World Grain - January 2015 - 98

FEATURE: U.S. BUYING MORE GRAIN FROM CANADA

Canada-U.S. trade task group re-dedicates itself to mission
A 2013 study conducted by the Canada-U.S. Task Group,
made up of non-profit trade organizations on both sides of
the border (http://canada-usgrainandseedtrade.info/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/FINAL-TRC-Report-to-Grain-and-SeedTrade-Task-Group.pdf) took a look at U.S.-Canada trade volumes, handling and processing methods for over 15 commodities and concluded that between 2010 and 2012 the highest
volume agriculture commodity moving to Canada from the
U.S. was corn at 1.05 million tonnes on average. Soybean exports to Canada were 245,000 tonnes and wheat at 69,000
tonnes. Also, 54% of all grain movements were by truck, 32%
by rail and 14% by ship or barge.
On June 5, 2014 the members of the Task Group issued a
statement re-dedicating themselves to their mission, saying:
1. We support and encourage the use of innovation to help
solve pressing problems to address global food security needs.
Wheat is an essential part of the global diet, representing
about 20% of daily caloric intake. As demand increases, we
must find ways to ensure it remains abundant while meeting the highest quality and nutrition standards. In addition to
protecting the continued availability of wheat foods, wheat
enhanced through biotechnology ultimately offers the promise of improved products, more sustainable production and
environmental benefits.
2. We are encouraged by numerous investments in wheat
research since 2009. We applaud the increasing private and
public investment to grow more and better quality wheat
safely, responsibly and in a more sustainable manner through
the use of less water, fertilizer, fuel and pesticides. Research
investments range from advanced breeding techniques to
biotechnology traits aimed at improving productivity and
end-use qualities.
3. We encourage exporting and importing nations to maintain sound, science-based biotech regulatory systems. Regulations that provide a sensible framework and predictable
approval process are necessary to bring new technology to

the marketplace. Biotech wheat will be subject to rigorous
scientific testing as well as extensive government approval
processes before it is available anywhere in the world. Additional regulations and oversight are not needed as biotech
wheat will be developed with the same proven technologies
that have been safely used on many other crops.
4. We encourage expediting the adoption of reasonable low
level presence (LLP) policies in exporting and importing nations to minimize trade disruptions resulting from asynchronous approvals. This would ensure that trade can continue
uninterrupted for commodities like wheat that may contain
traces of existing biotech traits approved in accordance with
international guidelines by an exporting country.
5. We believe the use of biotechnology to improve wheat is
as safe as conventional practices. More than 15 years of commercial production and peer-reviewed scientific research show
this technology is safe for the environment and consumption.
Over one trillion meals have been consumed without a single
reported incident and studies have found that biotechnology
and products derived from biotechnology have not caused any
legitimate food safety concerns.
6. We understand choice is paramount. We envision both
biotech and non-biotech wheat coexisting within our current
production, grain handling, exporting and processing sectors
to meet specific customer demands. We support choice and
are committed to ensuring customers have access to both
biotech and non-biotech wheat delivered through reasonable
tolerance levels.
7. We share the goal of synchronized commercialization of
biotech traits in our wheat crops and timely regulatory approval for those traits in importing countries. The coordinated
introduction of biotech wheat will help maintain a healthy
and competitive global marketplace. We recognize that we
are still at the early stages of a process that could last up to
a decade, but we remain committed to responsibly advance
wheat innovation."

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World Grain - January 2015

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