 19. A similar protocol facilitates U.S. rice shipments to the EU. This could mean an undertaking to test outgoing shipments to make sure they are clean. It would be expensive, time-consuming and logistically disruptive.
The Flax Council, which originally managed the process of removing all traces of Triffid flax after the decision was made not to allow commercial production, has formed a Flax Risk Management Team and created a section on its website with news of the latest developments (www.flaxcouncil.org).
<b>The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has begun to test all certified flax seed stock; no positive GMO results have turned up and none are expected.</b> The Canadian Grain Commission is doing the same for flax inventory in commercial positions, testing samples submitted from licensed facilities, to determine the nature and location of any GMO material. The Commission is also expanding its harvest survey to test producer samples of the 2009 crop, though the number of such samples could be reduced because of the consequences if Triffid traces are found.
This is turning out to be the most awkward incident to date with the European Union’s ridiculous zero tolerance rule for unauthorized and unapproved material. There is absolutely no food safety or health risk to humans or animals. International grain handling and shipping procedures cannot prevent entry of trace amounts of unapproved GMO or other material to the level of zero in any crop. As testing technology is further refined, GMO material will be increasingly identified in international shipments of all commodities. <b>Current testing methods can detect GMO material at concentrations as low as 10 parts per million, making it certain that more disruptions will occur in the future.</b> There is a sharp division of opinion in the EU over the zero tolerance rule, but even if it becomes more unanimous it could take years for the regulations to be changed.
<b>U.S. soybean exporters also remain blocked because corn dust containing traces of unapproved varieties</b> were mixed in tinyamounts in two cargoes of soybeans. One nearly instant result is a shortage of soybean meal in Europe.
The flax market has understandably collapsed in western Canada. Little or no flax is being bought and most buyers are not making offers to buy at any price. When last quoted about a week ago, Manitoba prices to the grower had fallen to $225 a tonne from $440 in June and Saskatchewan prices to about $250 from $400. Growers have no choice but to store their 2009 production until the situation is clarified. No one can say when that will be.
The plunge in prices has spurred some interest from other buyers, including China, but the needs of all other users are a fraction of what Europe normally takes.
<b>Flax export outlook for Europe deteriorates</b>
Fanatic European regulations threaten Canada’s flax industry
Canadian flax was officially banned from entering Europe last week, until further notice, due to the discovery last month of unapproved GMO material in two Canadian flax cargoes. The ban is not expected to be permanent, but it comes at the time of year when shipments usually peak before closure of the St. Lawrence Seaway for the winter. From the point of view of European flax users, Canadian supply has suddenly become unreliable. Since there are few other sources of linseed flax, European usage is likely to drop, with possible long-term consequences.
<B>German authorities who made the discovery have refused to share details of the test results with Canadian officials. The tests could be very suspect.</b> According to the Plant Biotechnology Institute in Saskatoon, which developed the GMO variety Triffid, which is now causing the trouble, <b>there is no specific test to identify the presence of this material.</b> A late report said the German government has agreed to co-operate with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which is sending reference material for use with future tests, in refining its test procedures.
Canada may be able to propose a protocol to assure the EU that Canadian flax shipments in the future comply with EU requirements. A high-level meeting has been set for Oct. 19. A similar protocol facilitates U.S. rice shipments to the EU. This could mean an undertaking to test outgoing shipments to make sure they are clean. It would be expensive, time-consuming and logistically disruptive.
The Flax Council, which originally managed the process of removing all traces of Triffid flax after the decision was made not to allow commercial production, has formed a Flax Risk Management Team and created a section on its website with news of the latest developments (www.flaxcouncil.org).
<b>The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has begun to test all certified flax seed stock; no positive GMO results have turned up and none are expected.</b> The Canadian Grain Commission is doing the same for flax inventory in commercial positions, testing samples submitted from licensed facilities, to determine the nature and location of any GMO material. The Commission is also expanding its harvest survey to test producer samples of the 2009 crop, though the number of such samples could be reduced because of the consequences if Triffid traces are found.
This is turning out to be the most awkward incident to date with the European Union’s ridiculous zero tolerance rule for unauthorized and unapproved material. There is absolutely no food safety or health risk to humans or animals. International grain handling and shipping procedures cannot prevent entry of trace amounts of unapproved GMO or other material to the level of zero in any crop. As testing technology is further refined, GMO material will be increasingly identified in international shipments of all commodities. <b>Current testing methods can detect GMO material at concentrations as low as 10 parts per million, making it certain that more disruptions will occur in the future.</b> There is a sharp division of opinion in the EU over the zero tolerance rule, but even if it becomes more unanimous it could take years for the regulations to be changed.
<b>U.S. soybean exporters also remain blocked because corn dust containing traces of unapproved varieties</b> were mixed in tinyamounts in two cargoes of soybeans. One nearly instant result is a shortage of soybean meal in Europe.
The flax market has understandably collapsed in western Canada. Little or no flax is being bought and most buyers are not making offers to buy at any price. When last quoted about a week ago, Manitoba prices to the grower had fallen to $225 a tonne from $440 in June and Saskatchewan prices to about $250 from $400. Growers have no choice but to store their 2009 production until the situation is clarified. No one can say when that will be.
The plunge in prices has spurred some interest from other buyers, including China, but the needs of all other users are a fraction of what Europe normally takes.
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