Coexistence of organic and GM crops: Should the

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Coexistence of organic and GM crops Should the
zero tolerance policy on presence of GM
material in organic crops be changed?Sanja
Ilic, Valeria C. Netto, Mehrnaz Roudsari,Majid
Hassas Roudsari

• Arrow pic

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Well talk about

• Concept of Coexistence
• Canadian Organic Standard
• Consumers Choice
• Market Demand
• Future Developments
• Sources of Problem
• How to Reduce The Risk
• Standards in Other Countries
• Discussion Recommendations

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The Concept

• Coexistence generally refers to the ability of
  farmers to make a practical choice between
  conventional, organic and GM-crop production, in
  compliance with the legal obligations for
  labelling and/or purity standards.

equal choice for farmers regardless of which
type of product they decide to cultivate.
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Coexistence

• Economic, Environmental Health Aspect

Can be addressed through

• Regulation legal implication

• Mutual consent and respect attitudes changes

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Stakeholders

• Biotech Industry
• Regulatory Agencies
• Producers
• Grain Handlers
• Food Manufacturers
• Consumers

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Were talking about

• Concept of Coexistence
• Canadian Organic Standard
• Consumers Choice
• Market Demand
• Future Developments
• Sources of Problem
• How to Reduce The Risk
• Standards in Other Countries
• Discussion Recommendations

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Organic Standard
Zero Tolerance

• for Presence of GMOs

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What does it say?

• Organic agricultural foods, and their
  ingredients, additives and processing aids, are
  produced, processed, manufactured and handled in
  accordance with the principles of the organic
  system of production and processing. Genetically
  engineered and/or modified organisms (GEO/GMO),
  or their products, are not compatible with the
  principles of organic production and are
  prohibited from use in any aspect of organic
  production, processing or manufacturing.
  Furthermore, the use of ionizing radiation on
  organic food products (i.e. food irradiation) or
  their inputs is not compatible with the
  principles of organic processing and is
  prohibited.
• CAN/CGSB-32.310-99
• Plant varieties, seed, seed inoculants, germ
  plasm, scions, rootstocks or other propagules
  developed through the use or incorporation of
  genetically engineered and/or modified organisms
  (GEO/GMO), or related technology, are prohibited
  from use under this standard.

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Why is it important to create an environment that
will encourage both organic and biotech
agricultural modes?

• Consumers Choice
• Market Demand
• Future Developments

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Consumers

• increased awareness food for health improvement,
  family nutrition, weight control, environmental
  concern

• What do consumers understand organic to mean?
• Pesticide free
• GMO free

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Consumers

• Want zero tolerance?

• Would organic producers loose good marketing tool
  allowing limited presence of GMO?

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What makes the world go round?

• Ag Biotech Market in North America

Pic from Vanslide
Increased 18 in 2003 (Ernst Young 2004)
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What makes the world go round?

• Organic Market

• 20 growth in 2003
• Total sales 10.8 billion

ORGANIC FOOD SALES 2003
Source Organic Trade Association
Year Organic Food Sales (USD Million) Chg. Vs. Prior Yr.
2003 10,381 20.4
2002 8,624 17.2
2001 7,359 20.6
2000 6,104 21.0
1999 5,043 18.1
1998 4,272 19.8
1997 3,566 N/A
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Organic Market
Organic production in Canada makes for about
1-1.5 of total agricultural product and 2 in US
SALES BY COMODITY 2003
Source Organic Trade Association
Year 2003 Sales (USD Million) Chg. Vs. Prior Yr.
Bread Grains 966 22.9
Snack Food 484 29.6
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Future Biodevelopment

• Biopharmaceuticals
• drugs whose active pharmaceutical ingredient is
  a complex molecule produced, from DNA, by
  genetically transformed living factories.

• Biopharming
• experimental application of biotechnology in
  which plants are genetically engineered to
  produce pharmaceutical proteins and chemicals.

