++4. ONTARIO CORN INDUSTRY TO MEET NEEDS OF CUSTOMERS FOR
BIOTECHNOLOGY-MODIFIED CORN Agnet May 18, May 18, 1999 Ontario Corn
Producers' Association
At a key meeting held in London, Ontario today, chaired by Larry
Cowan, director of the Ontario Corn Producers' Association (OCPA) for
Middlesex County and chair of the Ontario Corn Industry Advisory Committee,
representatives of OCPA, grain elevator operators and traders, and seed
companies agreed that while biotechnology offers opportunities for major
improvements in food quality, environmental integrity and global food
production, it is also crucial that the needs of individual customers be
met. This is especially critical for Ontario where about one-third of the
total provincial corn crop is used in processing to produce myriad food
products, many of which are sold in the European Union (EU) and other
international markets. Of special importance are two corn milling
companies, CASCO - with plants at London, Port Colborne and Cardinal,
Ontario (also purchasing CORN for the Commercial Alcohols Inc. plant in
Chatham) - and NACAN with a plant at Collingwood. To date other corn users,
including King Milling in Chatham, have not stated a need to purchase only
EU-approved corn, although this could change before the 1999 harvest begins
in September.
About 2 percent of the 1999 Ontario-planted corn crop contains
biotechnology genes not yet approved for European sale. Those at the London
meeting, including representatives of CASCO and NACAN, agreed that special
steps are needed to ensure the percentage of EU-non-approved corn in grain
delivered to these processors this fall be as low as possible, ideally well
below 1.0% on average.
These measures include separating country elevators into those which
will accept all corn, and those accepting only EU-approved CORN. This
elevator-designation process is ongoing, with a complete listing to be
available before harvest begins. CASCO will not accept corn from elevator
locations which receive EU-non-approved corn, beginning with the 1999
harvest. CASCO and NACAN have stated that similar requirements will apply
to all imported corn.
Farmers growing any EU-non-approved corn hybrids on their farms in 1999
and who have traditionally sold to CASCO, or who have any questions about
delivery policies, are encouraged to contact the company directly.
Farmers seeking alternative market opportunities for their corn should
contact their local elevators and grain dealers, corn seed companies, OCPA,
the Ontario Grain and Feed Association, or CASCO to obtain further
assistance. The goal of industry participants is to ensure that all corn
growers are able to market their 1999 corn crops at competitive prices.
While industrial corn processors represent a large share of the Ontario
corn market, alternative markets use about two-thirds of Ontario-grown
corn.
Despite precautions to be taken by corn growers, handlers and
marketers to avoid the presence of EU-non-approved corn in shipments to
CASCO and NACAN, there exists some potential for mixing, especially by
cross-pollination with corn pollen from neighbouring fields. However, given
the small acreage of EU-non-approved hybrids being grown in Ontario in
1999, other precautions to be used to reduce mixing, and the fact that corn
from several sources is normally blended before milling, the result should
be corn products at well below European tolerances.
The current technology available for testing for presence of
EU-non-approved genes is slow and expensive, a situation which may not
improve substantially before the 1999 harvest begins. This will mean that
testing will occur on a spot basis, only, this autumn. Rigid adherence to
procedures to limit opportunities for mixing will be the best compliance
measure. However, this situation is expected to change within a year or
less as testing procedures improve and become less costly.
The guidelines agreed upon at the May 18 meeting apply to 1999 season
only. Participants agreed that in future years, new means must be
implemented to ensure that the needs of individual customers are met, but
which will also permit farmers to grow other types of CORN - including all
Canadian-approved genetically enhanced corn - for other customers, and
which will permit elevator locations to handle different types of
identity-preserved corn, tailored to meet the purchase specifications of
individual buyers. NACAN also processes waxy corn, which has a special
type of starch used in some processed foods, including some marketed into
the United Kingdom. Buyers there have stated a need to purchase waxy corn
starch containing no biotechnology genes; this need extends to purchased
corn. Waxy corn for NACAN is grown under contracts at premium prices, with
these contracts stating specific procedures, including isolation
requirements, to minimize contamination with regular "dent" corn pollen.
These procedures should be sufficient to ensure compliance with NACAN's
criteria.
All representatives present at the May 18 meeting agreed that the goal
is to adopt new and superior technology for improving crop quality and
yield, and environmental integrity, while ensuring that the needs of
customers are met. Decisions made at the May meeting represent a step in
this direction.
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