Genetically Modified Organisms

[charliep]

Triffad is the herbicide tolerant flax talked about in other links.

[AG_guy]

I have heard of a family farm in ontario who have been using the same seed for decades maybe the last 40-50 years.They just keep saving and re-using there seed. Over time there seed has deveoped resistance to diseases and drought. Mother nature took care of it just like she takes care of the weeds they seem to do well no matter what. The comment i herad from them was the seed today is always new seed so we have to develope new traits in them to grow in our environment. When they have done the same thing naturally and i heard it does better then anything from a lab.

I don't know who theses guys are but i'm trying to find out. But what they have done has gotten my interest.

[parsley]

Some Swedes brought beans with them when they came to Sasktchewan in the late 1800's that we continue to grow. They are approx 60 days beans. Hardy.

ADAPTATION.

[wd9]

Canada has a science based reg system. If safe for food feed and the environment, the product can be registered and be grown in Canada.

Nothing prevents a breeder from modifying any crop and registering it in Canada. The problem is not Canada, it is the adventitious issues of these crops in other crops and exported away to a country who then will not accept it.

To register a new event (gene) for canola it must be not only be tested and approved here in Canada but also in the top 7 exporting countries. See why the seed costs a lot? Not by law but by respect for the industry a company does not get only cdn approval and release it. It would kill the industry. But, and its a big but, there is no legal reason for them not to.

RR wheat was a great balloon floated. Monsanto could have released it in Canada and there would have been nothing anyone could have done. But they did not want to destroy the grain industry because there would be no sales. Hence the proposed market acceptance tier proposed by the CWB. It was a disaster because now the reg system was no longer science based.

Charlie, if you look a little deeper, the problem is utilization of gene transfer technologies owned by you know who not letting them do the research for a commercial product. Not the regulatory hurdles so much as patents.

You are a dear pars.

Nothing is simple on this one.

[charliep]

Thanks wd9. You have identified more aligators in the swamp of my barley project. I have to keep in mind the outcome is to drain the swamp (or in this case ensure barley is a profitable crop that competes with other crops in Alberta for acreage and resources).

[charliep]

Here is an interesting site to bookmark - the government of Canada site that outlines the regulatory structure for approving biotech.

This includes Environment Canada (living modified organism), Health Canada and Canadian Food Inspection Agency. You can even look at the whole approval process for something like clearfield wheat.

[URL="http://www.bioportal.gc.ca/english/BioPortalHome.asp?x=1"]www.biotech.gc.ca[/URL]