November 21, 2014 Flax Council of Canada Stewardship Program Update

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA (NOVEMBER 21, 2014) – The Flax industry has made considerable progress in the efforts to clear CDC Triffid, a genetically modified flax, from the grain supply once and for all.

Reconstituted seed of several key products was launched in 2014 as one of the final stages in this process. For the benefit of the overall flax industry for the future, any flax producers that did not purchase certified seed or reconstituted seed in 2014 are encouraged to do so for 2015.

As long as farm saved seed from previous generations of stock seed are used the potential for Triffid to show up in grain shipments is possible. “We appreciate the cooperation of producers to date and request that farmers continue to sell all of their old seed stocks which is an important step to eliminate the risk of Triffid” said Don Kerr, President, Flax Council of Canada.

While flax harvest is still in progress in some areas, reconstituted seed supplies are expected to be good for 2015. “We are hearing good things from SeCan seed growers so far this year” says Todd Hyra, Business Manager, Western Canada.

Producers are encouraged to complete testing of harvested flax seed and planting seed for the presence of Triffid. A description of sampling procedures can be found on the Flax Council’s website. Please note that some flax buyers will only accept test results from certain labs. Check with the Flax Council for the complete list of approved testing labs: www.flaxcouncil.ca -30-

Contact:
Don Kerr, President
Flax Council of Canada
Ph: 204-982-2115
E-mail: flax@flaxcouncil.ca Website: www.flaxcouncil.ca

Eric Fridfinnson, Chair
Manitoba Flax Growers Association
Ph: 204-982-3990
E-mail: mfga@mymts.net Website: www.mfga.ca

Wayne Thompson, Executive Director
Saskatchewan Flax Development Commission
Ph: 306-664-1901
E-mail: wayne@saskflax.com Website: www.saskflax.com