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Flax Council of Canada Urges Growers to Test Planting Seed


Winnipeg, Manitoba --- The Flax Council of Canada (FCC) today is encouraging growers to ensure that all planting seed has been tested for the presence of Triffid prior to seeding. Continued testing at all levels of the value chain is essential to reduce the frequency and severity of Triffid events found in the Canadian flax crop to the point where the risk to exporters and processors no longer warrants testing at the farm level.

Considerable progress has been made since the implementation of the Farm Stewardship Program to reduce both the frequency of samples testing positive for Triffid and the levels of Triffid present in those samples. This success can be attributed to the high level of cooperation achieved from all participants in the flax value chain. Flax growers have played a major role in this success by being diligent in ensuring that their planting seed has tested negative prior to seeding and that their production has been tested prior to delivery. Testing of seed reduces the risk of contaminated seed being planted. Testing of production prior to delivery allows flax containing Triffid to be diverted to markets where a low level presence of Triffid is acceptable.

The best option for producers remains the planting of certified seed that has been tested for Triffid and shown to be negative. However, the Farm Stewardship Program allows producers to use their own farm-saved (non-pedigreed) seed for planting, provided it first undergoes the same intense sampling and testing procedures as those used for certified seed being tested for Triffid. (See Farm Stewardship Procedures for Farm Saved Planting Seed in 2011.)

There is no threshold level of Triffid acceptable for planting seed. Only planting seed that has been tested negative is to be used for seeding purposes for 2011. The list of approved labs for Triffid testing for “Farm Saved Planting Seed” is the same as for the Certified Seed Testing Program. Laboratory submission forms for this program are available at 2011 Farm Stewardship Procedures - Labs.

As of January 1, 2011, approved labs are providing producers with a discount of 50% of the regular cost of testing pedigreed and farm-saved seed, up to a maximum of $100 per sample. The labs are reimbursed by the Flax Council, using funds provided by the Federal Government under the Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP).

Canada’s single largest market for flax is the European Union (EU) and to meet its stringent requirements it is critical that only seed tested negative for Triffid is planted. Markets for seed testing positive for Triffid may be limited and, as a result, some companies may not be able to accept positive tested flax.

At the time of delivery, in order for their flax to enter the EU export pipeline, growers will be required to provide two certificates of laboratory analysis from an approved laboratory, one that verifies the planting seed tested negative and another that verifies that the production being delivered tested negative.

In addition to being an important step in the marketing of flaxseed to the European marketplace, the testing of planting seed is vital to the process of reducing the amount of Triffid present in the Canadian flax crop.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: William Hill, President - Flax Council of Canada - Ph: (204) 982-2115 - flax@flaxcouncil.ca

Source: Flax Council of Canada


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