You may soon be eating more gene-edited food with Canada's updated seed rules

Allison Squires grows organic grains like wheat, lentils and flax on her farm in Wood Mountain, Sask., but she says she is "supremely disappointed" in Canada's newly clarified seed guidelines that she says puts her sector at risk.

Canada has just relaxed guidelines around gene-edited seeds, a move that the biotech industry says could lead to everything from Canada planting more drought-resistant crops to, someday, pitless cherries and sweeter broccoli.

On May 3, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau announced that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) seed guidelines now allow for some modified plants.

The updated seed rules now allow seeds created through gene-editing that are not spliced with foreign DNA or altered to make them pesticide-resistant.

Canada also announced an industry-managed database — the Seeds Canada Canadian Variety Transparency Database — to make it clear which seeds are and are not organic. While that database is voluntary, Bibeau says it will be overseen by a steering committee that includes and protects organic producers.

But Squires and other organic farmers say mandatory reporting is needed to know exactly which seeds take root. And with no labelling requirements, consumers won't know which foods use gene-edited ingredients. That, they say, could jeopardize the $9-billion organic sector, which must meet strict criteria — and ensure produce is not from genetically modified seeds — in order to use the organic label.

They're worried about contamination which can happen when the pollen spreads or seeds escape.

Most of the soybeans and corn now grown in the U.S. sprout from seeds that were genetically modified to be pesticide resistant and there's ongoing research about how pesticide-resistant genetically modified organisms (GMOs) led to so-called super weeds and bugs, and less biodiversity.

"If I can't certify my farm as organic, I lose an incredible market share," said Squires, president of the Canadian Organic Growers, and who often sells to European markets which she says demand a non-GMO guarantee.

Nobody is calling for a ban, just a way to opt out, explained Squires.

"All we're asking for is a mandatory traceability system that provides myself and my fellow organic farmers with the assurances that we need to make sure that the seed that we're buying is free from genetic engineering. So all we're asking for is the choice to farm organically."

Across Canada farmers have flagged the need for seed transparency.

In June of 2022 Martin Caron, president of the Union of Agricultural Producers (UPA), said knowing which seeds are modified is "essential information if we are to continue to meet the demands of consumers who do not wish to consume these products."

The Agriculture Minister says Canada needs to embrace new technologies that help with food production, in the face of climate change.