AWC welcomes resumed wheat trade with Japan

Two agricultural groups are pleased with the recent announcement that Japan is ready to start trading crops again.

The Alberta Wheat Commission (AWC) welcomes the news that Japan has resumed commercial wheat shipments from Canada. The news signals Japan’s continued confidence in Canada’s science-based regulatory system, following rigorous testing that confirmed there is no Genetically Modified (GM) wheat in Canadian shipments.

Japan suspended imports on June 15 following the discovery of less than 10 GM wheat plants growing along an oil well access road in Southern Alberta. Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) inspections confirmed shortly after that this was an isolated incident. Ongoing monitoring by the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) has found no evidence that unapproved wheat has entered export cargos. GM wheat is not authorized to be grown commercially in any country.

“Today’s news proves that Canada’s science-based regulatory system works,” said Tom Steve, AWC General Manager. “Not only does Canada’s grain handling system employ some of the most rigorous quality control protocols in the world, but we also prioritize transparency with our customers. Japan is a highly valued customer of Canada and we are pleased to see that they have reaffirmed their confidence in our system and have resumed normal trade.”

AWC commends the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) for their continued management of Canada’s regulatory and quality control systems.

Cereals Canada were also pleased with the resumption of the status quo.

“Japan is a long-standing, premium customer of Canadian wheat and is the highest grade buyer of Canadian wheat in the world,” noted Cam Dahl, President of Cereals Canada. “We appreciate that loyalty and highly value the collaborative nature of our trading partnership. Cereals Canada is grateful for the effort that the Government of Japan has put into resolving this issue as quickly as possible, work that included travel to Canada by officials of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries”.

“Cereals Canada wishes to recognize the united way in which the Canadian value chain has approached finding a resolution to the concerns that had caused Japan to temporarily close its borders to Canadian wheat. Almost all organizations and companies have come together to present unified single Canadian industry message. As a united industry we are able to work with the government and our customers to help maintain our reputation as a reliable supplier,” concluded Dahl.