March 8, 2010 (SASKATOON) The Flax Council of Canada released new information last week indicating that there have been trace amounts of CDC Triffid detected in flax breeder seed at the University of Saskatchewan. This calls into question the supply of non-GMO certified seed that will be available for planting this spring. The Saskatchewan Flax Development Commission (SaskFlax), Flax Council and members of the flax trade are working to develop a domestic flax grower stewardship program that will allow producers to use farm-saved seed that is sampled and tested to the same standards as certified seed.
SaskFlax has planned an open conference call for growers to discuss these developments with other stakeholders in the flax industry. "Planting season is almost here," said Allen Kuhlmann, Chair of SaskFlax. "For the future of our industry, it's vital that growers are part of the dialogue to restore our largest flax market."
Details are as follows:
Flax Seed Conference Call
Thursday, March 18, 2010
1:00 PM CST
Call 1- 877-723-9523
The call will consist of a series of brief presentations from industry stakeholders, including SaskFlax, Flax Council of Canada, the flax trade and plant breeders, then will be open to questions from callers.
The call is open to all and there is no charge to participate. Callers are advised to connect five to ten minutes in advance so that the call can begin on time.
More than 300 producers and others in the industry participated in two conference calls in February to discuss the state of Canada’s flax industry. Ever since September 2009, when genetically modified materials were confirmed in Canadian flax shipments to Europe, the market for flax has faced several challenges. Saskatchewan producers, who grow almost 40% of the world’s flax, are concerned about the future of the industry and how Canada will clear the system of CDC Triffid, a genetically-modified flax variety that was deregistered in 2001.
Read our Questions and Answers on the EU market.
For more information, contact:
Linda Braun, Executive Director
Saskatchewan Flax Development Commission
Saskatoon, SK
Tel. 306-664-1901
Email: saskflax@saskflax.com
