I want to tell you a story about a Canadian innovation that we can all be proud of: canola biotechnology. It’s an important story, but very few people take the time to hear it. I need your help to spread the word.
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Meet the canola seed. It may look tiny, but it contains something very important: the power to feed more and more people while making a smaller and smaller impact on the environment. It contains biotechnology – the science that helps crops meet the challenges of a growing world.
Our country has exported canola around the world since the 1970s. Wherever canola biotechnology goes, good things happen. In farm fields, it helps Canadian growers earn a good living while reducing their environmental impact. When it’s crushed into canola oil, it nourishes families with its healthy fats. It creates jobs and sparks innovation at every step of its journey: from the greenhouses where it’s bred, to the rural communities where it’s crushed and the bustling ports where it’s sold to markets around the world.
Recently, people have started taking a closer look at where their food comes from. They're hearing the buzz around genetically modified crops, and they’re asking, “Is my food safe?” And, “Is it safe for the environment?”
These questions are important, and they deserve insightful answers. Biotech crops like Canadian canola are an important tool to help us feed all 9 billion people who will live on this planet in 2050. And to do it in a way that helps protect our environment and natural resources.
We need your help to share the true story of Canadian canola so it continues to be one we’re proud to tell. You can connect your community to balanced information on biotechnology. It’s not just about Canadian canola – it’s about all of us.
Farmers used to rely on tilling the soil to remove weeds from their fields. It dried out the soil, leading to erosion and reduced fertility. Biotech crops like Canadian canola are tolerant to herbicides. By spraying herbicides on their fields, farmers can control weeds while protecting their crops and soil. They no longer need to till their fields every year, keeping our soil moist and fertile.
Source: Smyth et al. (2011). Environmental impacts from herbicide tolerant canola production in Western Canada. Agricultural Systems, 104 (5), 403–410.
Farmers also save a lot of fuel when they don't need to till their fields to control weeds. That means they spend less time operating the tractor and produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions. In just one year of growing Canadian canola, farmers saved one billion kilograms of carbon dioxide – that's equivalent to removing nearly 500,000 cars from the roads!
Source: Graham Brookes & Peter Barfoot (2015). Environmental impacts of genetically modified (GM) crop use 1996–2013: Impacts on pesticide use and carbon emissions. GM Crops & Food, 6:2, 103-133.
Farmers depend on our planet for their livelihoods, so they truly care about the health of the land and environment. Technologies like biotech canola means they can now use fewer herbicides to protect their crops from weeds, which reduces the impact that agriculture has on our environment.
Source: Graham Brookes & Peter Barfoot (2015). Environmental impacts of genetically modified (GM) crop use 1996–2013: Impacts on pesticide use and carbon emissions. GM Crops & Food, 6:2, 103-133.
Biotech crops allow farmers to produce more food with fewer natural resources like water, fossil fuels and land. As our population climbs to reach 9 billion by 2050, we need technology and crops like biotech canola to keep our food supply plentiful, affordable and sustainable.
Source: "The Role of Agricultural Biotechnologies in Sustainable Food Systems and Nutrition." FAO. Online. http://www.fao.org/about/meetings/agribiotechs-symposium/about-the-symposium/en/
Canola oil is absolutely safe and nutritious. Families in over 40 nations around the world choose canola oil because it contains the least amount of saturated fat (only 7%) of any common cooking oil and may help protect the heart.
Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/LabelingNutrition/ucm072958.htm
Farmers can get more yield from every acre of farmland by growing biotech canola compared to conventional varieties. Between 1996 and 2013, it increased farmers' yields by up to 12% per hectare, adding up to an extra 8 million tonnes of production.
Source: Brookes, Graham and Peter Barfoot. "Global income and production impacts of using GM crop technology 1996–2013." GM Crops & Food Vol. 6, Iss. 1, 2015.
Our farmers work very hard and deserve to earn a good living. With biotech canola, they can boost yields and earn more money from every acre. In 2012, that added up to an estimated $1 billion in benefits for farmers.
Source: Brewin, D.G., & Malla, S. (2012). The consequences of biotechnology: A broad view of the changes in the Canadian canola sector, 1969 to 2012. AgBioForum,15(3), 257-275.
Canada exports 90% of its biotech canola around the world. Producing, moving and processing this much grain into top-quality oil and meal takes a lot of people. The canola industry is responsible for 250,000 jobs in Canada and an annual economic impact of $26.7 billion.
Source: "The Economic Impact of Canola on the Canadian Economy," LMC International, 2016.
Funding for this project has been provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through Growing Forward 2, a federal – provincial – territorial initiative.
By clicking any of the links on this website, you are consenting to view materials that may be commercial in nature. All content on this site is property of the Canola Council of Canada. All rights reserved.
Funding for this project has been provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through Growing Forward 2, a federal – provincial – territorial initiative.
By clicking any of the links on this website, you are consenting to view materials that may be commercial in nature. All content on this site is property of the Canola Council of Canada. All rights reserved.
