CALGARY (Staff) – Rules for producing genetically altered plants should be published early this summer, says a Health Canada official.
Guidelines were circulated last September seeking comments from researchers and private companies involved in bioengineering.
The federal government wants to know if adverse reactions to food could occur when the genetic code is altered, said Frank Welsh, science and policy liaison officer with Health Canada.
“What else happens when you insert that gene that makes the change in the plant?” said Welsh.
The department is looking at possible changes in the edible parts of the plant or if modifications trigger allergies when people eat foods produced from the plant.
Read Also
August rain welcome, but offered limited relief
Increased precipitation in August aids farmers prior to harvest in southern prairies of Canada.
Scientists frequently use genetic engineering to introduce resistance to a certain disease, fungus or insect. Genetic codes are altered by inserting a foreign gene or slice of a gene into a plant’s DNA to enhance or repress certain characteristics.
Guidelines already exist for field trials of genetically modified plants in Canada.
Agriculture Canada has been authorizing field trials for plants since 1988.
Trial plots containing these plants must abide by minimum isolation distances and post harvest land use rules.
