Flax?

[parsley]

[parsley]

"Barry Hall, president of the Flax Council of Canada, confirmed that European labs have been testing Canadian flaxseed and initial analytical results indicate the presence of NPTH, a genetic marker, in some samples" UNQUOTE


Uh, you think he's talking out his ear, do you?

[craig]

I don't understand. So approved GMO is fine but unapproved is not. They have been accepting thousands of tonnes of South American GMO soybeans for years and now their excited about flax which for most purposes is an industrial product for paint and lino. It's great that we're enjoying all the benefits of GMO flax such as improved yield and better weed control. Would seem in today's world non tariff trade bariers are part of the business of restricting trade and driving prices down. Good old Canada just takes in on the chin and tries to absorp the additional risks. Glad we have such good margins to work with.

[parsley]

I thought there would be a show of concern about the obvious lack of responsibility by the guardians of the GMO flax variety, targetted soley for one use.

Not even a "whoops."

Is it that anything at all goes? Anything will be acceptable? With no concern let alone one word of censure?

A little like the kid who stole cigarettes and then is indignant because he didn't get to smoke them all. The stealing didn't bother him.

What about our basic responsibility as farmers, for ALL FOOD WE GROW AND PRODUCE? To sell what we say we sell? Or is that concept a little too old fashioned and needs modifying too?

If so, stock up on some melamine.

If we as farmers do not show concern about food, and how we handle it, and grow it, the trust we have built over the years throughout the world, and is an asset to us, will disappear.

Pars

[charliep]

I will note that flax is mainly an industrial product used in paint and linoleum (plus other uses of linoil). I find it interesting that a human food user of flax went to the same pile (and paid a commodity price) for something that would enter the food chain. The result in the European supply chain is that crushing plants that rely on flax for use in an industrial product (linoil) will be denied supplies for their business commitments within. Put another way, Canada is the major exporter but Europe only has one source of supply. There will be pain in the industry there because they are denied access to their needed supplies.

Perhaps an unexpected good outcome of this process is that Canada will crush flax for the linoil market and value add here.

Given the level of sophistication of testing, every sector of the agricultural industry will get caught off side for some infraction of a regional rule at some point including the organic industry. Hopefully we all have the patience as a Canadian industry to seek the facts before we (being members of the industry) put the knives in each others backs - Lord knows our competitors will do it anyway.

[ward.toma]

Craig

The transgenic events in canola, corn, and soybeans
have safety approvals in the EU. They did the
paperwork. The transgenic flax variety does not have
EU approvals, thus the tolerance is zero.

[parsley]

Trust. Owning up. Responsibility. Doing the right thing. Read it again.

Not covering up sorry asses.

As you well know, I'm a call a spade a spader.

Maybe you can't understand the point.

Speaking of knives.....The indiscriminate flow of GMO flax into the food chain will decimate the established organic flax market in Europe, as was the organic canola market decimated much the same way.

A thousand cuts out of a market.

I'm gone for the day, Parsley

[Fransisco]

From Agriweek...

The futures market for flax having expired some years ago, there is no standard pricing reference for the crop and it isnot easy to know how the market is going. But flax cash prices have dropped by as much as $100 a tonne from the $325 to $350-a-tonne range in barely 30 days. Most grain companies are not buying flax at any price because of the lack of forward orders from reliable, traditional European importers. With seaway navigation to end in 90 days, flax not cleared by then will have to be held into the spring in a very uncertain and confused market. European linseed mills appear to have all but stopped buying flax.

A rumor circulated, unconfirmed as of late in the week, that a small shipment of Canadian flax recently arrived at Antwerp containing extremely small amounts of illegal GMO material. It was assumed that it could have been linked to a genetically-modified glyphosate tolerant flax variety developed in the late 1990s but not registered and grown only in test plots. At last word the Flax Council, a couple of grain companies and Canadian Grain Commission were trying to sort it out.

There was no official announcement from any European source about the GMO issue but coincidentally the European Union Council of Agricultural Ministers debated the zero-tolerance policy for GMO contamination. In June Germany and Spain blocked cargoes of U.S. soybeans found to contain traces of GMO corn not approved in the EU.

