~ Cami Ryan, B.Comm., Ph.D.

~
Bioresource Policy, Business and Economics
Total Utilization of Flax Genomics (TUFGEN)
University of Saskatchewan
March 15, 2010
  Total Utilization of Flax Genomics
 Funded by Genome Canada ($CDN12 Million)
 Leads: G. Rowland (CDC, U of S), S. Coultier (AAFC)
 Enhance flax’s usefulness through rigorous genomics
research
 Assist flax breeding and varietal improvement

2
  Canada’s Flax Industry: an overview

 Triffid’s Regulatory Timeline

 from Development to Deregistration (1988 – 2001)

 Triffid: The Return

 2009 to present
 Canada-EU Protocol
 Domestic Stewardship Program
 Testing / results
 Costs

 Where are we at now?

 Exports to date
 Changes… Protocol / Stewardship Program

3
  Plant with novel traits (PNT)
 Developed in 1988 by Al McHughen (Crop
Development Centre / U of S)
 Value of Triffid was primarily environmental
 Tolerance to soil residues of sulfonylurea-based
herbicides
 Cultivated the year after herbicide was used in fields
 Alternative to continuous cropping of wheat/barley and
to summer-fallowing

4
  Plant with novel traits (PNT)
 Developed in 1988 by Al McHughen (Crop
Development Centre / U of S)
 Value of Triffid was primarily environmental
 Tolerance to soil residues of sulfonylurea-based
herbicides
 Cultivated the year after herbicide was used in fields
 Alternative to continuous cropping of wheat/barley and
to summer-fallowing

5
 Canada

China

US

India

6 Source: FAO Stats

7 Source: FAO Stats
8 Adapted from Canadian Flax in Europe: Grower Information Sheet (SaskFlax)
9 Source: Flax Council of Canada
  1988 – CDC Triffid created
 1989 – start of field trials (to 1994)
 1994 – registration process begins
 1994 – marketing rights obtained by Value Added
Seeds
 1996 – approved for livestock feed use in Canada
 1996/97 – EU importers raise concerns over
commercialization of Triffid

10
11
 Image source: Pandora’s Picnic Basket (McHughen) (2000)
12
C. D. Ryan, University of Saskatchewan
M. St. Louis, University of Saskatchewan

13
Data for maps provided by: Canadian Seed Growers Association
  1997 (May) – stakeholders convene to discuss
stewardship
 1998 (Jan) – SK stakeholders convene to discuss
production bans / deregistration
 1998 – approved for food use in Canada
 1998 – approved for food and feed in US
 1998 – Triffid to be contained on farm / no further
production

14
C. D. Ryan, University of Saskatchewan
M. St. Louis, University of Saskatchewan

15
Data for maps provided by: Canadian Seed Growers Association
C. D. Ryan, University of Saskatchewan
M. St. Louis, University of Saskatchewan

16
Data for maps provided by: Canadian Seed Growers Association
  2000 – recall and crush organized
 2001 – CDC Triffid transported / crushed
 2001 – CDC Triffid Flax deregistered

17
18
19
20
  enables the quick and effective exchange
of information between Member States
and the Commission
 Information exchange WRT to food or feed
 Facilitates rapid and coordinated action of
Member States

21
22
 Germany

Finland

Austria

Luxembourg

Greece

France

Denmark

Slovenia

Commision Services Food

Feed
Sweden

Cyprus

UK

Slovakia

Romania

Poland

Italy

Belgium

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45

23
24 September 10/09 – Western Producer
25 September 10/09 – Manitoba Farmer
26
27
28 September 17/09 – Western Producer
29 September 17/09 – Western Producer
30 September 17/09 – Western Producer
31
32 September 30/09 – StarPhoenix
33 October 29/09 – Globe & Mail
 92% Food Products 17 Countries 45 Countries

