Florigene has developed genetically engineered varieties of carnation which have an improved vase life. The regulatory process to allow release of these new varieties has been completed or in progress in Australia, Europe, USA, Japan and Israel. It has been necessary to draw a distinction between whether plants are gown in, or imported into, a specific country. In either case the biology of the cultivated carnation is such that there is very little risk of gene dispersal in any part of the world. This is because seed set can not occur in a harvested crop, many varieties are sterile, it is vegetatively propagated crop and pollination is prevented by the double form of the flower.
Carnation is an internationally traded commodity, and one of the world's top three cut flowers. The major markets are Europe ( which receives imports from Africa, Colombia and Israel), the USA ( which receives most carnation from Colombia) and Japan. The wholesale and retail trading avenues are different in each of these markets and will be described. The marketing strategy for a genetically engineered carnation variety is much the same as that for a conventionally bred one, and largely dictated by the character of the specific market. The question of whether to label the flowers from the new varieties in some way, to indicate that they are genetically engineered, is the only marketing issue.