It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the federal government’s recently updated guidance for the use of gene editing in plant breeding didn’t please everyone, but it certainly pleased many.
The feds did an admirable job of finding balance in a thorny issue.
Much of the agricultural industry has been clamouring for Ottawa to confirm that it will not treat gene editing the same as genetic modification when it comes to approving new crop varieties.
The government was a little late to the party, but finally acted.
Last year it decided that gene-edited crops would not be required to go through the same approval process as plants with novel traits, making it quicker and easier for companies using gene editing technology to bring new varieties to market.
Earlier this month, it made the same decision regarding plant breeding.
The agriculture industry was generally pleased with this long-overdue decision, but the organic sector remained a sticking point.
Organic production places gene editing in the same boat as genetic modification — both are off limits.
Treating the new technology the same as conventional plant breeding makes organic farmers nervous, and for good reason. Without knowing if the seeds they grow have been produced using gene editing technology, they risk jeopardizing their markets and losing certification.
To its credit, the federal government seems to have understood this.
Ottawa was pretty much ready to pull the trigger on its plant breeding guidance last fall when organic farmers sounded the alarm about risks to their industry.
The government delayed an announcement and spent the winter looking for solutions. The guidance it released earlier this month shows the results. It took three steps:
- Seeds Canada will strengthen its database to clearly identify production methods.
- A government-industry steering committee that includes organic representation will establish clear procedures and control measures for the database.
- The government will establish monitoring procedures that ensure the database is accurate and reliable.
There is also a commitment to financially support the review of Canada’s organic standards scheduled for 2025.
None of this has fully satisfied the organic sector.
It says the measures aren’t mandatory and questions the clout of the proposed steering committee.
Even so, it’s a good first step. Regulators didn’t ignore the organic sector, as they might have done 25 years ago.
They recognized that organics is a $9.25 billion a year industry in this country and deserves attention.
However, the government also knew it couldn’t jeopardize the entire agriculture industry in an attempt to completely satisfy organic producers. It needed to find a balance by walking a line between the two sectors.
There is more work to be done, and not just on organics.
Food and plant breeding have now been ticked off the government’s to-do list, but the livestock industry is still waiting for its own guidance on feeding gene-edited crops to animals. Though government says this is coming, it should be done as soon as possible.
For the most part, however, it looks like the government got it right on this file.
Karen Briere, Bruce Dyck, Barb Glen and Mike Raine collaborate in the writing of Western Producer editorials.
