Canola producers are being urged not to plant unregistered varieties this spring.
Varieties that have lost their registration are ineligible for export.
The Canola Council of Canada says if even small amounts of deregistered varieties are found in imported batches, entire shiploads will be rejected and Canada’s reputation jeopardized.
“It’s hard to believe that even a couple of farmers putting deregistered canola into the export system could endanger ($2.3 billion) export markets, but it is the current reality,” said Arvel Lawson of the council.
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“If a deregistered variety is found, not only is there the loss of the shipment but higher scrutiny placed on Canadian exports.”
For example, Zeneca sold Round Up Ready Hysyn 101 Polish canola for a limited time in 1998 and 1999 as an identity preserved product before it was deregistered in 2003.
Japan, which is Canada’s largest canola customer with more than $500 million in annual purchases, has not approved the variety, and the risk of trade issues related to its production are significant.
A few Canadian growers were discovered producing the variety in 2005, which resulted in Japanese inspection services announcing in 2006 that they would develop a test to detect the variety in export shipments.
Several bromoxynil tolerant Argentine canola varieties handled by Rhone Poulenc, including 295BX, Zodiac BX, Cartier BX and Renegade BX, were also marketed in 1998 and 1999 and subsequently deregistered in 2004. They are not approved in South Korea.
Several Liberty Link hybrids and Liberty tolerant varieties are no longer registered and cannot be grown or delivered for crushing in Canada.
The Liberty tolerant Exceed 2631 LL, Swallow, SW Legion LL, SW Flare LL, LBD 2393 LL, Innovator, Independence, HCN 14 and Phoenix Argentine varieties are no longer registered.
The Liberty Link Hybrids that should no longer be grown or marketed are Bayer InVigor 2273, 3850, 2153, 3640, 3880 and 2163.
“There is just too much at stake to make the mistake of shipping any of these or growing any more of them,” Lawson said.
