Seed Variety Use Agreement Pilot Program Announced

This week at the Prairie Grain Development Committee (PGDC) meetings in Winnipeg, the Canadian Plant Technology Agency (CPTA) announced it would be launching a pilot program to test how the Seed Variety Use Agreement will work in the real world.

 

"We've considered a number of models," said CPTA Executive Director Lorne Hadley. "A couple years ago, the Grains Roundtable committee settled on two models. One was this model, which is sometimes referred to as a trailing royalty model. The other was an end point royalty. The facts are that Canada hasn't used anything close to what we're talking about in terms of a contract model with modern communication techniques, so the pilot is to be part of piloting a prototype that uses this technology and then we'll have the information to compare it as to how effective it is in comparison to the other model, which was an end point royalty."

 

It was also announced that to provide transparency, the Canadian Seed Trade Association (CSTA) has formed a working group with producer and industry representation.

 

CPTA’s pilot program will introduce a Seed Variety Use Agreement system for a limited number of seed varieties sold for planting beginning this spring.

Video: Finding a Balance of Innovation and Regulation - Dr. Peter Facchini

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.