Ottawa is seeking feedback from farmers, seed growers and others on proposed changes to Canada’s variety registration system.
Agriculture Canada has posted an on-line document entitled Crop Variety Registration in Canada: Issues and Options.
The document, which can be viewed on Agriculture Canada’s website, outlines measures that could be taken to streamline Canada’s variety registration process.
Proposed options include:
• retaining the current variety registration system and using measures already in place to ensure a more flexible registration process for new crop varieties;
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• maintaining the current system but relaxing minimum registration requirements for all crop types;
• maintaining government oversight but eliminating regional recommending committees and merit assessments for all new crop lines and;
• eliminating government oversight entirely and allowing industry or third party groups to develop their own variety registration protocols.
Under the fourth option, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Health Canada would continue to ensure the safety of plants with novel traits.
Some industry stakeholders have been calling for changes to Canada’s current variety registration system, suggesting it hinders innovation and discourages investments in plant breeding.
Those who support a more lenient system argue that it takes too long to bring new crop varieties to market under the current regulatory system.
As a result, seed developers are less likely to invest in varietal development programs because returns on investment are delayed.
Supporters of the current system say there is already sufficient flexibility built into the system, adding that de-regulation could have costly and unintended consequences for the pedigreed seed industry and agriculture in general.
Earlier this year, federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz asked committees involved in registering new crop lines to look for ways to modernize the variety registration system.
Ritz challenged recommending committees under the Prairie Grain Development Committee to review current practices and determine whether a revamped system would be beneficial to the Canadian agriculture.
In February, Ritz asked chairs of all recommending committees to report back to him with suggestions on how the system could be improved.
The on-line document published August 19 is the culmination of that exercise.
Stakeholders who wish to weigh in on variety registration changes are invited to complete an on-line survey at http://bit.ly/170kQTQ before Nov. 30.
