Anyone test positive for Triffid?

[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

[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

[haveapulse]

Had a grower advise me of a positive test from flax grown from certified seed. Todate he had not been advised by any official agency of what he should be doing with his flax. Todate he had not been contacted in any manner to advise him of the proper protocol of management of his inventory.

Which leads to the question who is minding the store?

Can anyone tell us if there any protocol on what a farmer does when their flax tests positive.
It seems to me there should be some protocol on management of this inventory?

On a good note, our pedigreed flax, CDC Sorrel and Bethune also tested negative.

[food4u]

We are commercial growers and our samples came back negative.Delivered the sample on Nov.10th and got areply on Dec.8th, after three phone calls.

[bucket]

For a bit of fun if everyone posts their results and where they got their seed do you think we can find the source quicker than the cgc, saskflax, flaxcouncil of canada, and all the other living off checkoffs.

Horatio (CSI Miami) would be proud.