Anyone test positive for Triffid?

[parsley]

Well, popon is popped off, I'm afraid. Unfortunately, inspectors are graded, and rely on their credentials and reputation and references to get work, so he's a little testy these days, I believe.

Gossip says... organics are testing flax, fran. Genetic ID. $105 a pop, One week.

Don't tell popon though, he'll get really pissy. pars

[Fransisco]

Oh, "gossip says". Well then what was I thinking. Ha!

[parsley]

Yes. I am gossip.

And one company I spoke with before Christams is exporting flax...but tested flax only .

Organics wants to make sure we don't have Triffid.

You see, some organic growers have purchased registered/certified seed from conventional seed growers.

And how dependable is that?

Right.

[Fransisco]

I'm sure some are.

The point though is that, according to the EU anyways, they don't have to.

It's a bit ironic, or perhaps cynical is the better word, that buyers and sellers of conventional flax who aren't concerned about this have to test, yet the organic community gets to do whatever it wants, no questions asked, no government harassment. What that means is that this whole mess is not really about the GMO's.

[parsley]

Surely you realize that organic production entirely disallows genetically modified seed. Always have.

And certified/registered seed growers are well aware of the requirement.

Therefore, since organics don't propogate GM or allow GM production, it was considered a waste of time testing for it. All production is documented.

However, because registered seed growers have not followed their required protocol a risk appeared in November. Organic farmers are addressing the risk.

Perhaps if you were as critical of the seed growers who have avoided responsibility for the mess we are in, the Triffid puke could be cleaned up.

I am concerned over the financial losses a lot of farmers were hit with because they were depending on flax to pay their bills. Both organic and conventional.

Are you concerned? Or questioning why ordinary farmers should be paying for testing costs? It's not their mess! Pars

[bucket]

I understand your concern from the organic side. If a producer bought registered Bethune seed from a seed grower who had been trickling in that triffed seed he didn't want to sell for half price - an organic producer could have triffid in his flax.

I asked this before - if a certified organic producer unknowning grows triffid flax organically should it be considered a gmo event?

My way of thinking is no and if the grower has documentation to that effect, it shouldn't be a problem.

But I also think that if my convention flax comes back with a clean bill of health, I should not be paying for certified seed in 2010. Iam going test both my seed that went in the ground from 2009 and the resulting crop from that seed. If the 105 buck test says its clean than I have followed the rules and paid my farming fee.

[parsley]

My observations bucket:

1. It's a seed grower credibility issue. The offenders are still in business, aren't they.

2. It's a financial issue. Organic Harvey didn't plan on buying GMO flax seed (if it shows up somewhere). So far, all gene testing in Europe for organic passes the testing. But if it doesn't in the future,there is financial loss.

3. It's a varietal segregation issue with the trust componenet gone awry. How do you even know what variiety you are grwoing if the breeders are careless? Even the plot testing data becomes meaningless. The tests farmers fund.

Will you be buying seed from any irresponsible dope once you get your test back negative? And end up at square one again?

4, It's a decency issue. An integrity issue. The leadership exhibits neither, imho.

[Fransisco]

"Surely you realize that organic production entirely disallows genetically modified seed. Always have."

You've said this before but as far as I can tell it's not true. In the end organics is about process and always has been. Follow the process, do the paperwork and you get your stamp.

Process and product are two different things.

[parsley]

With regards to flax, there was only Canada who had genetically modified flax, and the elite seed growers were instructed to crush it. Why would anyone test flax?

As I have said before, European importers regularly test organic grain. Including flax last fall.

Even some of our grain has been tested in Europe. No fee, either. Pars

[bluefargo]

I am a seed grower. I tested 3 lots of seed which I felt represented the various sources of seed on my place - 1 Bethune 2 Sorrel
All came back negative