The head of a grain industry committee that rejected the wheat variety Alsen says the committee’s structure and operations need revamping.
But he also said that had nothing to do with the committee’s recent decision to turn down the fusarium-resistant variety.
“Alsen didn’t lose because of procedural issues,” said Stephen Fox, chair of the wheat, rye and triticale subcommittee of the Prairie Registration Recommending Committee for Grain. “It lost because of quality issues.”
Alsen was initially rejected by the subcommittee at the PRRCG’s annual meeting in February.
Read Also
Agriculture ministers agree to AgriStability changes
federal government proposed several months ago to increase the compensation rate from 80 to 90 per cent and double the maximum payment from $3 million to $6 million
That decision was appealed by Canterra Seeds, the Canadian agent for the U.S.-developed variety, but the appeal was rejected by the same subcommittee March 28.
The rejection means Alsen cannot be sold as seed, and as of July 31, will be eligible only for Canada Feed grade.
While Alsen showed moderate fusarium tolerance, it was rejected mainly because samples taken from field trials in 2002 indicated high levels of alpha-amylase, an enzyme that hurts the bread making quality of the flour.
The decision has been criticized by some farmers and farm groups, notably the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association, which has asked agriculture minister Lyle Vanclief to give farmers control over the PRRCG.
Fox makes no apologies for the committee’s decision, saying Alsen didn’t deserve to be approved for registration.
“We’re all in favour of having a fusarium-resistant variety,” he said. “But the committee has to ensure that our wheat classes are as advertised because the wheat board has to sell it.”
If Alsen was mixed in with shipments of higher quality wheat and caused problems for customers, the results could devastate the reputation of Canada’s grain quality control system, he said.
But while defending the Alsen decision, Fox also acknowledged that the committee has “troubles” to deal with.
“The big ones are how we vote and who does the voting,” said the Agriculture Canada scientist. “There is a general feeling we need to improve the criteria for what people are on the committees.”
He is not averse to having more farmers participate in the process, but added that the registration system doesn’t exist to serve the interest of producers only.
“The problem is that decisions that are good for the wheat industry as a whole may not be good for every part of it.”
Currently, the wheat committee that determines the fate of new varieties is made up of three subcommittees, each dealing with separate issues.
The disease subcommittee has 16 members, all researchers and scientists.
The breeding and agronomy subcommittee has 42 members, including researchers, seed industry officials and six farmers.
The quality subcommittee has 25 members, made up of researchers, marketers, processors and end users.
Each subcommittee votes on a proposed variety and then the entire committee votes to make the final decision. There are similar committee structures for barley and oats, oilseeds and special crops.
The PRRCG’s recommendations go to the variety registration office of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which decides whether to register a variety for commercial sale. However, the committee is not part of CFIA and is free to set its own rules.
Fox said there are no formal rules or criteria for adding or getting rid of members, adding that about 20 members of the committee don’t participate to any great extent.
It’s not clear how the committee would change its rules and procedures.
Fox said the PRRCG’s 10-member executive committee will be reviewing some of the issues in the coming months.
Besides getting heat from some farmers who want specific varieties registered, Fox said the committee is also under increased pressure from companies that have a vested commercial and financial stake in particular new varieties.
“More private interests with a livelihood on the line have an interest in what happens than was the case 10 years ago.”
Despite all the publicity and political comment generated by the rejection of Alsen, in most cases there is near unanimity on whether new varieties should be approved.
Alsen, which was defeated 35-26, with one abstention, at the February meeting, is the exception that proves the rule, said Fox.
