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Canadian Seed Trade Association Report 2010: International Seed Quality Standards

This report highlights key issues in the Canadian seed trade industry, including variety registration, weed seed orders, printing of official tags, and the licensed sampler program. Topics covered also include low level presence policies, variety de-registration, and the use of variety names. The report delves into the importance of maintaining quality standards for international seed movement and the implications for trade policies. Insights are provided on risk management proposals and understanding biosafety thresholds to ensure compliance with international regulations.

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Canadian Seed Trade Association Report 2010: International Seed Quality Standards

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  1. Canadian Seed Trade Association Report Bill Leask CSAAC Annual Meeting June 24, 2010 Saskatoon, SK

  2. Items of Interest • 1. Issues • Variety Registration • Weed Seed Order • Printing “Official Tags” • Licensed Sampler Program • 2. Meetings • 3. Low Level Presence (LLP) or AP

  3. Items of Interest • Issues • Variety Registration • Crop Placement (forages, oilseed soybeans) • Variety De-Registration

  4. Items of Interest • Issues • Weed Seed Order • Definitions • Prohibited (Not present or Regulated) • Primary Noxious • Secondary Noxious

  5. Items of Interest • Issues • Printing “Official Tags” • Print “Blue” tag info on one tag • Printing on “Bulk” documents • Seed industry standard for bar codes?

  6. Items of Interest • Issues • Licensed Sampler Program • Use of Variety Names • Import for “Own use”

  7. Meeting Schedule 2009-10 • National Forum on Seed • Variety Reg’n (Placement Forages) • Canada Grains Council • “Grains Innovation Round Table” • Crop Regulation • Primary & Further Processing • Trade Policy • Crop Research Funding • Communications

  8. Items of Interest • Meetings: • Joint CSGA / CSTA Annual meeting, Kelowna • ISF World Seed Congress May 2010 Calgary • 1200 participants, 56 countries • Seed Association of Americas • Phytosanitary Certificates for re-export (Sept 2010) • Low Level Presence (LLP) policy • Brazil (Sept 2009), Argentina (May 2010) • Convention Biological Diversity (CBD) • Genetic Resources: Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) • Nagoya, Japan Oct 2010

  9. LLP Risk Management Proposal (Low Level Presence) LLP Definition: Event meets Biosafety “Risk Assessment” requirements and is fully approved as “safe” by at least one country but not in the country of import

  10. Understanding the Problem: Preferred First Option: Synchronized assessment and full approval of event in importing countries. BUT: • Some countries do not have capacity to operate a functional approval process • Countries may not receive applications for species that will not be cultivated

  11. Understanding the Problem: Thresholds may be required for: • Biosafety requirements (0% to 100%) Depends on Risk • Quality Standards (0.1 to 3%) • Marketing or Labeling Standard (0.9 to 5.0%)

  12. Understanding the Problem: • A “Biosafety threshold” of zero for crops widely grown makes trade impossible • A “Marketing or Labeling Standard” which is more stringent than existing international seed quality standards can not be met using existing seed production and handling procedures.

  13. LLP Biosafety Requirements Criteria are: • Internationally recognized risk assessment process (FAO Codex or OECD) • Concludes there is little or no risk to humans, animals or environment • Import is eligible to be “in compliance” if it meets the next level of standards (Quality) • Importation at levels higher than Quality standards requires full approval in the importing country

  14. Quality Standards Criteria are: Use existing international quality standards for international movement of seed PART 1. Variety Purity • OECD or AOSCA Seed Schemes for varietal purity (99.5 %) based on “Post Control” testing. • The impurities (0.5%) include other varieties (with or without GM events) and off types that are not of the variety. Not individually identified Currently: OECD in 57 countries and 200 species

  15. Quality Standards Criteria are: Use Existing international Quality standards for international movement of seed PART 2. Mechanical or Analytical Purity • “Equivalency” Exporting country approved by the importer for testing seed lots containing seeds of other crop species, weeds and inert matter. • Sampling, testing and reporting using ISTA or AOSA procedures. • Seeds of other crop kinds that contain an LLP event are acceptable.

  16. Other Import Requirements Import must meet additional Regulations including: • Phytosanitary requirements • Labeling (Origin, GM) • Other

  17. Risk Management Proposal • Other country assessments finding little or no risk are taken into consideration as importing country assesses risk of the LLP • Import is “In Compliance” if it meets existing international variety purity standards and “Post Control” procedures (99.5%) • Not necessary to test every shipment for numerous varietal or other species impurities (0.5%) because any one impurity found, is present below “de minimis” levels

  18. Benefits are: • Quality standards are acceptable for biosafety compliance because there is no risk at “de minimis” levels • Trade is predictable using existing production and handling procedures for seed • Testing for events, including events in seeds of other species, is not necessary except for “Post Control” purposes • Varieties with “discontinued” events that have not been renewed can remain in compliance at LLP.

  19. Closing Comments Quality Standards for the International trade of seed remain too stringent for the grain trade because the commodity grain trade does not segregate by variety. More work needs to be done with the grain industry to find a compliance level for LLP in grain products for used for food, feed or further processing.

  20. THANK YOU

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