All international trade actions resulting from the discovery of GMO wheat in Alberta officially over
By Kate Ayers
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture lifted the country’s temporary suspension of imports of Canadian wheat.
Lawrence MacAulay, minister of agriculture and agri-food, and Jim Carr, minister of international trade diversification, issued a statement on Friday, an Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) release said.
South Korea also resumed shipments of Canadian wheat on June 26.
These temporary trade suspensions followed the detection of unauthorized genetically modified (GM) wheat in southern Alberta on June 14, the release said.
Less than 10 GM wheat plants grew along an oil well access road, an Alberta Wheat Commission (AWC) release said.
Indeed, GM wheat is not approved for commercial growth in any country said.
Now that South Korea and Japan have resumed wheat trade with Canada, all international trade actions caused by the incident have been resolved.
Since the discovery of GM wheat, the federal government conducted extensive testing to ensure that this unauthorized wheat was not present in the food or animal feed system, or anywhere other than the isolated site where it was found, the AAFC release said. The Canadian Grain Commission has not found evidence that the GM wheat entered export cargos.
“Not only does Canada’s grain handling system employ some of the most rigorous quality control protocols in the world, but we also prioritize transparency with our customers,” Tom Steve, AWC’s general manager, said in the release.
“Japan is a highly valued customer of Canada and we are pleased to see that they have reaffirmed their confidence in our system and have resumed normal trade.”
Wheat is one of Canada’s largest field crops, valued at around $6.6 billion each year.
In 2017, Canadian producers planted wheat on 22 million acres and produced 30 million tonnes.