• Contraceptives, growth hormones, industrial
  enzymes, and vaccines could be produced in this
  way.
• Corn is by far the most popular biopharm plant,
  followed by soya beans, tobacco and rice.

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Input from Dr. Sparling

• It is essential to have regulations in place
• because of potential important markets such
• as biopharmaceuticals.

Interview
well get some pharmaceutical and industrial
products, then we will really need to be able to
trace because to separate (them) from the food
chain
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StarLinkTM Case

• StarLinkTM GM maize hybrid containing Cry9c
  protein from Bacillus thurginesis
• Potential human allergen
• Approved for use only in animal feed
• 2000 found in the food chain
• US government decided no longer to permit split
  registrations
• Genetic contamination can effect GMO, Non GMO,
  and organic crop
• StarLinkTM never received Health Canada nor
  CFIAs approval for use as livestock feed or for
  confined or unconfined environmental release as
  seed

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Mission Impossible?

• Prospects of Contamination

Cross-pollination

• Purchased of home-saved seeds contaminated with
  GM material
• Cross-pollination from neighboring GM crop.
• Volunteer seeds from previously grown GM crop.
• GM crop pollinated wild plants, which in turn get
  to organic crop.

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Mission Impossible?

• Managing The Risk

Cross-pollination

• physical distances, natural and man made barriers
  
• differences in flowering time
• Case-specific

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Mission Impossible?
Commingling

• Managing The Risk

• equipment for segregation
• handling systems modifications identity
  preservation needs.

• mechanical mixing of crops during the production
  process
• residues in equipment during planting
  harvesting, at the grain
• storage and transportation

Identity Preservation System
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Identity Preservation

• System of production, handling and marketing
  practices to maintain
• the integrity and purity of agricultural
  commodity to channel varieties with unique
  quality traits (organic) in order to capture the
  added value.

• standards, records, and auditing throughout the
  production process

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Identity Preservation
Mission Impossible?
Seed purity of the seed stock must equal or
exceed the purity standards of the final product
zero tolerance rule for final product) Seed 100
pure from GM contaminants virtually impossible
to achieve from start
The IP process scheme
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Economics

• A direct correlation between increased product
  purity requirements and higher IP costs.
• burden of maintaining purity falls entirely on
  the producer and marketer of organic crops
• IP leads to increased cost of end organic product
  higher farm profitability

• Higher cost acceptance by consumers?
• Enough for everyone to share?

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Policies in Other Countries

• USA just changed zero tolerance

• Europe has set thresholds for presence of GM
  material in non-GM food at 0.5

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Non-GM labeling thresholds in other countries
Country Status of labeling Adventitious Presence threshold Notes
Argentina None required No specific figure No coexistence arrangements
Australia Mandatory 1 Cotton is the only GM plant cultivated commercially in Australia to date.
Brazil Mandatory 4 GMOs banned but with recent one season waive on ban However illegal import of seed has already led to growing GM crops in parts of the country.
Japan Mandatory (selected products) 5 24 products so far identified from maize and soya beans
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Discussion

• Can adventitious presence of GM crops in organic
  or conventional crops be reduced below certain
  policy-relevant thresholds with changed farming
  practices?

Strengths Weaknesses

• Should zero tolerance policy be changed?

Strengths Weaknesses
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SWOT ANALYSIS

• STRENGHTS
• Minimizes the risk of contamination with GM
• Helps differentiate and market organic crops
• Facilitates traceability for trace-back food
  safety quality control
• Improves side-management
• Raises the profitability
• Increases consumers trust

• WEAKNESSES
• Increases the cost of production
• Must be developed case-by-case
• Cannot prevent contamination completely
• Requires professional expertise

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DISCUSSION

• Should zero tolerance policy be changed?
• YES
• SO WHY ?
• . NO
• SO WHY ?

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Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Interview with Shane Morris National
Biotechnology Operations Coordinator NABC 16
June 16, 2004