b'Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Heath MacDonald (left) is greeted by Seeds Canada President Brent Collins in Ottawa. Photo courtesy Seeds CanadaIntellectual Property and the Risk of Losing Top Varieties Everyone Agrees the System is BrokenBut Not onOn intellectual property, the warning was straightforward:How to Fix Itwithout reform, Canada will struggle to attract or retain top- If Comins message is about specific fixes, McCanns is about tier plant varieties, particularly cereals. We need more invest- structural dysfunction. CAPI surveyed participants across the ment in plant breeding from both public and private sectors,innovation continuum, and most consider Canadas ag-innova-Comin says. The current environment isnt delivering that. tion system weaker than other sectors. About a quarter say it is A major issue is the fact AAFC has so far not included mostmuch weaker.public cereal varieties in the Variety Use Agreement (VUA)Three-quarters agree the current system structure actively system. Seeds Canada estimates AAFC could have generatedhinders outcomes. Thats an extraordinary level of consensus about $22 million in reinvestment since 2020 had it opted intothat something is fundamentally wrong, McCann says.the VUA for eligible varieties.Its not just a money issue, McCann says. We have struc-Thats real money that could be flowing back intotural, coordination and adoption problems. People inside the Canadian innovation, Comin says. system know it doesnt work as well as it needs to.Seeds Canada is also urging the federal government to final-ize Plant Breeders Rights regulatory amendments and exploreBudget 2025: Big Rhetoric on Innovation, Cuts in Agtools used in other jurisdictionssuch as reporting farm-savedThis comes as the recent federal budget frames itself as a seed use or allowing royalties on farm-saved seed. Both are politi- pivot from spending to investment, emphasizing research, cally sensitive, but increasingly central to global competitiveness. advanced technology, IP, and productivity. Billions are ear-JANUARY 2026SEEDWORLD.COM/CANADA 17'