April 30, 2007

 

Canada seeks to pave way of wheat sorting by 2010

 

 

Canada--one of the world's largest wheat exporters--intends to remove its traditional visual system for ensuring bread wheat quality by 2010 and use its new feed and ethanol wheat, but a Canadian Wheat Board official urged caution.

 

By the end of 2009, the Canadian Grain Commission will determine whether a suite of tools can replace "kernel visual distinguishability (KVD)," a system the country uses to keep milling wheat separate from feed and other types of wheat.

 

Terry Harasym, assistant chief commissioner of the grain quality regulator said the new system would be a "fundamental change" on handling the country's wheat.

 

The KVD system has long been used as a fast and inexpensive way to sort Canada's eight classes of wheat, each of which is sold for a different purpose.

 

But whether Canada will be able to end KVD--or needs to--remains to be seen, said Earl Geddes, a vice-president with the Canadian Wheat Board, which has a monopoly on wheat sales to millers and export markets.

 

Geddes said the question hangs whether the removal the KVD can have a market impact or affect the rebranding and additional monitoring costs.

 

After extensive consultations, the Canadian Grain Commission said last year it would relax the KVD rules for all minor wheat classes, creating a new "general purpose" class effective August 1, 2008.

 

Those changes may give breeders enough room to boost yields without needing to end KVD for red spring and durum wheat, Geddes said.

 

The KVD system is unique to Canada, and helps the country visually "brand" the quality and consistency of the wheat from its importers, he said.

 

Geddes said Canada needs a rapid and accurate "driveway test" to determine what's in a truckload of grain before it can move away from KVD.

 

Wheat is Canada's largest crop as the country produced a total of 27.3 million tonnes last year.