For Immediate Release

February 22, 2018 – Edmonton, Alberta –  The Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) is making an exception and allowing deliveries of canola variety 46A76 made before August 1, 2018, to be assigned any grade for canola.

Alberta Canola Producers congratulates the CGC for providing this time frame for canola growers to clear their grain stocks of the canola variety 46A76.

The registrant of 46A76 had applied to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to cancel the variety’s registration, a popular open pollinated canola variety in parts of Alberta.

Alberta Canola learnt about the cancellation last spring, but many growers did not hear about it until this winter after the variety’s registration had been cancelled. This decision allows growers to clear their stocks without being penalized or potentially creating international market access issues.

Any deliveries of unregistered varieties are required by The Canada Grain Act to be assigned the lowest grade available for that crop. But due to gaps in the notification process surrounding the cancellation of this variety, the CGC has made an exception in this specific case under Section 28 of the Canada Grain Act.

Therefore, deliveries of canola variety 46A76 made before August 1, 2018, can be assigned any grade for canola. This exception also recognizes that the CGC has no concerns about the quality of 46A76, nor the overall impact to the quality of canola if 46A76 is delivered into the commercial grain handling system.

This permission will not extend beyond the end of the 2017/18 crop year. As of August 1, 2018, the variety will only be eligible for the lowest grade of canola (No.3 Can).

Alberta Canola continues to dialog with the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) about how to avoid this in the future.

If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact the CGC’s program manager for National Inspection Standards, Daryl Beswitherick, at (204) 983-4627

Alberta Canola Contact
Ward Toma
General Manager
Alberta Canola Producers Commission
780.454.0844
ward@albertacanola.com

The Alberta Canola Producers Commission was the province’s first refundable check-off producer organization. The mandate of Alberta Canola is to increase the long term profitability of Alberta canola growers through research, consumer and producer education programs, and policy development.