34
 Austria

Belgium Swiss

Israel

Poland Canada

Denmark

France

US
Germany UK

Netherlands

Italy
RASFF Food Notification

RASFF Feed Notification

RussFed
Country of Origin China

Sweden
35 n = 100 notifications Turkey
 World Production of Flax
2000 - 2008

>5M Tonnes 100K-999K Tonnes

1-5M Tonnes <100K Tonnes
36
 World Production of Flax
2000 - 2008

>5M Tonnes 100K-999K Tonnes

Countries of Origin of FP967
1-5M Tonnes <100K Tonnes (according to RASFF notifications)
37
 World Production of Flax
2000 - 2008

?
?
?
??
>5M Tonnes 100K-999K Tonnes
Other potential sources?
1-5M Tonnes <100K Tonnes (based upon imports into EU 2000 – 2008)
38
14.00

12.00

10.00

8.00

6.00

4.00

2.00
Canada-EU
1st RASFF Protocol
NPTII Marker Notification
Gene Found EU Sept 8
0.00
1/2/2009 2/2/2009 3/2/2009 4/2/2009 5/2/2009 6/2/2009 7/2/2009 8/2/2009 9/2/2009 10/2/2009 11/2/2009 12/2/2009

39 Adapted from: SaskFlax

  Canada / EU Protocol established – October 2009
 Canadian Government, FCC, flax exporters and DG
Sanco of the EC
 Outlines system of sampling (one sample for every 5K
bushels)
 Testing (at 0.01% levels)
 Documentation
 …and more documentation….

The hope is to meet strict EU import

requirements and allow for
secure/predictable flaxseed supply!
40
41 November 5/09 – Western Producer
  ‘construct specific’ test now used to identify GMO
markers in flax (@ 0.01% = 1 in 10,000 seeds)
 As of January 11, 2010…
 Only 20% of producers had submitted samples
 Levels of positive results in supply chain:
 Producer/elevator: 3 – 5%
 Railcar: 10 – 15%
 Vessel holds: 7%
 CDC Parental lines tested positive:
 Mons (released in 2002)
 Normandy (released in 1995)

42
  0.01% represents one
seed in 10,000

This represents
trace levels of
GM content…

43
 3234 Producer Samples Tested

As of February 18, 2010

Source: Barry Hall, Flax Council of Canada

44
 Test Results… (>=0.01%)

3.2%
Source: Barry Hall, Flax Council of Canada
45
 Test Results… (<=0.01%)

6.3%
Source: Barry Hall, Flax Council of Canada
46
  Demurrage/holding costs
 30K$ per day
 1M$ per month
 Estimated 7M$ costs as of February 2010
 Loss of sales costs
 Testing (all along the value chain)
 105$/sample (producers)
 $195/sample (grain companies)
 700$+ if you want to put a rush on it
 Downstream costs
 EU feed and industrial market (shortages)

47
48 February 18/10 – Western Producer
49
50
 2008/09 (000’s Tonnes)
2009/10 (000’s Tonnes)

51 Data compiled from: Grain Statistics Weekly - CGC

 August - February August - February
2009 / 2010 2008 / 2009

Total Exports 308.4 350.2

(000’s Tonnes)  12%
Average Price per 367.48 525.39
Tonne  30%
Average Price per 9.33 13.35
Bushel  30%
Total Value of $114,449.36 $179,493.51
Exports  36%

52
53 2008/09 2009/10 Data compiled from: Grain Statistics Weekly - CGC
54
55
 AMFLORA
This spring:
•Czech Republic
•Germany

Following years:
•Sweden
•The Netherlands

56
Thank you!
Cami Ryan
306-966-2929
cami.ryan@usask.ca
Blog: http://cami.posterous.com/
Twitter me @CamilleDRyan

Acknowledgements:
Dale Adolphe, CSGA
Linda Braun, SaskFlax
Barry Hall, Flax Council of Canada
Erwin Hanley, SaskFlax
Dr. Bill Kerr, U of S
Dr. Gordon Rowland, U of S
Dr. Stuart Smyth, U of S
Alvin Ulrich, Biolin Research Inc. 57