Gap between innovation, approval leaves farmers outside looking in

One of the most contentious issues in farming is the interface between new product development and market readiness.

While just about everyone can agree ongoing innovation is key to Canada’s future as a global food exporter, a problem arises when new ideas make it to the market before the market is ready.

Whether it is new seeds developed through biotechnology or different chemistries used to protect crops, Canadian farmers are tempted on numerous fronts by technology they either aren’t allowed to use or they don’t want to use for fear of market repercussions.

The list includes alfalfa that has been genetically modified to be resistant to glyphosate.

It’s already in use in the United States and has been approved for use in Canada, but the market roll-out here continues to be plagued with controversy.

While hay and livestock producers might see benefits from the technology by way of larger hay crops, alfalfa seed producers could see their export markets evaporate if it gets into their fields. Their customers don’t want it.

Promises of a stewardship program designed to prevent accidental contamination do not provide much insurance against the quirks of nature. So they have aligned with organic growers, who also see a risk to their markets, and are fighting what appears to be a losing battle to keep it out of Western Canada.

Canola farmers are being told not to use the herbicide Clever on their crops because one of Canada’s key export markets, China, has not approved its active ingredient (quinclorac) on imports.

"It’s a very serious issue," Canola Council of Canada president Patti Miller said in a March news release.

"Our export customers test shipments regularly to make sure their standards are met and the tests are becoming more and more precise. If a shipment is turned back because of an unacceptable residue, it can mean millions and millions of dollars, not only to the exporting company, but to farm revenue."

Ditto for wheat farmers who want to use Manipulator, a plant-growth regulator. The product helps prevent the crop from lodging — growing so fast it tips over in the field — which cuts into yield and makes it harder to harvest.

But it is not yet approved in the U.S., one of Canada’s key cereal export markets, and the risk of grain that has been treated with it accidentally winding up in a shipment is too high.

The industry has been anxiously awaiting for European approval of Monsanto’s newest line of Xtend soybeans, which are genetically modified to be resistant to the herbicides glyphosate and dicamba.

The seed was ready to be distributed, but those approvals didn’t arrive in time this spring, so farmers who had hopes of growing it had to make other plans.

A big part of the problem is measuring capabilities that have become so precise there is no such thing as zero anymore when it comes to detecting residues.

And yet some customers insist when it comes to innovations they have not yet approved or don’t want at all, zero is the limit.

The other problem has been the reluctance of regulatory bodies to include market acceptance in their assessment of new technologies. The emphasis on science-based reviews to determine whether new products are safe does not include the question of whether they can be marketed.

While that’s good for innovators bringing these new ideas to farmers, it leaves crop exporters exposed to any fallout.

A genetically modified corn called Viptera unleashed a flood of litigation in 2013 and 2014 after China blocked corn imports from the U.S. containing it. It cost companies such as Cargill and Archer Daniels Midland millions in lost sales, prompting them to sue its developer, Syngenta.

Corn farmers are also suing Syngenta because the blocked exports lowered corn prices for all.

As a result, many of these companies are doing what governments are reluctant to do — saying "look but don’t touch" for new crops, products or processes until they have full global approval.

Laura Rance is editor of the Manitoba Co-operator and editorial director for Farm Business Communications. She can be reached at laura@fbcpublishing.com or 204-792-4382.