Canadian canaryseed shipments to its top market are in limbo and trade is completely disrupted by a Mexican ban on noxious weed seeds, industry players say.“It’s kind of shutting everything down,” said Robert Lafond, a trader with Roy Legumex, July 5.The situation was unclear, with industry members planning a July 6 industry-only conference call and then a further industry-Canadian Food Inspection Agency call July 7.Regulators, traders and farmers are trying to determine why Mexican officials have announced a zero-tolerance policy for at least some weed seeds. CFIA did not comment on the situation by the Western Producer’s deadline.Lafond said Canadian canaryseed shipments are on their way to Mexico now and their status is unclear. When China blocked blackleg-tainted canola, it provided a grace period in which in-transit shipments were allowed into the country.The Wild Oats markets newsletter reported June 29 that prices had fallen to 13.5 cents per pound.The Canaryseed Development Commission of Saskatchewan said June 30 that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency received notification from Mexico on June 23 that all imports of Canadian canaryseed will be held and tested for the presence of quarantine weed seeds.Mexico is looking for wild buckwheat and it has indicated that the detection of just one wild buckwheat seed will result in rejection of the shipment.Canada annually exported an average of 173,000 tonnes of canaryseed from 2007 to 2009, most of which originated in Saskatchewan. Mexico was the top customer in each of those years, importing an average of 41,000 tonnes, nearly one-quarter of total exports, the commission said.
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