The flax conference call

[bucket]

Is anyone getting in on this? I plan to, but if a person doesn't get a chance to ask question maybe AV should start a list to ask.

Here are my questions:

1. What benchmark do you have to say that we are gaining on the problem?

2. Why is certified seed the only answer?

3. Where are the buyer representatives from europe that need flax? And do they care about the variety of flax or just quality and safety?

4. How about implementing a 1:1 seed exchange since the seed growers "care" so much about the industry. Maybe they could their money where their mouth is since they had a part in all of this.

5. Why does the industry get 10 years to do an audit trail to ensure this didn't happen, and growers get three months with a forced solution to actually solve the problem?

6. Is there any hope that the seed growers that let the seed loose including the developer will compensate the industry/growers for the mess they created?

7. Why not just tell the EU to go to hell if they don't like our product? It seems this triffid issue is now world wide.And no grower in any country can be trusted not to have it.

[wilagro]

The worst part is...the TRIFFID GMO flax wouldn't hurt the consumer one iota. The Europeans are making a big stink over a miniscule trace amount of a GMO variety which is not longer grown or accepted. Big deal, just give a warning and carry on trade as usual. The big winners here are the end-users who got product at reduced price because of a BS complaint.

[parsley]

For fussy consumers, it's the bigger issue.

Intellectual property rights protect genetic modifications, but do regulate them at all.

So there are novel-trait crop varieties that trade coming from farmers' unregulated production and from manufactureres' unregulaterd processing, Both can export into countries such as Melamine Land, who ship it back to us to eat. Yawn, you say.

Chew with confidence? Yawn. Pars

[wmoebis]

1- Is there proof that the triffid even came from western Canada? Where is the proof? Maybe it was all from eastern Canada.

2- Where is the CGC on this issue?

3- If is was (say monsanto's) seed getting into our crops we are liable. Why not other way around?

4- If the CGC aren't getting to the bottom of this, has the RCMP been called in. Someone may have illegaly contaminated the seed.

[parsley]

Canadian Seed Growers Association are experts.

http://www.seedgrowers.ca/pdfs/annualreport/2008-2009%20Annual%20Report_Section%201_National%20Dire ctors,%20Standing%20Committees,%20Presidents,%20Se cretaries_20100108.pdf

"The Canadian Seed Growers’ Association (CSGA), which represents 4,500 seed growers, provides leadership as the only Canadian organization to monitor and certify pedigreed seed for all agricultural crops in Canada except potatoes.

Canada's seed industry is recognized and respected around the globe because it ensures mechanical purity, while providing an audit trail that guarantees varietal identity and genetic purity."

Alberta
President: Richard Stamp
Past President: Ron Markert
Vice President: Ryan Mercer
Directors: Andrew Kittle, Brent Andersen, Harold Warkentin, Don Sendziak, Norman Lyster, John
Brown, Tim Ferguson

Saskatchewan
President: Lyndon Olson
Past President: Joe Rennick
Vice-President: Terry Froese
Directors: Les Trowell, Bob Rugg, Donna Edwards, Gerald Girodat, Brent Bews, Laurie Wakefield,
Advisors: Blaine Recksiedler, Dave Gehl, Ron DePauw, Tanya Staffen, Dr. Brian Rossnagel, Dr. Bryan Harvey

Manitoba
President: Doug Heaman
Past President: Randy Court
Vice-President: Craig Riddell
Directors: Ron Jefferies, Doug Robertson, Eric McLean, Ryan Murray, Ray Askin, Dr. Patti Cuthbert, Bob Wiens, Don Zeghers

[dmlfarmer]

More questions:
What about Triffid seed that has been added to the soil seed bank on both commercial and pedigreed seed growers farm? How will seeding certified seed prevent volunteer Triffid seed from growing if already in the ground from previous crops. Remember, our markets want 100% Triffid free and if even one Triffid seed grows and is found in a shipment test, we still lose. If certified seed is so pure, why in other crops are 1% off types allowed in certified seed? If this problem did originate with seed growers, they likely have a higher concentration of Triffid seed in the soil seed bank than the average commercial grower does and I submit that farm saved seed that has been tested and verified Triffid free may be a lower risk of very low contaimination levels that certified seed from a seed grower who has actually grown Triffid in the past.

[TOM4CWB]

dml,

You can submit all you like... but I never grew terfid... tests I paid for prove the pedigreed seed I grew is clean... and you can make any deal you like with a marketer of flax you deal with. If you have pure seed... what do you have to worry about?

[gregpet]

The worry T4 is the requirement to use only certified seed for planting even if your own seed is pure.

[checking]

Don't you just love it gregpet when the seed growers (the winners) have no "but" reply to your observation?

[jensend]

tom did you ever merchandise pedigreed seed grown by another grower? i brought more foreign species onto the farm with pedigreed seed than i did having truckers or anybody else in the yard.

[jensend]

my point is that triffid could and likely was spread that way too.