Quinclorac and chlormequat — two rather complex words that grain companies in Western Canada have one answer for: no.
The Western Grain Elevator Association (WGEA) says its members have individually decided not to accept canola treated with the herbicide quinclorac or wheat treated with the growth regulator chlormequat for the 2016 growing season.
What's the issue? According to WGEA executive director Wade Sobkowich, Canadian Grain Commission testing shows both chemicals leave a residue on seed and kernels.
While Health Canada has set a maximum residue level (MRL) for both crops within our country, some of our export destinations aren't quite there yet. China has no MRL for quinclorac, and the U.S. has no residue limit for chlormequat. Since there is no limit in place, that means no amount of chemical residue is acceptable for either country — it has to be at zero — but Sobkowich says we already know a residue will be found if shipments are tested.
"We don't want to do anything to jeopardize those markets," he says. "We understand China is in the process, through CODEX, of having an MRL established for quinclorac, and the U.S. is also in the midst of having an MRL established for chlormequat. So we hope that perhaps by next year or even the year after, they'll be in a position to accept."
Source : Portageonline