Farm organizations need producer input on seed royalties

Sep 23, 2019

LETHBRIDGE — The Canadian Federation of Agriculture is urging farmers to have their say about proposed changes to seed royalty structures.

In July, producer groups across the Prairies launched an online survey about the federal proposal to change how royalties are collected from farmers on saved seed.

Now the federation is urging producers across Canada to weigh in before the survey closes on October 15th.

Agriculture Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency held a series of public meetings over the winter to gauge feedback on the proposals, but that process is now on hold.

Farm groups would like to hear more from producers before the consultations resume later this year.

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Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

Dr. Peter James Facchini leads research into the metabolic biochemistry in opium poppy at the University of Calgary. For more than 30 years, his work has contributed to the increased availability of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes to assist in the creation of morphine for pharmaceutical use. Dr. Facchini completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto before completing Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1992 & Université de Montréal in 1995.