KVD dumped for 2008 on all wheat classes

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Published: February 11, 2008

Kernel-visual-distinguishability (KVD) is being axed as of the start of the 2008-09 crop year.

Federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz, announced the August 1, 2008 removal after confirming the move was coming in the days prior to the formal announcement.

“Canadian farmers need access to the best crop science and varieties to be successful and the Government of Canada is working to give producers every advantage,” said Ritz in a prepared release. “Moving beyond KVD will allow Canadian farmers to harness the potential of new crop varieties tailored to livestock nutrition and biofuel production.”

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Ritz said the government would work with farmers, handlers, and processors to “maintain the highest level of quality assurance and competitiveness.”

The Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) announced in June 2006 that KVD would end for the minor classes of wheat by August 1, 2008. The government announcement extends the removal of KVD in 2008 to all classes of Western Canadian wheat, including Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) and Canada Western Amber Durum (CWAD).

Proponents of the move say removing the KVD requirements for wheat registration and segregation will allow for the development and registration of new high-yielding varieties of wheat suitable for other uses such as feed and biofuels, without requiring that they look different than milling wheats. Canada’s variety registration system will continue to include stringent quality, agronomic and disease-resistance requirements to uphold Canada’s reputation for quality wheat.

Opponents have said the move will undermine Canada’s grain quality assurance system and result in the loss of certain premium markets, especially for the CWRS and CWAD classes. Over the years the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) has invested more than $3 million in research to develop testing equipment to circumvent the KVD issue.

The CGC is working cwith industry and producers to ensure continued quality assurance in a post-KVD environment. To assist in this process, government and industry are working together to develop technologies to assist in rapidly identifying varieties of wheat.

The Canadian Seed Trade Association (CSTA) cheered the government’s move, saying eliminating the regulatory hurdle cleared the way for quicker development of varieties to meet the evolving needs of farmers and industry.

“[We’ve] heard the calls from the livestock and biofuels sectors for new varieties to meet their specific needs,’ said CSTA president Tim Welbanks. “With the removal of KVD from the variety registration process, we can start the work to bring new and exciting varieties to market.”

Other industry representatives have called for caution on the part of the government, saying moving too quickly could hurt growers.

Wade Sobkowich, executive director of the Western Grain Elevator Association (WGEA), recently told the Manitoba Co-operator the grain industry and farmers needed time to develop a protocol to segregate wheats by class and minimize financial risk to all parties.

“[I]t could be very damaging to remove it too quickly,” Sobkowich said.

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