After pressure from the Flax Council and other groups he sterilized the seeds so they could not be grown but continued to give them out even though the Saskatchewan Crop Development Centre asked him to stop. THe director claims he cannot force McHughen to stop as that would interfere with academic freedom. McHughen claims that any fears are completely baseless given that his seeds are sterile. Industry opponents claim that it is perception that is significant. Already European buyers are requesting documentation to prove that flax they buy is GM-free, even though no GM flax is grown commercially here.
Organic growers are also in an uproar.
Although obviously not sensitive to public or institutional criticism, McHughen is upfront when it comes to confronting critics. He chaired a recent international bio-safety conference in Saskatoon. Included was a special session in which the public was invited to challenge the scientists. Not content with that, McHughen ventured outside to confront protestors and challenged them to argue their case with him. He is not exactly a shrinking violet.