Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced upcoming changes to streamline and modernize the way crop varieties are registered in Canada._x000D_
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The Government of Canada worked closely with the crop production value chain to ensure that Canada’s Variety Registration (VR) system continues to protect Canada’s international reputation for high-quality crops and encourages innovation in crop variety development by removing potential barriers to crop innovation._x000D_
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Changes include:_x000D_
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—Streamlining the variety registration system to two tiers: Basic and_x000D_
Enhanced._x000D_
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—Model Operating Procedures that will streamline Recommending Committees. This will give Canadian farmers faster access to the newest cutting-edge varieties._x000D_
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—Incorporation by reference that will allow value chain consensus to_x000D_
speed up administrative changes by up to 24 months._x000D_
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These changes will go through additional consultations with industry groups in the coming months. The announcement marks an important step in modernizing Canada’s variety registration system, the government said. Canadian farmers demand the best quality inputs to keep the competitive advantage they enjoy over farmers from around the world, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz noted._x000D_
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“Our government continues to work with industry to encourage innovation in Canada’s crop sector. We value the participation of the entire crop value chain in making these changes, which will facilitate innovation and productivity, minimize red tape and deliver on the performance demands of our farmers and the quality demands of our customers,” he said._x000D_
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Canadian Seed Trade Association president Dave Baute agreed._x000D_
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“The government has clearly listened to the very diverse views of the crop value chain and has developed a balanced policy. When implemented, this new structure will protect Canada’s international reputation for quality while creating the predictability, flexibility and efficiency that our sector needs to deliver new, innovative varieties to Canadian farmers.”
