Guess what flax growers?

[TOM4CWB]

Can you believe this Charlie et el!

'The current stewardship program is being reviewed by industry and will continue to support pedigreed seed as the preferred option for flax production.

However, the program will now include an option for producers to use farm saved seed - under comprehensive sampling and testing procedures that are being developed by the Flax Council in consultation with provincial flax grower associations.'

Have we ever got a mess.

Here is a copy of the Flax letter from Secan:

"March 4, 2010



To: Western SeCan Members



Re: GM Flax Update



Yesterday we received notice that the Crop Development Centre (CDC) has identified trace levels of CDC Triffid in CDC Bethune, CDC Sorrel, and CDC Sanctuary. Here is an excerpt from the letter:



The Crop Development Centre continues to test its breeder seed lots in order to provide accurate information to seed growers and flax producers. The CDC has retested certain seed lots of CDC Bethune, CDC Sorrel, and CDC Sanctuary, using the recently-approved more intensive testing procedure recommended by Flax Council of Canada. This more intensive testing program, based on multiple sub-samples of each seed lot, has indicated that CDC Triffid is present at extremely low and sporadic trace levels in all breeder seed lots tested of CDC Bethune, CDC Sorrel and CDC Sanctuary.



We reiterate that these new reports are of sporadic and low trace levels, below the 0.01% level, in the range of an estimated 1 to 2 seeds per million seeds.



The CDC will continue to test all new flax breeder seed lots for the presence of CDC Triffid prior to distribution. ..."

[oneoff]

This is outrageous. And the industry still pretends it is going to rid flax farmers of all traces of this genetic event. Just where are we going to get any flax seed without Triffid?
There are some answers; but I will have to point them out later.
In the meantime; lets all contemplate on the complete lack of credibility; absence of trust and absolute fumbling of the handling of this issue from beginning to end. It will never be over. Time to get a complete new set of people in charge of this file. The industry has not only failed farmers; they will ruin farming.
More later

[parsley]

The present directors and managers should resign. They have proven unaccountable, incompetent, lacking in discipling the offenders, untimely, not transparent, and more in sync with the trade than with producers.

And besides, they have not apologized to anyone, and that alone, arrogance, warrants giving the rest of the world a heads up. Soon.

Besides, my rumor mill tells me that Triffid flax test results, even though not given permission by producers because they did not sign the permission sheets, is being provided to JRI Pioneer.

Yes, they are, I am being told.

And the reason, I am told, that JRI/Pioneer is being provided with ALL your flax data, permissed or not, is because Pioneer agreed to list Quantum as their sole acceptable test facility, in return for Quantum supplying them with your test results. As I said , this is a rumour, but my source is more than honest. And that, in itself, is a novelty these days.

Pars

[parsley]

Now, I want make it clear that I am "What-iffing"....but I noticed that Viterra has also specified testing at ONLY Quantum....now what if they'd made the same alleged deal as JRI?

You don't suppose they would do that, would you?

Nah.

Well, maybe.

Damn right.(Speculatation, your on her)

[dave4441]

Parsley, i have been told that there are laws that surround the sale of this type of information (ie grower pays for test so info can not be sold unless it grower agrees). I would suggest someone have the Saskflax check with a lawyer on this as I think that if this was occuring, it could and should be stopped real fast. Could black list a grower in a hurry, in a sense, if he has a # of samples that test with positive for triffid and therefore affect his ability to market.

[parsley]

Kind of like, ah, SaskFlax disciplined the flax growers who retained, grew, and sold Triffid, you mean?

There was no reason for the test in the first place.

1. The trade knew full well Triffid was everwhere.They closed their eyes, imho.

2,Different varieties of GM flax are set to be released soon .

3. So why gather up GM flax just to replace it with more GM flax?

Duh.

[parsley]

An appropriate ad placed in EU by Flax Council of Canada:


For Sale: Canadian Flax not quite "Triffid Free" but hopefully being replaced with Brand New Varieties of GM flax.

E-mail Sask Flax for Triffid contamination Percentage Cerificate and request which new Varieity of GM you would like co-mingled in your shipment.

duh@saskflax.lalaland

[oneoff]

The way Triffid testing is being sold is 99.99% pure bull shit. The test just got 12.5 to 25 times higher sensitivity as now the industry is estimating levels of 1 or 2 seeds in a million compared to the 1 in 40,000 best sensitivity only a month ago.
I note that there is not a test yet that can detect 0.000001% with a 100% confidence level; or anywhere close to that level. With a zero tolerance policy we are so far away from eradication; that it is absurd to bring up figures that insinuate that progress can be made to eradicate the Triffid problem.
What might be possible would be to not repeat this disaster with round-up wheat; alfalfa etc etc.; but the same people have apparently no intention to do anything differently the next time.
Is this message so difficult to grasp that only a few people can see through it?

