SASKATOON – A maximum of 500 farmers will have a chance to grow AgrEvo’s herbicide-resistant canola this year.
Steve Meister, spokesperson for the company in Regina, said Innovator canola, which is resistant to glufosinaten ammonium, cleared the final regulatory hurdles last week, enabling its registration.
Agriculture Canada granted re-registration of the broad spectrum herbicide, now called Liberty, and also granted registration of the variety as seed.
A herbicide-resistant canola enables producers to apply certain weed-killing herbicides without killing the crop.
The Western Canada Canola Rapeseed Recommending Committee in late February supported the variety for registration, but only if the transgenic canola was deemed safe for the environment, for animal feed and for human food.
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The “novel foods” clearance came through in February, while the environmental release and novel feed clearance went through in mid-March, Meister said.
Only in Canada and U.S.
The committee restricted the variety to a maximum of 40,000 acres this year. Because it is a transgenic, developed through laboratory gene manipulation, the seed can only be sold in Canada and the U.S.
The canola is being sold under contract through Saskatchewan and Alberta wheat pools.
Meister said the company and the pools are still deciding where the seed will be grown.
Because the variety has to be kept separate and delivered directly to crushers, it limits where the seed can be grown.
Innovator won’t be available in Manitoba as Manitoba Pool Elevators declined to sell the variety.
Meister added while there is more than enough seed for 40,000 acres, “it’s not even in the bag that it (acreage) will be that much.”
Initial plans are to offer contracts of 80 acres to about 500 farmers.
Another on the way
Those who lose out on an Innovator contract may still be able to grow another herbicide-tolerant canola.
Pioneer Hi-Bred successfully appealed a decision when its variety, which is tolerant to Pursuit herbicide, was not considered for registration.
A special vote of the canola recommending committee last week ruled the variety, called 45A71, be supported for registration.
The variety was initially rejected because its protein content fell below minimum requirements, said Ian Grant, director of canola research for the company.
Pioneer argued that the committee had not consistently applied minimum standards to other varieties that were supported for registration.
Even though the variety is not a transgenic, it is still considered a plant with a novel trait, Grant said. That means the variety must be found safe for the environment and for animal and human consumption before the seed can be registered.
“We anticipate those clearances will come through shortly … in time for spring,” Grant said.
Acreage of Pioneer’s variety, which will be sold through United Grain Growers’ Proven Seed division, will not be restricted by the committee if it is registered.
