CFIA tackles reforms - The Western Producer

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20 JUNE 7, 2012 | WWW.PRODUCER.COM | THE WESTERN PRODUCER NEWS Arctic Apple’s genetically modified Granny Smith apple, right, browns less than a conventional Granny. | ARCTIC APPLE PHOTO BIOTECHNOLOGY | GM DEBATE GM, browning-resistant apple goes for CFIA approval Gene ‘turned off’ | Arctic Apple raises concerns in some circles BY BARB GLEN LETHBRIDGE BUREAU An apple genetically modified to resist browning has been submitted for approval to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, with public comment accepted until July 3. Resulting controversy has upset the apple cart among British Columbia fruit growers and those with reserva- Don’t wait for someday Build your future with the Young Farmer Loan Under 40? Love agriculture? Take the next step with up to $500,000 to purchase farm-related assets. With variable rates at prime plus 0.5% and no processing fees, you can make your move. www.fcc.ca/YoungFarmerLoan tions about GM technology. For Neal Carter, orchardist and president of Okanagan Specialty Fruits, the new variety is the apple of his eye. His company has the exclusive worldwide licence for use of the non-browning technology in tree fruits. “Way back in the 1990s, we recognized that having tree fruit crops that were exciting and different certainly stimulated higher returns on the farm and at the same time we recognized that enzymatic browning in apples was something that was really impeding its progress and the consumption of apples in the marketplace,” said Carter. His company submitted the Arctic Apple for approval in December 2011 after years of testing, some of it involving Agriculture Canada in Summerland, B.C., and more recently in Saskatoon. Carter hopes the apple will be approved by the spring of 2014, although he admits that may be optimistic. Lucy Sharratt, co-ordinator of the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN), said the apple should not be approved. “We think the GM apple is simply unnecessary,” she said. Sharatt said B.C. apple growers have told CBAN they are not interested in growing GM apples, in part through worries over consumer backlash and damage to markets. “So you have a marginally commercially interesting product that could be a burden for a great many growers,” she said. Calls to the B.C. Fruit Growers Association were not returned, but Sharratt said the organization has objected to GM apples for 10 years. Carter said there is a viable market for a non-browning apple in the fast food and fresh produce sector. He points to the success of baby carrots as an example of a new product that improved consumption. “We saw apple consumption going down every year for 25 years and we saw the grocery stores allocating shelf space for fresh cut, and apples really weren’t participating in that at all,” he said. Browning is the main cause for apples’ absence and the GM variety requires no dips, chemicals or other treatments to retard browning. Carter said it simply represents the “turning off” of a gene that stimulates browning. “We are dealing with food service and fresh cut people all the time and they are just excited as heck at being able to have an apple that doesn’t have an antioxidant or treatment dip on it.” Sharratt said the Ambrosia apple, which was conventionally bred, is also non-browning. Objections to releasing a GM apple have sparked an online petition by B.C. MLA Lana Propham, the NDP agriculture critic. Federal NDP agriculture critic Alex Atamanenko is also opposed. He said the GM trait has potential to spread, contaminating other apples in B.C.’s important Okanagan fruit growing region and affecting markets already under pressure from U.S. grown product. Carter said research into GM spread has shown there is little movement of pollen by bees, particularly with measures such as non-GM hedgerows surrounding orchards. He noted apples are propagated by vegetation rather than seed, which makes gene flow easier to control. “We’ve always known that this was going to be controversial,” said Carter. “These are going to be the most studied apples on the planet.”
