Ottawa-Canadian crop developers could be close to finally receiving clear government guidance on how gene editing and CRISPR technology can be used to produce new crop varieties, says Pierre Petelle, President and CEO of CropLife Canada.

Agriculture Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency have indicated they will soon release the updated guidance after seven years of study, Petelle told the Commons environment committee, which is studying freshwater shortages in Canada.

This could enable seed developers to offer new crop varieties better able to cope with the dry conditions expected in many parts of Canada this year, he said.

Using gene editing enables seed developers to produce new varieties much faster and at less cost. “Smaller companies, public breeders and universities can have a big role and not just the larger multinationals that have typically been the founders of the gene technologies up till now.”

To get new technologies, Canada needs a collective, whole-of-government approach, he said. “If we want Canada to be at the forefront of innovations and some of these technologies, including drought-tolerant crops, crops that are better adapted to some of the climate stressors we have, and short-stature crops that are more resilient to wind—there are all kinds of innovations—we have to make sure our regulatory environment enables those products.

“We have no interest in pesticides ending up where they don't have their effect, and neither does the farmer,” he said. Some of the precision technology enables the actual nozzles to turn on when weeds are detected.

“Seeing some of those innovations available now is pretty mind-blowing. All those techniques are designed to apply the product where it's going to have the most effect and potentially lessen the impact of off-field movement. Drones and GPS data are helping the farmer know exactly, almost to the square foot on their field, what that piece of soil needs in terms of nutrients or pest pressures. All that information and knowledge is making agriculture more and more sustainable every day.

Terri Stewart, CropLife Canada’s Executive Director of Chemistry, said the global agricultural community is currently facing some enormous challenges including climate change, severe weather conditions, water scarcity and increasing global population. “This is all while the amount of arable land available for agriculture is shrinking due to urban expansion.

“With water shortages on the horizon for much of the world, growers continue to actively seek out tools that help them reduce water use. Canada's agriculture industry is focused on providing crops that are better able to withstand drought and other extreme weather occurrences, are more efficient at storing carbon in the soil and have better nutrition profiles to help us meet our health needs and reduce the impacts on our health care system.”

The agriculture sector “is focused on protecting crops from the various weeds, insects and diseases that grow more prevalent each year with climate change. This allows growers to grow more food on less land than ever before, leaving more untouched habitats for pollinators and other species. These innovations are part of a highly regulated system in Canada that protects the health and environment of Canadians.

Globally, there are over 30,000 different species of weeds, 3,000 species of fungi and 10,000 species of insects that plants must combat on a daily basis. Even today, up to 40% of global crop production would be lost due to weeds and diseases.

When we're thinking about pesticides and plant breeding innovations, they help protect crops and give them the best chance of success to make agriculture as efficient as possible. Technologies are being used to develop and apply crop protection products, and these are changing rapidly.

This news item was prepared for National Newswatch.