European linseed mills buy the bulk of the Canadian flax crop. They took 76% of 2008-09 exports. Small amounts go to the U.S. and Japan but without reliable European demand there is basically no home for the Canadian crop.

Oil flax is not grown in Europe to any significant extent, though fibre flax as well as hemp are produced and have are heavily subsidized. Canada is the only sizable exporter. Therefore if European users are not buying Canadian flax they are not buying any flax and are not using it. This abrupt change in the flax market may have little to do with GMOs, but whatever it is, it is a bad omen for prairie flax. The only two high volume uses for linseed oil are in paint and linoleum, both of which are declining markets due to the development of newer products.

[Fransisco]

Will note that the zero tolerance policy is having a very detrimental effect on EU livestock producers. They have a very tough time sourcing feed because of it. Little is grown in Europe and most has to be imported.

[joedales]

The Greenpeace guys have jumped on this and hammering us....this news release was sent to me...I thought everyone should know they are making a fuss. FYI Joe



Illegal GM Flax Contaminates Canadian Exports.

Contamination of European food threatens Canadian export markets

OTTAWA, Sept. 10 /CNW/ - The European Commission's Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed has confirmed the contamination of Canadian flax exports with a genetically modified (GM) flax, devastating Canadian flax sales to Europe. The GM flax has been illegal to grow in Canada since 2001 when flax growers forced the government to take the product off the market. A German company confirmed the GM contamination in its cereals and bakery products.
The GM flax, called the "Triffid", was approved by Canadian regulators in 1998 but the Flax Council of Canada convinced the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to remove variety registration for the GM flax in 2001, making it illegal to grow. Flax growers took this action to protect their export markets from the threat of GM contamination. Approximately 70 per cent of Canada's flax is exported to Europe.
"This is an absolute nightmare for flax growers and why we worked so hard to have the GM flax removed," said Terry Boehm, a flax grower and Vice President of the National Farmers Union. "Flax growers forced the GM flax off the market eight years ago to prevent any threat of contamination and protect our export markets. GM flax was never wanted or needed. We knew it would destroy our European markets and now we fear this has happened."
At the beginning of this month, cash bids for flaxseed in Western Canada fell dramatically based on rumours of GM contamination.
"This contamination is extremely shocking as GM flax has not been grown in Canada since 2001," said Lucy Sharratt, Coordinator of the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network. "Where did this contamination come from?"
"This is a major international contamination incident that shows how dangerous any GM crop field testing and development is for farmers and consumers," said Arnold Taylor, an organic flax grower and Chair of the Organic Agriculture Protection Fund of the Saskatchewan Organic Directorate.
"Germany never approved GM flax but thanks to Canada we are eating illegal and unlicensed flax in our bread and cereal," said Stefanie Hundsdorfer from Greenpeace Germany. "This again proves that once released into nature genetically engineered constructs are uncontrollable and cannot be recalled. At least now it's clear that the industry is unable to control its products."
The GM flax was developed by controversial scientist and industry proponent Alan McHughen when he worked at the Crop Development Centre of the University of Saskatchewan. In the wake of the 2001 controversy the Centre halted its GM research.
This revelation of GM flax contamination comes right in the middle of another huge scandal over Canada's approval of Monsanto's eight-trait GE 'SmartStax' corn without any health safety assessment.
"Consumers are reeling from learning that Health Canada did not approve the new 'SmartStax' GM corn and now they find out that their flax could be contaminated," said Sharratt. "GM is out of control, we clearly need a moratorium on all new GM crops and foods until we can examine the entire system that regulates GM in Canada."
For further information: Lucy Sharratt, Coordinator, Canadian Biotechnology Action Network, (613) 241-2267 ext. 6; Terry Boehm, National Farmers Union, cell: (306) 255-7638 or (306) 255-2880; Arnold Taylor, Saskatchewan Organic Directorate, cell: (306) 241-6126 or (306) 252-2783; Stefanie Hundsdorfer, Greenpeace Germany, 011 49 40 30618 358 (cell), 01149 171 8780 810

[Fransisco]

Interesting link here to the EU notification webpage. Looks like they find all sorts of interesting things in all sorts of shipments of different things.

