Plants > Biotechnology / PNTs > Molecular Farming 

TECHNICAL WORKSHOP ON THE SEGREGATION AND HANDLING OF POTENTIAL PLANT MOLECULAR FARMING PRODUCTS AND BY-PRODUCTS

From March 2–4, 2004, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) hosted a technical workshop on the segregation and handling of potential commercial plant molecular farming (PMF) products and by-products. Participants included representatives from the PMF industry, federal government organizations, agricultural and agribusiness associations, and experts in grain handling and identity preservation (IP).

As many of the novel plants currently being developed for PMF are known food and feed crops, such as safflower and alfalfa, this technical workshop’s main focus was to take a closer look at whether PMF products may be adequately segregated from other commodities, more specifically, from commodities intended for the food and feed chains.

This workshop was a preliminary step in the development of an appropriate regulatory framework to allow commercial PMF in Canada.

Please note that the workshop proceedings report is meant to be an accurate reflection of the workshop. The views and personal opinions of participants expressed during the workshop have been included for accuracy but do not necessarily reflect the views of the CFIA. In addition, the objective of the plenary discussions was not to seek consensus among participants but rather to provide a forum for participants to share their expertise, views, comments and recommendations.

• An overview of the Government of Canada's plant molecular farming initiatives and how they fit into the Government's broader agenda (Janet King, Life Sciences Branch)
• An overview of plant molecular farming in Canada (Rick Keon, SemBioSys Genetics, Inc.)
• Disposal of plant molecular farming by-products (Lynne Underhill, Feed Section, CFIA)
• Factories in the field - Can systems manage the risks? (Jim McCullagh, Canadian Seed Institute)
• Identity preservation: A company's experience (Henry Olechowski, W.G. Thompsons, Ltd.)
• Liability and responsibility regarding plant molecular farming (Stuart Smyth, Ag-West Biotech, Inc.)

• Overview of Canada's emergency management framework (Michael Doucet, Office of Emergency Management, CFIA)
• Plant molecular farming: A laboratory perspective (André Perron, St-Hyacinthe Laboratory, CFIA)
• Plant molecular farming and the bulk grain handling system: When bad things happen to good segregation programs (Patty Rosher, Canadian Wheat Board)
• Regulation of plant molecular farming (Philip Macdonald, Plant Biosafety Office, CFIA)
• Segregation of molecular farming material: Key findings and recommendations (Greg Arason)
• What is identity preservation and how do we know its working? (Laura Anderson, Canadian Grain Commission)

• Biographies of Speakers
• Disposal of plant molecular farming by-products
• Executive Summary of Workshop

• Participating Organizations
• Segregation of Molecular Farming Material
• Workshop proceedings report