~ Cami Ryan ~ Total Utilization of Flax Genomics

(TUFGEN)

University of Saskatchewan

VALGEN, Vancouver

March 2012

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Act I

Triffid Flax

Act II

Triffid’s Demise

Act III

The Resurrection of Triffid

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5 Source: FAO Stats

Canada

India

US

China

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O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend The brightest heaven of invention, [this Triffid],

A kingdom for a stage, princes to act And monarchs to behold the swelling scene!

Henry V, Act I

1989 1988 1994

Feed Approval

1996 1996/97

Food

Food/Feed

1998

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‘Tis a vile thing to die, my gracious lord,

When men are unprepared [ for consumers’ response to GM]

and look not for it.

- Richard III, Act III -

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Recall and crush organized

2000 2001

CDC Triffid deregistered

CDC Triffid transported/crushed/destroyed

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What may this mean That thou, dead [Triffid] corse, again, in complete steel,

Revisit'st thus …

- Hamlet, Act I -

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July 2009

Sept 2009

16K tonnes in quarantine

Oct 2009

Testing!!!!

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13 Data Source: Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture (2011)

NPTII marker discovered

FP967 notification on RASFF

Launch of Stewardship Protocol

14 Source: Viju etal 2011

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Canada:

EU:

$30,000,000 (CDN) $52,000,000 (CDN)

(calculations based on: Ryan & Smyth 2011; Dayananda 2011) ; (COCERAL Report 2011)

> $80,000,000

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“…often gain quick acceptance …and on occasion they do have direct impacts on

government policy...”

Paarlberg and Pray (2008)

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19

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S. Somers on GM Foods: “fake” and "loaded with toxins, chemicals”

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“GMO health risks and their impact on our most precious resource - our children”

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Klaus Ammann

Questions? Comments? Questions? Comments?

Cami Ryan Departments of Plant Science & Bioresource Policy, Business and Economics

University of Saskatchewan

Twitter me @DocCamiRyan

Blog: http://doccamiryan.wordpress.com/

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Acknowledgements: Stuart Smyth

TUFGEN team VALGEN SaskFlax

Flax Council of Canada