<a href="https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/rasff-window/portal/index.cfm?event=notificationsList&StartRow=1 ">https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/rasff-window/portal/index.cfm?event=notificationsList&StartRow=1</a>

Got a chuckle out of this one,

"unauthorised genetically modified corn (MIR 604 and MON 88017) in dog feed from the United States."

In and around all of the real threats and problems they have this. Trace amounts of GMO's not even fit for a Europeans dog. What a joke.

[Fransisco]

[Fransisco]

Also interesting is the Organic Trade Association's policy statement on GMO's

"5. <b>OTA rejects adopting a zero-tolerance policy at this time</b>, on the grounds that obtaining a zero level of GMOs may not be possible in the US due to widespread contamination. This contamination is more widely spread than many realize. OTA notes that the EU has a tolerance level of 1%, but <b>OTA does not support setting a tolerance level. OTA stresses that organic production is a process guarantee</b>, and notes that just as there are trace amounts of persistent synthetic pesticides in much of our food, so there may be background levels of GMOs in North American food, due to the high percentage of GM crops grown here."

http://www.ota.com/pp/otaposition/geos.html

Yet, we don't see them criticising the European zero tolerance policy.

[parsley]

GE-Contaminated Flax Seed Raises Concerns For Canadian Organic Sector

SACKVILLE, Neb., Sept. 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Organic Trade
Association (OTA) in Canada has called the recent discovery of contaminated
flax seed in Europe "unacceptable," and said biotechnology companies must take
responsibility for damages caused by their lack of appropriate containment
protocols.

The European Commission's Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed has
discovered an illegal genetically engineered (GE) trait in German food
products, which originated from Canada. Although no organic products have been
implicated at this time, the discovery of this unauthorized GE trait in food
products is a major concern for the Canadian organic sector, and for consumers
around the world. The GE flax in question, called 'Triffid,' was designed
specifically to withstand applications of synthetic chemical pesticides.

"It's time for biotech companies to be good parents and take
responsibility for their children. The owners of GE crops need to assume the
liability for loss of market access due to their technologies appearing in
countries or products in which they are not wanted. As GE products are not
permitted under organic standards, the organic sector in Canada is extremely
concerned by the prospect of losing access to its essential markets in Europe,
Asia and around the world," said Matthew Holmes, managing director of OTA in
Canada.

The controversial illegal contamination of flax comes on the heals of
recent activity to fast-track new GE crops into North America, including GE
sugar beets, the July approval of Monsanto and Dow's "SmartStax" GE corn, and
current proposals to allow GE alfalfa and GE wheat to be grown in Canada.

"The introduction of GE alfalfa will seriously compromise Canada's
agricultural sector, and if GE wheat 'goes wild' like this flax seems to, it
could destroy the market for Canada's most important export commodity, wheat,
whether it's organic or not," Holmes said.

An article in the Summer 2009 edition of The Organic Report indicates
that the proposed introduction of GE alfalfa in Canada will seriously
compromise the marketability of organic and non-organic crops for domestic and
international markets. Alfalfa is a foundation of organic agriculture: used in
crop rotations and as a green nutrient for soil to reduce reliance on
monoculture and chemical fertilizers.

The Organic Trade Association has repeatedly called for a moratorium on
new GE crops introduced into North American markets until more research is
done on the impact of these technologies on human health, the environment and
the economic impact of their introduction.

Founded nearly 25 years ago, the Organic Trade Association (OTA) is the
membership-based business association for organic agriculture and products in
North America, with affiliated offices in Canada and the United States. Its
members include growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmers'
associations, distributors, importers, exporters, consultants, retailers and
others. OTA's mission is to promote and protect the growth of organic trade to
benefit the environment, farmers, the public and the economy.
www.ota-canada.ca


For further information: Matthew Holmes, managing director, Organic
Trade Association in Canada, 1-613-482-1717, mholmes@ota.com

[parsley]

Look Franny,

You can argue until you are blue in the face that the EU should be changing their policy.

And that Canada should be changing their policy.

The point is, GMO flax has not been approved for food use.

Like it or lump it.

When an action is not a protest,but detours through a third-person country, it is a planned sale.

And memorize this: Whether or not you like the rules, or approve of the rules, THEY ARE THE RULES IN PLACE.

If you can't live by the existing rules, buy goats and farm them. At least you won't be getting my goat. LOL Pars