(Resource News International) — The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is developing a new test for blackleg in canola in order to better meet new Chinese regulations on canola imports.
As of Nov. 15, all canola imports to China require phytosanitary certificates that the shipment is free of blackleg, a common fungal disease in canola. Shipments that do test positive for the disease can still be exported to China, but only to select ports away from China’s own canola growing regions.
The Canola Council of Canada has estimated that China’s new requirements will cut Canadian canola sales to the country by 70 per cent.
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Canola destined to be crushed, as the vast majority of Canada’s canola shipments to China is, poses little risk of transmitting blackleg, as the crushing process effectively destroys the disease, said Brian Rex, a grain and oilseed specialist with the CFIA in Winnipeg.
Prior to the Chinese requirements, the CFIA only tested for blackleg on shipments of canola seed destined for propagation. The standard procedure is a blotter test, approved by the International Seed Trade Association, said Rex.
Since Canada was notified of the new testing requirements, the CFIA lab in Ontario has been working on developing a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) technology that allows for a much quicker turnaround on the testing.
The methodology amplifies the DNA specifically for the blackleg pathogen so it can be detected more easily, said Rex.
“It looks like the methodology should be ready to go within days,” he said.
The original test had a 20-day turnaround time between when the samples were taken and the results were known. “We’re hoping that we can reduce the turnaround time to about 10 days,” he said.
There are two species that cause blackleg, he said: one is a weakly aggressive avirulent strain, while the other is an aggressive virulent strain. The avirulent species is already present in China, but the country claims it doesn’t have the virulent species, Rex said.
In Canada both strains are present, and in the past the test has simply looked for whether or not blackleg was present. The new methodology will be able to specifically tell if the aggressive strain is present, he said.
While Canada is confident its test will be effective, China will retest any shipments that are certified as free of blackleg when they arrive in the country, Rex confirmed, adding that China has not let Canada know the methodology it will use.
The uncertainty of the situation will likely keep a cautious tone in the market, as Canadian exporters remain reluctant to take on too much risk on business with China.
The general hope among canola exporters is that a solution will still be found at the political level that would see China back away from its restrictions on blackleg in canola.
