The Agbiotech Bulletin, Volume 4, Issue 12 December 1996

The Agbiotech Bulletin, Volume 4 Issue 12, December 1996 Published by AG-WEST BIOTECH INC. Code Number:NL96023 Sizes of Files: Text: 51.2K Graphics: No associated graphics files Commons Committee Recommends Biotech Commission Canada needs a National Advisory Commission on Biotechnology to assess the risks associated with the new technology, according to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development. The Environment Committee tabled its report, entitled Biotechnology Regulation in Canada A Matter of Public Confidence on November 8, and requested a comprehensive response from government within 150 days. IBAC Supports Existing Regulatory Structure In response to the Committee's recommendations, the Industrial Biotechnology Association of Canada (IBAC) has reasserted its view that "Products produced using biotechnology should be treated no differently from those products using other processes. Canada has in place the infrastructure and mechanisms to properly regulate the introduction, testing, approval, and use of products to be used in agriculture, health care, environment, and industry." Legal Issues Surrounding Intellectual Property Rights in Biotechnology (This is the third in a series of articles on key Intellectual Property Rights issues. The first and second articles in the series offered private and public sector perspectives. This article, by Cory Furman of the Furman & Kallio law office, provides a legal perspective. New Patent Rules in Effect Can Laws Evolve as Quickly as Science? News CANOLAB Launched The federal government has launched a unique educational science project for elementary students across Canada. Laurate Canola to Be Grown in Canada Much of the high laurate transgenic canola developed by Calgene Inc. of California will be grown on Canadian farms, according to an article in the Manitoba Cooperator. High laurate canola, derived by inserting a gene from the California bay tree into canola, produces a high value oil useful in making shampoos, detergents, cocoa butter substitutes, and whipped toppings. Liberty Link Hybrid Canola Available Canola growers in southern Manitoba now have access to a world first for canola production: a hybrid that is resistant to Liberty herbicide. Cooperation Agreement on Science and Technology The four western provinces, the Northwest Territories, and the Government of Canada have signed an agreement which cements ongoing cooperation in science and technology throughout Western Canada. The Memorandum of Understanding will facilitate two initiatives immediately, and lead to many other initiatives tailored to support the region's industry. Opportunities for Turkish-Canadian Collaboration in Agbiotech Bio Atlantec Announced Regulatory New Substances Notification Regulations Events Outlook Agri-Food '97 BIOMINET Meeting Wood Biotechnology Symposium Trends Opportunities for Growth of Aquaculture Identified Recombinant Fungus Protects Trees Scientists may soon be able to inoculate valuable tree seedlings against pests and pollution by introducing beneficial genes into fungi that surround the tree's roots. Alliances Ceapro Amalgamation Involves Canamino, Minerva Edmonton-based Ceapro Developments Inc. will amalgamate with its Calgary-based subsidiary Vexco Healthcare Inc. Quebec Agri-Food Club Boosts Export Activity What's behind the rapid growth in Quebec's agri-food export sector? Finance VIDO Continues to Prosper Saskatoon-based VIDO (Veterinary Infectious Disease Organization) has achieved important advances in vaccine research and strategic partnerships with industry leaders over the past year, according to a report released from the 51st meeting of the Board of Directors, held recently in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Private/Public Agreement Aids Canadian Exporters Northstar Trade Finance Inc. and the Department of Western Economic Diversification (WD) are working together to promote greater access by small- and medium-sized businesses to export markets. Northstar will receive a $150,000 loan from WD to market its services to small- and medium-sized exporters in Canada. R&D Project Funds Available National biotechnology strategy funding is available for R&D projects which protect the environment from activities in the fossil fuel and mining sector. Some $97,000 will be made available in 1997/98 in the fossil fuel sector, and a similar amount in the mining sector. Support for Exports to Higher-Risk Markets A $1.5 billion commitment by the Export Development Corporation (EDC) could help more foreign customers buy Canadian products. The new funding will support sales of Canadian capital goods and projects to commercial customers in higher-risk emerging markets. Consumers' Association Comments on Biotech Regs The jurisdiction and authority for regulating products of biotechnology is best left to the government departments experienced in regulating novel and traditionally-derived foods, according to the Consumers' Association of Canada (CAC). FAO/WHO Expert Consultation on Biotechnology and Food Safety The recent Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation on Biotechnology and Food Safety has concluded that "Food safety considerations regarding organisms produced by techniques that change the heritable traits of an organism, such as rDNA technology, are basically of the same nature as those that might arise from other ways of altering the genome of an organism, such as conventional breeding." Attitudes Biotechnology, Agriculture, and Our Future: A Student View (The essay by Amie A. Brochu of Monseigneur de Laval School in Regina was the top-graded entry in the first annual Agbiotech Essay Contest sponsored by Ag-West Biotech. Resources FOODPACK The National Research Council and the Food Research and Development Centre of Agriculture Canada have joined forces to offer the Canadian food industry a research and development program dealing with plastics and food packaging. Benchmarks For Success Deloitte & Touche Consulting Group has published Benchmarking for Success Five Year Financial Performance Trends for Canadian and United States Food Processors 1996. World Seed Market The World Seed Market: Developments and Strategies offers information on the agricultural seed sector, including biotechnology. People Watch Beef Development Centre IBAC NRC-PBI International Food Focus VIDO CAMA MOGEN International We Welcome Your Input The Agbiotech Bulletin is published 12 times per year on behalf of Ag-West Biotech Inc. by Westcross House Publications