Sector cites media reports alleging secret discussions among proponents of voluntary disclosure of gene edited seed
The Canadian organic sector has repeated its call for mandatory disclosure of gene edited seeds, citing a media report suggesting closed-door discussions led to Ottawa’s decision to make disclosure voluntary.
Radio-Canada, the French arm of the CBC, reported that a partnership between the government, CropLife Canada and the Canada Grains Council, known as the Tiger Team, led to the changes. The report suggested meetings were held months before public consultation and that industry got its way.
Canadian Organic Growers and the Canadian Organic Trade Association said in news releases that organic producers need mandatory disclosure of gene edited seed and feed to maintain organic certification. Canadian organic standards do not allow for gene editing.
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Health Canada has already approved the practice for use in food, and Agriculture Canada earlier this year allowed voluntary disclosure for seeds.
“Mandatory transparency of (gene edited) seeds is one of the most significant issues organic farmers are facing today,” said president Allison Squires.
“Farmers have the right to choose to grow food that meets the needs of their consumers without fear of contamination by undisclosed genetic engineered seed products.”
She said the Radio-Canada report causes questions about the integrity of the government’s decisions.
However, both CropLife and the grains council say Tiger Team was an unfortunate name for a working group formed out of the grain and oilseed value chain roundtable.
“It regularly reported back to that table, which had representatives from around the agricultural sector,” said Ian Affleck, vice-president of plant biotechnology at CropLife.
“It was not a closed-door discussion.
“The Tiger Team did not write any policy there, (or) any proposals that went to consultation. They provided input to the government, which then used that input along with all the other input they gathered to come forward for public consultation.”
He said the organic sector sat at the value chain roundtables, and the matter seems to be a misunderstanding.
Krista Thomas, vice-president of trade policy and seed innovation at the grains council, said Radio-Canada’s portrayal of the Tiger Team is inaccurate.
She said when she came on board in 2017, the grains sector had recognized gene editing as an emerging area that needed clarity.
The roundtables operated from the early 2000s to 2020 and included 70 stakeholders at the grains table, she said.
The agriculture minister at the time was Lawrence MacAulay, and the roundtable sent a letter to him asking for that clarity. Thomas said the result of the letter was the formation of the smaller working group with an unfortunate name.
She said her role was to represent the entire value chain, including farmers, major commodity associations and grain exporters.
“We were reporting back frequently to that larger grain roundtable so none of this was secret,” she said.
Thomas and Affleck both said it was critical to move on guidance so that Canada doesn’t fall further behind. Many other countries have already finished their work.
“Canada is regarded as having the strongest transparency mechanisms in the world and we’re the 20th country to the table to put this guidance forward,” Affleck said.
Japan finished its regulatory process in 2018 and already has products in the marketplace.
“I don’t want Canadian farmers to be left behind or to not have access to the same tools that are available elsewhere,” said Thomas.
A new transparency working group has been established, since the roundtable groups no longer meet, which includes representatives from the organic sector, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, Seeds Canada, CropLife and Thomas.
She added it’s important to have good communication through the value chain, consult about market access before products are launched and have transparency for farmers buying seed.
For exporters, there will be customers and markets that want different types of grain, gene edited or not, and they will need transparency about varieties to ensure they meet their own regulations.
Affleck said transparency is key for the organic sector, and the guidance that has been approved doesn’t change how it has worked for GMOs for the last 30 years.
“Our companies are the largest suppliers of seed and crop protection products into the organic sector. We’re not opposed to it, we’re here to support it,” he said.
