Ontario Corn Producers' Association Newsletter | October 1999
A major meeting involving OCPA, corn processors and representatives of the Ontario seed corn and grain trade industries occurred on September 8 in London, to review plans for ensuring that processors receive only EU-approved corn this fall. There is general comfort that farmers and dealers will take steps to ensure that processors' needs are respected.
Indeed, this should not be too difficult given that only about two percent of the 1999 crop involves unapproved hybrids, and the processors only use about one-third of the total grain crop. Many elevator locations will only be accepting corn grown from approved hybrids in 1999/00. But a large number of elevators will be accepting all corn. A partial list of elevators accepting all hybrids is published elsewhere in this magazine. The list is incomplete, however, and many elevators have stated that they may change their position depending on future circumstances. Producers growing E.U. unapproved hybrids are advised to check with their customers or other local delivery locations before harvesting corn this fall.
An issue OCPA will be monitoring closely this fall is CascoUs intention to import U.S. corn from at least one location (AndersonUs at Toledo/Maumee, Ohio) which will be accepting deliveries of both approved and unapproved corn hybrids this fall.
Casco has been informed that the goodwill of Ontario farmer activities to respect their needs regarding 1999/2000 corn purchases will depend on the integrity of the company's own purchasing policies.
There is no indication as yet that Ontario-based corn processors will be following the lead of ADM in the U.S. in segregating purchases of non-genetically enhanced corn this fall P presumably for higher-priced sales to certain buyers. However, if Ontario-based buyers want to pursue the same route, this should be possible, for suitable price premiums.
OCPA is watching those North American food processors who have announced decisions to avoid the use of genetically enhanced "organisms" in the manufacturing process. We hope that the public and media will be diligent and ensure these companies are indeed honouring their commitments ... commitments which involve much more than (non)purchases of genetically enhanced corn, soybeans and canola. For example, almost all rye has been genetically modified (chemical treatment to double chromosome number, to produce tetraploid rye) for many decades. Many barley varieties have been genetically enhanced for about four decades. (These varieties arise from crosses between barley and a wild species, Hordeum bulbosus; the resulting petri-dish, tissue-callus material is treated first with a chemical to double the chromosome number, and then with other chemical and/or nutrients to induce the calluses to develop into plants.) In addition, genetically enhanced microorganisms and/or enzymes are used in the manufacture of beverage alcohols, cheese, and a host of other food products. It will not be easy to prove and certify that foods are free of genetically enhanced organisms.
