Genetically modified organisms are not permitted under the standard, as stated in CAN/CGSB-32.310-2006, 1.4.1.a. Any product that is certified organic under the Organic Products Regulations (OPR) (SOR/2006-338) cannot use GMOs. In order to protect against GMO contamination, farmers must demonstrate to their certifying body (CB) that they have done everything possible to prevent contamination from neighbouring fields.

Effective protection against GMO contamination is virtually impossible for some crops. For example, canola pollen can drift up to two kilometres, leaving few locations in Canada where organic canola can be produced (For more information, visit the Saskatchewan Organic Directorate’s Organic Agriculture Protection Fund). For other crops such as corn, organic growers can reduce GMO contamination by late planting (to ensure that their corn comes into tassel at a different time than corn in neighbouring fields).

Farmers are required to develop buffer zones of eight metres to mitigate GMO engineered (or pesticide) drift from neighbouring fields. The Canadian Organic Standards (COS) also require that organic farmers use certified organic seed. If farmers are not saving and planting their own seed, they must ensure that their seed suppliers conform to standards requirements. For some crops, it is extremely difficult for commercial growers to obtain sufficient quantities of certified organic seed. In this case, growers must provide documentation proving that they have made at least three phone calls to organic seed providers. If they are still unable to obtain enough organic seed, they can use non-organic, GMO-free seed. The GMO-free status of the seed must be documented.