Triffid Bites a Hunk out of Pocketbooks

[parsley]

From Country Guide:

"Prairie flax growers will get a 50 per cent discount on the regular cost of testing their pedigreed and farm-saved seed for Triffid genetics, effective Saturday (Jan. 1).

The Flax Council of Canada has budgeted $1.5 million to cover half the cost, up to $100, of tests during the 2011-12 crop year to cull the genetically modified (GM) variety from Western Canada's seed stocks.

The council will reimburse the labs handling the testing for the discounts, in the first stage of what's expected to be a multi-year program, backed with funding from the federal government's Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAPP).

The testing program is meant to eliminate Triffid from flax in Canada and maintain access to EU markets. Starting in the new crop year on Aug. 1, the program will be extended to cover the testing of all flax production, the council said in a recent release.

The council has spearheaded a testing regime for farm samples of flax seed since the discovery of low levels of Triffid in shipments of flax to the European Union (EU) in September 2009.

With a testing program in place, shipments of flax have resumed to the EU, which is Canada's largest export market for flax. Exporters have been able to identify shipments testing positive for Triffid and direct them away from the EU, the council said.

Such a program "dramatically" cuts the incidence of positive tests in rail car shipments arriving at ports, the council said.

Under the council's program, producers can use their own saved seed for planting flax crops, as long as it undergoes the same testing procedures for Triffid as those already in place for pedigreed seed.

But the "best option" for flax growers remains the planting of pedigreed seed that's been tested and shown to be free of Triffid, the council said.

Triffid, a GM flax variety that bred in Saskatchewan in the 1990s, was deregistered in 2001 and never commercialized, as the flax industry feared losing access to Europe if a GM flax were introduced.

But several countries closed their ports to Canadian flax in 2009 after a number of samples tested positive for markers of Triffid, which were soon found to have made their way into some breeder seed."


So who actually pays the most $$ cleaning up the GM Triffid mess?

-Pedigreed Triffid Seed Growers?
-Triffid companies formed?
-Conventional Farmers?
-Taxpayers?

Pars

[farmaholic]

The Triffid "Genie" (no pun intended)is out of the bottle and may take some time to get back in. Seeding pedigreed seed won't stop volunteer flax from germinating, with todays low disturbance seeding methods, it could take a while for the volunteering to stop. Therefore we may continue to see recontamination at low levels for a while. Also, not everyone is going to sow pedigreed seed either. Even farm saved seed that has been "rigorously" tested isn't guaranteed Triffid free!
Given the recent flax prices experienced one might wonder where the flax price may be if there was no problem with European acceptance. Or could one say their actions came back to haunt them with lower seeded acres along with a poor growing season and demand from accepting countries resulting in lower stocks for western Canada thus driving the price up.
Who is responsible? Someone should be. I have spent nearly $900.00 is the last year testing 09 and 2010's crop. I never grew it and thankfully mine isn't contaminated. But for those who's is testing positive have a dilemma since it is now on the land they farm and maybe even the landlords land. It creates alot of questions as to who should pay for this, unfortunately it will be the primary producer in the end. Remember this when other genetically modified crops are being developed and not fully accepted by our customers.

[checking]

Farmaholic.

"triffid genie ... may take some time to get back in." Why should we have faith in pedigreed flax seed over that of our own common flax seed? Why blame volunteer flax for the Triffid problem?

The 4-60 test is accurate 95% of the time in detecting levels of triffid down to .01% contamination, and just on the seeds of flax, pedigreed or common, used in the tests. Run it again on the same sample from which you drew the flax for the first tests, and it could fail on this go around, or the tenth trial you run.

We need to accept that the Triffid genie is here to stay. Your land, my land, my neighbour's land can never escape from it at some level. We lie to ourselves in believing it can be eliminated. Zero tolerance European consummers are gullible, if they don't recognize this.

Refinements to the Triffid tests are coming. You just add the number of zeros behind the decimal that it can be taken to, and you will still never get to uncontaminated.

Run a few of these test for curiosity, if you must, but I say these mass tests are a waste of resources.

We get one chance at these things, and I say we blew it when it was allowed to be developed.

[oneoff]

"The testing program is meant to eliminate Triffid from flax in Canada".


After explaining it more than once; its time to say "you stupid, ignorant idiots. When the Triffid test can't come close to testing for zero percent Triffid presence; just how can any sane person ever again say we have any chance whatsoever to eliminate Triffid contamination from flax in Canada."
If those persons repeating this nonsense are so wrong on this obvious truth; is there any hope that any of their other jugements could ever be trusted on any other matter.

[charliep]

If Canada can't go back and revise the past, what should be done differently today with flaxseed?

Measures of success of the approach to dealing with the triffid issue would be ability to export/export volumes and price.

Last year, western Canada exported 772,000 tonnes of flaxseed in site of the challenges the industry faced. Part was developing protocols that satisfied Europes needs. Part was developing new markets or expanding old ones. Prices are currently $13/bu plus per tonne (you can put in the real number). It took an industry approach and leadership to do this.

To keep product flowing to export (not a big domestic market in spite of the opportunities), what should be done differently short term? To deal with the reality that triffid gene is the system, what should be done medium and long term to deal with market access issues?

