Fact sheet: Safeguarding Canadian Wheat
The Government of Canada has looked into the finding of a few genetically modified (GM) wheat plants found on an access road in Alberta.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) recognizes the importance of Canada's wheat industry for domestic food use, international trade, farmers and the public, and is working with federal and provincial government departments, industry and farmers to confirm compliance with regulations, and to protect Canadian wheat.
More information and a detailed timeline are available at: Detection of genetically modified herbicide-tolerant wheat in Alberta.
Canada's wheat is safe
- Canada's wheat farms have established a strong reputation as efficient and reliable suppliers of safe, high-quality products.
- There is no evidence that this unauthorized wheat has entered the food or animal feed system or that it is present anywhere else.
- The wheat found is the first and only finding of its kind in Canada and is not a match for any registered seed variety in Canada.
What Canadian wheat producers need to know
Based on extensive scientific testing, there is no evidence that this GM wheat is present anywhere other than the isolated site where it was discovered.
We are working to protect market access
- The Government of Canada is working closely with our key trading partners to verify that they have the information they need to keep markets open to minimize any impacts that could result from this event.
- We are taking all necessary actions to help stakeholders make informed decisions.
- The Canadian Grain Commission will continue to monitor all bulk wheat export shipments. Grain samples have been and continue to be tested to verify that they only contain wheat that conforms to bulk export shipment regulations.
- We are ready to answer any technical questions and offering to assist partners.
We have programs to support producers
We provide support for farmers in managing their operations:
- Advance Payments Program – Farmers can access up to $400,000 per program year in advances based on the value of their agricultural product, with the Government of Canada paying the interest on the first $100,000.
- AgriInvest – Helps farmers manage cash flow or small income declines.
- AgriStability – Provides support for enrolled farmers experiencing large margin declines.
- AgriRecovery – Facilitates federal/provincial/territorial assessment of disaster events, and when needed, the implementation of initiatives to help farmers cover extraordinary costs.
Contact us
If you have any further questions about this detection, contact us.
- Date modified: