The federal government has backed away from a proposed regulatory change that would have allowed the unrestricted import of unregistered wheat seed into Canada.
As part of the process of eliminating kernel visual distinguishability as of Aug. 1, Ottawa had proposed repealing Section 42 of the Seeds Regulations.
However, that would not only have removed references to KVD but also eliminated rules preventing the import of unregistered varieties of wheat.
Producers would have been free to import and grow unregistered varieties and sell them as feed.
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That raised alarms for a number of industry groups, which warned that unregistered varieties grown on farms could get mixed up with milling grades of wheat, posing a serious threat to Canada’s grain quality control system.
In response to those concerns, the
Canadian Food Inspection Agency last week amended the proposed regulatory changes. While they still remove KVD-related restrictions on imported wheat, a new section was added specifically stating that unregistered wheat seed cannot be imported for seeding by the importer.
The new rules state seed of unregistered wheat varieties can be imported only for research, conditioning or closed-loop production and sale of unregistered pedigreed seed.
“I believe this gets us to where we wanted to be,” said Wade Sobkowich of the Western Grain Elevators Association, one of a number of industry groups that protested the government’s original plan.
“People are precluded from bringing in non-registered varieties for seeding and that was our concern.”
However, the issue may not be totally resolved.
The CFIA said in a document published in the Canada Gazette that it will hold further consultations with the grain industry to address the issue of importing unregistered varieties for seeding by the importer.
“The results of these consultations could form the basis for a subsequent proposal for regulatory change,” it said.
Lawrence Klusa, manager of quality control for the Canadian Wheat Board, said that’s a concern for the board, which is opposed to any proposal that might damage Canada’s reputation for high quality wheat.
Sobkowich echoed those concerns, saying he suspects pressure for allowing import of unregistered varieties may be coming from the cattle or ethanol industries.
In its decision document, the CFIA said it received submissions from three groups supporting unrestricted imports: the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, the Alberta Grain Commission and the Crop Development Centre at the University of Saskatchewan.
