June 7, 2012 - The Western Producer

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THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2012

VOL. 90 | NO. 23 | $3.75

CUTWORM YOU CAN HELP STUDY | HOW

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SERVING WESTERN CANADIAN FARM FAMILIES SINCE 1923

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ROUND UP AT THE STONE CUP RANCH

FOOD INSPECTION | CHANGES

CFIA tackles reforms Historic in scope | A key goal is to make sure companies have systems in place to ensure safe food BY BARRY WILSON OTTAWA BUREAU

SEE CFIA AMBITIOUS PLANS, PAGE 2

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Friends and neighbours gathered recently at the Stone Cup Ranch near Two Hills, Alta., to brand and vaccinate more than 300 calves. The ranch is operated by Jack and Laurie Gilberg. It was windy and dusty, but good temperatures prevailed and a steak supper was everyone’s reward at the end of the day. | DON WHITING PHOTO

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CANOLA | GLYPHOSATE TOLERANCE

New options coming for GT canola

JUNE 7, 2012 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Box 2500, Saskatoon, SK. S7K 2C4

New glyphosate tolerant trait | Still needs approval in export markets BY SEAN PRATT SASKATOON NEWSROOM

Pioneer Hi-Bred has received Canadian regulatory approval for the first new glyphosate tolerance trait in canola since Roundup Ready was approved in 1994. The company’s Optimum GLY canola is designed to provide growers with a broader window of glyphosate application and allow them to apply higher rates of the popular herbicide. “It’s quite big news,” said Greg Stokke, western Canadian business director for Pioneer. “There are very few traits to come to market like this because it’s very expensive.” It can take 10 years and more than $100 million to get a new trait to market. Pioneer needs regulator y approval for the trait in all of the key export markets before it will commercialize the product in

Growers will be able to apply higher rates of glyphosate with the new canola. | FILE PHOTO Canada. That is expected to happen by mid-decade. Monsanto is seeking regulatory approval on a similar second-generation glyphosate tolerance trait that also allows growers to use higher rates over a broader window of application.

“We anticipate Canadian regulat o r y a p p rov a l s h o r t l y ,” s a i d Monsanto Canada canola business lead Neil Arbuckle. The company has made regulatory submissions in the United States, Mexico, Japan, South Korea and the European Union. It needs Canadian regulatory approval before making a submission to China. “We are hopeful that we could commercialize in 2014. That’s an aggressive timeline and it requires all of our regulatory approvals to line up,” said Arbuckle. Monsanto is waiting for approval before applying a trade name to the trait that is known internally as MON 88302. Arbuckle said it is good news for Canadian growers that they will soon have two competing second generation glyphosate traits to choose from. SEE FIRST NEW GT TRAIT, PAGE 2

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The Western Producer is published in Saskatoon by Western Producer Publications, which is owned by GVIC Communications Corp. Publications Mail Agreement No. 40069240; Registration No. 10676

QUEBEC CITY — The federal Conservative government and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency are launching the most far-reaching food inspection reform initiative in the agency’s 15-year history. “I would say the stars have aligned to allow historic change,” CFIA president George Da Pont said May 31 in a speech at the Canadian Meat Council annual meeting. Agriculture minister Gerry Ritz is committed to change, he said. Industry has long complained about the complexity of existing regulations. Food industry advances and scientific developments have made it possible to more closely monitor food safety. As well, an explosion in food trade and new products has created the need for closer alignment of rules governing food safety between countries. Da Pont said the proposal is to consolidate legislation and regulations that govern CFIA, created in 1997 to amalgamate inspectors from various food industries. It runs eight separate food inspection programs for different industry sectors, often with different rules and standards. As part of the reform, new food safety legislation could be introduced in Parliament as early as this month. And the goal is to focus CFIA responsibilities on food safety outcomes and a “systems” approach to make sure food industry players have systems in place to ensure their product is safe. The most resources and attention will be placed on higherrisk sectors of the industry and food chain. While there still will be front-line food inspectors, the emphasis will move toward systems oversight.


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