Flax - again!

[checking]

So, we stay the course. We hope that Mr. Weber is correct, and this flax turmoil does resolve itself with widened tolerance levels. The one thing we don't do is reward the culprit(s) responsible as they with their seed industry have "NO SIVER BULLET" solution to clean this mess up. Their solution is only to enrich themselves a second time.

Thank you Parsley for your research.

Shaney, with your disclaimer now out there, do you agree with dmlfarmer that your "naive" to think the genie can be put back in the bottle?

[wmoebis]

Shaney brings up a good point. However can every seed producer insure that every seed was cleaned out thoughly before growing, storing and handling certified seed. NO.

Lots of samples of wheat contain trace amounts of flax and other seeds even if the farmer has never intentionaly growen them.

Certified seed has tolerances, for purity, built in. Example: Buy cert yellow peas and a trace amount maples will be in sample. This is due partly to the fact that no one can guarantee 100% clean seed, including seed growers.

The Triffid gene may have or may not have entered seed supplies accidentaly. If it entered intentionaly the rules weren't fallowed and action should be taken.

[parsley]

<p></p>
<p class="EC_style8ptBK"><strong>[URL="http://parsleysnotebook.blogspot.com/2010/01/fp967-triffid-flax-under-purview-of.html"](Are these what you call grain Senators?)[/URL]</strong></p>

[cottonpicken]

Sitting in a running combine wishing I was a weather forecaster and praying I get to meet a few of the pricks that started this

[charliep]

I have to ask the question again - is anyone talking about getting
the genetic event registered in Europe? Perhaps even deeper,
does anyone feel we (speaking as western Canadian farmers) are
selling an unsafe product into Europe? Is triffid flax a food safety
issue or simply a matter of breaking the European rules? If we
are confident in our product, then the solution becomes clearer -
work with European rules. Several corn GMO genetic events have
been registered this summer albeit so residue doesn't become an
issue in soybeans (which is GMO by the way).

[parsley]

I think we're discussing the ethics of our industry charliep. About losing trust. I realize large players want to "move on" and mouth the words, "And lets learn from it" and be done with it, while we sign the cheque for the new and renewed seed. My kids used to try to convince, "But that was a long time ago, Mother."

Certainly average farmers have learned that messes, including events gone wrong, and bankruptcies left owing, will be heaped on us like garbage to the local dump.

We are understanding what happened, who broke faith, and we're going to discover still more, but especially that accountability is the most essential part of rebuilding into a healthy industry. But do those who have caused the harm have a flipping clue what they have done, let alone admit it? Let AV'ers be the judge .

Every future event that is conceived by every brainwave Inc. receieving a government grant, and then goes awry, well the cost will be downloaded on us. On farmers.

Not on you. On us.

For anyone, and I mean anyone, to think, let alone promote, the idea that ordinary farmers' 2010 crops MUST be planted with the very same registered seed from the same registered band of seedgrowers that contaminated us in the first place, makes me very, very pissy.

And you should know by now, I'm not at all reasonable about negotiating the principle of choice.

[parsley]

Food.

As you well know, I'm a passionate foodie.
You ask if there is harm from a bit of Triffid flax. You are intent on discussing tolerances, and how to increase them. If .01% is alright, what is the matter with .02%

Tolerances are not the real issue.

a lot of foodies have a healthy dose of skepticism about modifying our food.
The other camp urges, "Anything at all goes, "It's 100% safe so just give me the godamn money and we'll give er snooz."

And there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that there will be unintended consequences derived from genetic modification and most likely a lot of them. It's a reasonable expectation. But what bothers me is irresponsible regulators, or the political leaders who would even sell their shares in an event gone wrong before you did, based on insider information, And then there is depending upon industry leadership from those who broke our system

When an event does go dreadfully wrong, so that harm could come to all of us who eat, and I presume that includes you charliep, the present leadership that we have would first of all not admit it, let alone warn anyone, or work to fix it.

A system of moving forwards must earn trust. The system we have keeps losing trust. The Triffid event showed all of us, in spades, that both dealers and card players cheat.

And of course some will argue I don't play with a full deck at the best of times.LOL Pars

[charliep]

I like this week's emalt quote. Gives me a view of the world.

Emalt quote of the week

"Experience is not what happens to you; it is what you do with
what happens to you."
Aldous Huxley

It is a very interesting case (realizing I am offending those in
the heat of the current battle) and will be relevant to the
upcoming research and commercialization for other crops like
wheat/barley. The questions raised here go to plant breeding
questions in general and from there our seed multiplication
system. Do the issues go to our seed multiplication system in
general or is it specific to this GMO event? How are our
competitors dealing with this issue? What needs to be done
differently in the future? Your idea of having a process to
monitor gene movement is a good one (Canada would have
known the triffid problem before our customer did).

[cottonpicken]

Ya pars,all your words and thoughts but nobody for
hyde to punch.

Bonnie and ?

[charliep]

Still eat flaxseed most mornings. My food issues (personal) are
calories/sugar, fats (trans fats and saturated), salt, highly processed food,
fibre (yes that age).

Would be interesting if someone could offer the organic industry a
perennial wheat using transgenics but the inserted gene is from another
very closely related grass species. As indicated the world of plant is going
to get very interesting as knowledge of gene/sequencing increases.