GMO's

Prior to variety registration/commercialization of GMO's, they must go through a rigorous step wise screening involving both confined and unconfined field trails. Parties trying to release a GMO's must apply through the Federal Plant Biotechnology Office contained within the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Health Canada. In Canada, plants with novel traits (PNT's) are regulated on the basis of the characteristics of the product, not the specific process by which the product was made. The primary triggers of the regulatory process are the novelty of the plant species, its characteristics (traits) and use, in the Canadian context. Therefore, products of traditional breeding or mutagenesis as well as the products of recombinant DNA technology may be considered novel and regulated under the Seed Act. For example, herbicide resistance may be achieved through mutation breeding, selection of naturally occurring variants or by the use of recombinant DNA technology. In any case the important aspect in terms of environmental interactions is the trait, herbicide resistance.