[oneoff]

This is not just a flax grower's issue.

[parsley]

No this is not just a flax growers' issue.

This is a food security issue, actually, and a marketing issue, and an farmer-enslavement issue, and a tax expenditure issue, and a health issue and a vocational issue and a moral issue and an industry consolodation issue, and a integrity issue and a stealth issue and a government issue and a political issue. Just to name a few.

But the bottom line is this: There is every reason to believe that there will be more consolidation amongst the biotech players, but because it is an everlasting experiment, and one that is not financilly sound because it its based upon government grants, there will be an eventual sale at fireslae prices. A 'fanny crosses with freddie' in the making.

A sale probably to China.

Think of the ramifications. Not just of the chemiclas and seed .

Of food. Pars

[oneoff]

Apparently for most people it isn't an issue at all. Too many conflicts of interest to take a stand? Seen that one before.

[TOM4CWB]

Folks,

I find it hard to believe that the release of breeder seed... at 1 seed of triffid in a million seeds... is the responsibility of the flax council or trade.

This problem has cost the trade millions. To say they are somehow intentionally behind a scheeme to do this is unbelievable.

How it happened... is a big question. That it happened is sad.

NOW what do we do?

[SASKFARMER3]

OK tom it is sad that this happened. But BSE happened and it was sad to. Oh yea pork compared to swine flu that was sad. HM now Triffid in flax. SAD really isn't it. Not to blame people who knew about it that's fricking sad. Why is it that Canada always frucks up. HM makes you wonder A.

[parsley]

Huh? Do you think breeder seed purity is the responsibility of Walmart? Or of Home Hardware?

Ask yourself, who developed the seed and who were the breeder multipliers?They are the ones responsible, not per, or cotton, or gregpet or Glen Beck.

Obviously containment was a problem with Triffid and will be with every modified variety, every new bred variety.

Where is the duty of care? THERE MUST BE ACCOUNTABILITY.

What should be done?

1.Seed Association should publicly say they screwed up.
2. Apologize. These know-nots have cost everyone, and especially their customers, countless dollars.

3. Target public facilities and make them take a time out to clean up their mess, develop new protocol. And if they won't, and remain the snotty know it alls they think they are, then farmer associations should ban them from futher activity/involvement. They WILL be repeat offenders, otherwise. The Seed Associations can provided all farmers with a "Scanned Facility" list

4. Farmer seed associations must ban the pedigreed seed breeders. They knew they had problems a long time ago. they just decided to let it slide. They will DO THE SAME WITH ANY OTHER FOOD CROPS.

I watched purebred cattle breeders do the same thing to commercial cattle breeders, again, and again, and again. And then one day, commercial men sat up, mad, and said "We won't buy your bulls any longer. Piss off"

That is where pedigreed seed growers are headed. You will wake up some morning, and discover your pedigreed seed is worth commercial price...because you do not have any customers left.

And scheming to improve your markets by enforced legislation is not going to help you. Once you look like an ass, and then act like an ass, and then sound like an ass in the media, even your ex-friend politicians won't support you.

Seed growers are just about at that point. And they know it. And hunkering down willonly accelerate decimating them.

Remember the Saskatchewan football player who knowingly spread aids to a bunch of his groupies?

Silence was definitely not golden. pars

[TOM4CWB]

Parsley,

For Secan to publish this letter, be honest, and for CDC to admit they have a problem... all took huge guts.

This is truly a billion$ problem. To clean this up will take decades. Now I will dump my seed stocks and not grow flax.

Please tell me how I was in any way responsible for this. March 4 2010 was the first time I knew there was a widespread problem that involved me... after spending $1500 on testing that was totally a loss.

I am a tad cranky... that you put all seed growers in the same box... and basically call us crooks. NOT TRUE.

I did not ever KNOWINGLY release any gm gene to anyone.

I do not need to grow flax.

I did not make any profit off the flax I grew...

I grew flax to get a break crop for clubroot and extend canola rotations. NOT to rip off any farmer, not to hurt any person.