Flax seed for 2013 | Flax association leaders say producers will have what they need
A system-wide plan to flush the last traces of genetically modified Triffid out of Canada’s flax pipeline by 2014 are on track, according to flax industry officials.
However, the success of that plan depends largely on farmer co-operation, they said during an online information session late last month.
Officials said the entire initiative could be derailed if western Canadian flax growers fail to comply with a series of industry recommendations, including the use of certified seed to plant the 2014 crop. If that happens, they say, efforts to regain the confidence of foreign flax buyers would suffer a significant setback.
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“We’re probably only going to get one chance at this,” said Dave Sefton, a flax grower from Broadview, Sask., who also sits on the Saskatchewan Flax Development Commission’s board of directors.
“If we don’t get it right and we slip up, we could be stuck with this (mandatory GMO testing) regime for a lot longer than any of us want to be in it.”
The flax industry’s plan to get rid of Triffid hinges on a few critical factors.
Flax growers are encouraged to sell, before early 2014, all stocks of commercial flax produced before the 2013 growing season. Pedigreed seed growers are also asked to deliver all certified supplies of CDC flax into the commercial grain handling system.
As well, flax growers are asked to use certified seed, especially for 2014 planting but preferably for the 2013 crop as well.
Farmers who insist on planting farm-saved flax seed this spring will still be required to follow established testing protocols for seed.
In 2014, farmers will be strongly encouraged to plant the entire crop with new certified seed.
At least four reconstituted varieties from the University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Development Centre should be available for spring 2014 planting.
Those varieties — CDC Bethune 14, CDC Sorrel 14, CDC Sanctuary and CDC Glas — are derived from breeder seed that was grown out, examined for Triffid on a plant-by-plant basis and multiplied following strict protocols.
Certified seed from other breeding programs such as Agriculture Canada, Viterra and Limagrain have also consistently proven to be free of GM material.
Todd Hyra, western Canadian business manager for SeCan, said reconstituted CDC varieties are being multiplied this year by SeCan members and should be available to commercial growers before the end of the year.
The industry is confident there will be enough Triffid-free certified flax seed to plant more than one million acres in the spring of 2014.
The price of the reconstituted CDC seed is expected to be in line with other varieties of certified flaxseed, Hyra added.
Clearing out all existing stocks of commercial flax over the next year or so is not expected to significantly affect prices, according to the Saskatchewan Flax Development Commission.
High flax prices, strong demand and lower production have resulted in two or three years of historically low carryout stocks, and current supplies are at their lowest level in years, commission officials said, making it a good time to clean out the system.
