Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44ON JAN. 1, 2017, only seed treatment operations, including mobile seed treat- ers, that are accredited under a new industry standard will have access to some seed treatments. The Accredited Seed Treatment Operations Standard was conceived by members of CropLife Canada (CLC) as part of their commitment to lifecy- cle stewardship of their products; and in response to the Pest Management Regulatory Agency’s (PMRA) concerns about consistency amongst operators. “In 2009, seed treatments and seed treatment application was a quickly growing sector and the investments were large,” says Russel Hurst, CLC’s vice-president of sustainability and stewardship, and the executive direc- tor of the Agrichemical Warehousing Standards Association. “But there was a very low level of knowledge amongst regulators of seed treatment application processes. Given the commitment of CLC and its members to lifecycle stew- ardship, the board of directors saw the opportunity to address the regulator’s concerns and to develop consistency and predictability for operators.” A multi-stakeholder committee was established to examine existing stand- ards and to review labelling statements Business-critical information for retailers selling seed and seed treatment products. SUPPORTED BY: ARE YOU READY FOR THE NEW SEED TREATMENT OPERATIONS STANDARD? 14 and provincial regulations to develop a practical standard that meets the needs of industry and regulators. After four years of work, the CLC board approved the implementation of the Accredited Seed Treatment Operation Standards, administered by the Agrichemical Warehousing Standards Association. When the standard was under development, there were concerns expressed by some seed growers, seed cleaners and retailers. “At the beginning, there was the perception that everyone who treated seed was going to have to construct very expensive facilities,” Hurst says. “We knew that if we made the standard so rigid that nobody could realistically achieve its requirements, we would not be successful. As a result, I think what is being asked of seed treating opera- tions is very achievable.” The Standard The standard comprises 76 auditable protocols in seven categories: • Siting and Exterior Requirements – Eight protocols focus on facility loca- tion, including distances from envi- ronmentally sensitive areas, access for firefighters and external lighting. • Building Structure and Equipment – 19 protocols focus on buildings con- struction, ventilation and lighting, fire resistance, containment systems, and safety and maintenance of equipment. • Operations – 10 protocols deal with the provision of personal protective equipment, emergency equipment and supplies, safety around facility maintenance, labels and storage and disposal of empty containers. • Training – 10 protocols outline employee training requirements including safe operating procedures, transport of dangerous goods, label- ling, equipment operation, first aid and emergency response training. • Documentation – 15 protocols deal with clear documented authoriza- tion from regulators and authorities around location, use and management of water, construction and ventilation; and the development of written proce- dures for the operation, management and safety of the operation. Forty of the 76 protocols are desig- nated mandatory. That means an opera- tion must comply with them completely to be accredited. Most of the mandatory requirements are already required as part of fire, health and safety and building code regulations.