Plants > Biotechnology / PNTs > Confined Release > Field Trials 

ADDENDUM II: TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR
CONFINED RESEARCH FIELD TRIALS OF
WHEAT (Triticum turgidum ssp. durum)

Terms and Conditions 2005

1. The applicant must ensure that the trial seed and/or plant material are transported in clearly identified, secure containers and are kept separate from other seed and/or plant material.

2. Seeding, transplanting and site maintenance machinery and equipment must be cleaned at the trial site to prevent dispersal of plant material. Surplus seed or seedlings, and any plant material remaining after transplantation, that is to be destroyed, will be disposed of by autoclaving, burning, or burial at a depth of one metre. Composting of this material is not an acceptable destruction method.

3. In the case of accidental release, recoverable seeds or seedlings must be collected and destroyed, the site must be marked and monitored, and the PBO notified immediately. Plants from unrecoverable seed or seedlings must be mechanically or chemically destroyed.

4. Wheat plants in the trial must be reproductively isolated from all Triticum species by a minimum of 30 metres.

5. Measurements from permanent surrounding landmarks must be provided for precise location of the site. Markers must also be placed at all corners of the trial site to identify the confined field trial boundaries. The markers must be obvious, identifiable and in place for the growing seasons of both the trial and the post-harvest restriction period.

6. Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates must be taken precisely at all corners of each trial site. The GPS coordinates of each confined research field trial site location must be submitted to the PBO within 7 days after planting.

7. If a chemical treatment is used on the trial site location that requires a time until safe entry a sign should be posted at the access to the trial indicating the date and time of spraying as well as the time until safe entry. This condition is intended to protect the health and safety of the CFIA inspection staff.

8. No plant material from these trials may enter the human food or livestock feed chain unless approved by Health Canada or the Feeds Section, CFIA, respectively.

9. During the trial growing season the trial site, including the surrounding isolation distance, must be monitored at least once every two weeks to ensure that all related species are removed.

10. Harvesting machinery and equipment will be cleaned of all residual plant material at the trial site prior to being moved to other locations. Plant material harvested, that is not to be retained, must be destroyed by burning, autoclaving, or burial to a depth of one metre. Composting of this material is not an acceptable destruction method.

11. Harvested seed and/or propagable plant material from the confined research field trial may only be retained if requested in the application and authorized by the PBO. Any harvested seed and/or plant material must be clearly labelled, securely transported, and stored separately from other seed and/or plant material.

12. Applicants must provide the PBO in writing within 15 working days after harvest with information on:

    • quantity of seed and/or plant material harvested at the trial sites
    • date(s) of harvest
    • quantity of seed and/or plant material disposed of
    • location, method and date of disposal
    • quantity of seed and/or plant material retained and stored
    • storage location and method

    Disposal of plant material (propagable and/or non-propagable) includes harvested plant material as well as residual plant material on the trial site.

    If a trial is destroyed prior to harvest applicants must provide the PBO in writing within 15 working days after destruction with information on the trial’s growth stage at the time of destruction, as well as the date and method of destruction.

13. A detailed trial log book must be kept. Records of the confined research field trial, including current season and post-harvest site monitoring, activities related to the trial site compliance, cleaning of machinery, transportation, disposition and storage of all surplus seed and harvested seed and plant material, must be maintained by the applicant and made available to the CFIA upon request. A report summarizing the completed trial and experimental data, including any amendments to the original protocol, must also be made available to the CFIA upon request. Detailed records requirements can be found in section 3.8 of Regulatory Directive 2000-07.

14. Applicants must notify the PBO in writing of crop species planted on trial sites for each year the sites are subject to post-harvest restriction. This notification must be received every year by June 15.

15. Seed or other propagable plant material from the confined research field trial must be harvested unless otherwise approved by the PBO. All plant residue remaining on the trial site must be soil incorporated or destroyed by incineration as soon as possible after harvest. Applicants are encouraged to destroy all residual plant material in a manner whereby the material is not easily distributed by wind or local fauna yet does not promote seed dormancy. If the applicant decides to burn the plant material, incineration must be complete.

16. The trial site, and a minimum 10 metre zone (50 metre if a large combine or combination was used during harvest) around the trial site, must not be seeded with cereal crops for two years following harvest of the trial. During the two post-trial growing seasons the trial site, including the 10 metre zone, must be monitored at least once every two weeks to ensure that all volunteer plants and related species are removed prior to anthesis.