Amendments to Encourage Innovation and Competitiveness in the Seed Sector

OTTAWA, July 9, 2009 - The Government of Canada today announced changes to reduce regulatory burden and encourage innovation and competitiveness in the seed sector. Amendments to the Seeds Regulations will create a more flexible variety registration system with reduced regulation while continuing to maintain the integrity of seed certification and environmental, food, and feed safety.

"By tailoring registration requirements on a crop-by-crop basis, we will increase the number of varieties available to producers and end users giving them more marketing opportunities," said the Honourable Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board. "It is also expected that producers and end users will benefit from more timely access to new and improved, value added, and niche market varieties that are in demand in the marketplace."

The Seeds Regulations now partition the list of crop types requiring registration of varieties (Schedule III) into three parts with differing requirements for each part: Part I will continue to require pre-registration testing and merit assessment; Part II will require pre-registration testing; and Part III will require basic registration information only. Three crops, where undue regulatory burden has been identified and for which consensus in the crop sector has been established, have been included in Parts II or III (safflower in Part II and potato and sunflower in Part III). Future changes for additional crops are possible now that the new framework is in place.

This regulatory amendment will help the variety registration system adapt to changes that have taken place in the seed industry and provide flexibility to address specific needs of different crop sectors in a rapidly changing agricultural environment.

For more information on the amendments to the Seeds Regulations as published in the Canada Gazette, Part II, visit the CFIA Web site at www.inspection.gc.ca or call 1-800-442-2342.

- 30 -

Enquiries:

Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Media relations: 613-773-6600

• Seed Program Modernization