[ajl]

Absolutely nothing should be done. If the industry reacts it lends credibility to something that is purely political. Right now flax prices have recovered. Hopefully we will start exporting oil to the E U instead of seed. Given time the EU will have no choice but to accept Canadian seed as it is bankrupt and then silly politics will stop. Shame on those in the industry like seed growers who tried to line their pockets with the crisis by trying the cert. seed only trick.

[charliep]

Just curious if triffid flaxseed is a market access issue (Europe in particular) or a health/food safety issue? Am a consumer of flaxseed in my cereal every morning (Omega 3 oil benefits). As a consumer of the product you produce, are recommending I stop because it may be detrimental to my health?

[parsley]

Isn't there a menu of modified flax seeds-in-waiting ready to come down the producers' field aisles once Triffid is eradicated just enough to make it SEEM gone once and for all?

I had understood that genetically modified Triffid had to be got rid of so that new and improved genetically modified flax could replace it.

To me, that made the Flax-Council-sense producers have come to depend upon. Pars

[farmaholic]

Charliep

On a lighter note---if you feel you have potential health problems with the flax in your breakfast cereal, just think of all those people eating french fries made with GM canola oil!!

On the question of what to do-- I guess something is better than nothing but it seems to fall on the backs of those who weren't responsible for this in the first place.

Hello Merchant Law Group--class action.

[charliep]

Just to highlight, triffid did go through all the Canada process around plants with novel traits and was approved (CFIA, Health Canada, etc.). It was an industry decision to pull triffid out of the seed system in the early 2000's because of market access issues. Perhaps a learning from the issues of the past 18 months is the necessity to at least register the event in major markets.

The cost of producing and registering a genetically engineered/transgenic crop is about $100 million and getting higher. Other biotech plant breeding processes are somewhat cheaper but still expensive.

Transgenics/genetic engineering is what grabs the headlines but there are many other biotech processes being used in plant breeding. All countries including Europe are using some form of biotechnology in plant breeding. Given knowledge and genetic mapping, things will become more complex in the future. Food is one issue but the same processes are being used in developing vacines, etc.

[parsley]

You are very careful about what comes out of your mouth charliep, so yes, down the road, you may indeed, want to be careful about what goes into your mouth if gene stacking in food becomes a diagnosable symptom.

Will flaxA x flaxB x flaxC x flaxd produce stacked genes:

New and improved modified flax fortifed with iron, crosses with 2012 flax fortified with VitA/iron, crosses again with the that rogue flax in dave's bin from the 2012 VitB12/iron fortified flax that crossed with Triffid.

Curb it?. Or cleaned up? Or taken back? And the companies all changed their name? And the Flax Council is holidaying enmasse in Hawaii?

And charliep presents symptoms of 'poorly-bound iron'.

It's all iffy and unknown and unlimited and man doesn't have one clue what Nature does or does not do.

We've all endured the attitude of perfected Science. ie:

"Take a tablespoon of estrogen daily and you won't have a heart attack."

Uh huh

charliep, would you believe:

"Take a tablespoon of progesterone daily and you won't have a faint heart." Pars

[charliep]

Perhaps you are right. You have always avoided the question about whether including flaxseed in my diet is a good thing and whether the health benefits of Omega 3 out weigh the risks of triffid flax. In fact, what is it in real terms that makes flaxseed a health risk?

I note the reference to canola oil (from genetically engineered canola seed) and its lower level of transfat/use in deep frying. Does this pose a health risk? Do the benefits of lower transfat out weigh the risk of genetic engineering (keeping in mind oil has only limited genetic materiall in it)?

[charliep]

Perhaps even more interesting, why just highlight flaxseed/Flax council? Sugar beets? Alfalfa? Canola? Corn? Soybeans? Wheat?

[parsley]

Flaxseed as Nature made it, imho,has fabulous enhanced-health properties.

Flax is good food. Good for horses, too.

Grind it,... a common way to change flax, and all of a sudden it becomes vulnerable to rancidity and all of a sudden flax has a shelf life.

Modified with the taste of cardoman, the consistency of mushrooms, the color of saskatoons, and the size of plums, it is no longer flax,though, is it? Nor would I advise you whether to eat it or not.

What we do with food, how we change basic food, should undergo vigorous scrutiny. It's common sense. Surely.

Burning steak until it is charred, produces side effects proven not so healthy.

Eat what you choose, charliep. Pars

[charliep]

We all have different perceptions about the risk of biotech.

We also need to be aware of other trends and issues. I note that issues around cereals/molds are likely to come more to the forefront. Fusarium graminearum/link to DON and mycotoxins. Ochratoxins and tighter buyer specifications. U99 and the impact on production if established in the northern (shameless plug for a presentation at Farm Tech).

From health Canada.

Mycotoxins are another group of natural toxins. The word mycotoxin is derived from the Greek word for fungus 'mykes' and the Latin word 'toxicum' meaning poison. Mycotoxins are toxic chemical products formed by fungi that can grow on crops in the field or after harvest. The foods that can be affected include cereals, nuts, fruit and dried fruit, coffee, cocoa, spices, oilseeds and milk. There are now more than 300 known mycotoxins of widely different chemical structures and differing modes of action - some target the kidney, liver, or immune system and some are carcinogenic. Common mycotoxins include aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, ergot alkaloids, fumonisins, patulin, trichothecenes (such as deoxynivalenol which is also known as vomitoxin) and zearalenone.