FARMLIVING FARM LIVING EDITOR: KAREN MORRISON | Ph: 306-665-3585 F: 306-934-2401 | E-MAIL: KAREN.MORRISON@PRODUCER.COM MARKETING | ONLINE TOOLS ASPARAGUS A VERSATILE, TASTY VEGETABLE Steam it, boil it, roast it, toss it into a stir fry, grill it or microwave it — asparagus is low in calories and high in nutrition. We have recipes. | Page 25 Build business with social media Use Facebook, Twitter | Online tools help consumers understand and trust the business BY KAREN MORRISON SASKATOON NEWSROOM HALIFAX — People who run companies based in rural locations are urged to make social media a key part of their business strategy. Melissa Schenk, executive producer at MS2 Productions and a CTV weather anchor at London, Ont., said web and mobile technologies from Twitter to Facebook allow for a twoway exchange between organizations, communities and individuals. “Social media is about getting to know you,” said Schenk, who led a workshop on social media and internet effectiveness at the Community Futures Network of Canada conference in Halifax May 31. Schenk said one to three minute videos offer farmers a chance to show consumers how their food is produced, while also introducing the farm operator. Ninety percent of online content is expected to be in videos by 2013, Schenk said. A Production of “It helps you to be found.” In an interview, Schenk talked about a farm operator who created a video that took viewers from the farm where heritage pigs are raised to the restaurant where their higher fat meat was sizzling in the pan. Another video provided a walk through a greenhouse and strawberry operation. “You have to show it to them and give them the experience you want them to have and create the impression you want to leave with them,” she said. Schenk said most people shop and research online before buying goods and services. “You have to connect and have conversations, that’s where marketing is going,” she said. “Your secret weapon is you.” Chris Dalman of JerkFish said such tech savvy marketing is hard to do in his one-person operation at Arnes, Man. He finds it difficult to keep up with orders without also having to scope out new markets and improve his website, jerkfish.ca. “It’s quite time consuming,” said the fisherman and father of two young children. “I’d like to, but there are too many other things I have to take care of.” Dalman started JerkFish, his take on an Icelandic hard fish snack, to add value to the walleye he catches. The three varieties, which range from plain to spicy, are sold to retail stores in Manitoba’s Interlake area, home to a large Icelandic community. Derryl Reid, who operates Green Bean Coffee Imports in Clandeboye, Man., uses social media to network globally and connect with customers locally. He maintains a website, writes a blog, has Twitter feeds and is connected on Facebook. Social media also allows him to share his business philosophy of creating local food networks and niche markets providing organic and fair trade products. “Our experience is it’s a way to connect with like-minded business Energy Centre - �� and customer bases,” he said. Reid said it gives rural business a voice. “It’s important for the customer base to reach that rural based business and have an understanding of them,” he said. He’s still exploring the best uses of social media, he added. “It can’t be all about business, but more about yourself, your philosophy, who you are as a person,” said Reid. “If you’re not being real, people quickly identify that and lose interest.” The company buys green beans from growers and co-operatives, mainly in Spanish speaking countries. Green Bean roasts beans and sells coffee to retail and wholesale markets in Winnipeg and rural regions. Reid has linked Twitter and Facebook to reduce the effort needed to update these sites. He is also considering producing short videos online and opening a coffee shop in Winnipeg. THE WESTERN PRODUCER | WWW.PRODUCER.COM | JUNE 7, 2012 FILE ILLUSTRATION MARKETING | SUMMIT Youth summit studies global food security BY ED WHITE WINNIPEG BUREAU 21 In an age of financial turmoil and volatile food prices, Meahgan Sweet has discovered that Canada is in a sweet spot. “We’re in a good, solid position,” said the University of Saskatchewan marketing student, who recently took part in the Y20 international youth gathering in Mexico. Sweet, 21, was one of seven young Canadians, and the only westerner, to attend the summit, which gives bright young people a chance to identify crucial issues for the world’s leaders at the June G20 summit. MEAHGAN SWEET MARKETING STUDENT While Western Canada is economically booming, much of the planet is under great economic stress. Sweet took on the task of considering Canada’s impact on food security. It’s an issue of crucial importance to many countries because the world population is burgeoning and food prices are high and unpredictable. Sweet, whose parents farm near Rosetown, Sask., said she thinks Canada’s greatest contribution to food security in developing countries is through extending agricultural expertise and experience. “They have the land, they just don’t have the education,” said Sweet. “They often don’t know they’re depleting their soils of minerals, causing erosion and topsoil loss.” Underlying the summit was anxiety over the continuing financial problems in Europe. The crisis may be within the eurozone countries, but restrictions on capital is affecting every part of the world. Developing nations don’t want to be hamstrung by problems they have no part in, Sweet said. Evraz Place, Regina, SK, Canada June 20 - 22, 2012 www.myfarmshow.com
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