20 GERMINATION.CA JANUARY 2018 ANEEDFORREFORM A REFORMED, INDUSTRY-LED, GOVERNMENT- ENABLED SEED SYSTEM THAT EFFECTIVELY ATTRACTS INVESTMENT FROM BUSINESSES BOTH LARGE AND SMALL, FOSTERS INNOVATION, AND DELIVERS NEW AND TAILORED SEED TRAITS TO CUSTOMERS EFFICIENTLY IS WHAT CANADA NEEDS, ACCORDING TO THE GREEN PAPER. The Seed Synergy project team is proposing to accomplish this through reforms in the areas of: 1. Research & Development: the green paper proposes a new, risk-based assessment model that sets regulatory requirements in pro- portion to the projected risk of new products. “Government will continue to lead oversight of the system, and government-sectoral coordina- tion needs to be enhanced to define regulatory standards that make sense.” 2. Market Entry and Commercialization: proposes replacing the current variety regis- tration and variety eligibility for certification regimes with an integrated system, anchored in a product profile for all approved seed products, containing all regulatory and commercial infor- mation relevant to that product in one, easily accessible place or virtual space, with access to confidential business information about a prod- uct limited to those granted explicit access to it. 3. Production and processing: proposes a modernized pedigreed seed system that will facilitate an increase in pedigreed seed use and a reduction in incentives for common seed produc- tion, as new high-performing protected varieties replace older ones. “We propose an expansion of options for producing seed under comprehensive quality management systems that do not require third-party crop inspections but which are backed by third-party audit frameworks.” 4. Sales and distribution: proposes a uni- versal seed lot listing system, where seed for sale is listed along with at least a declaration of identity and quality. FIRST LOOK: SEED SYNERGY GREEN PAPER A graphical depiction of what a next-generation seed system could look like, according to the green paper. VALUE CREATION The four functions provide the means to create value, and continually drive re-investment in the seed system for the benefit of all parties, especially consumers who will have access to the latest, innovate traits and varieties. SEED SECTOR GOVERNANCE AND COORDINATION The entire system is supported by industry-led governance, and strong coordination amongst all stakeholders, to ensure a cost-effective, easy-to-understand, and adaptive regulatory regime. Purpose: Discover new traits, and develop new seed varieties 1 Research & Development Purpose: Enable new seed varieties for market, based on seed identity and performance or quality criteria 2 Market Entry & Commercialization Purpose: Ensure that the identity and quality of the seed is preserved throughout the production and processing cycle 3 Production & Processing Purpose: Distribute seeds to customers, and ensure that the identity and quality of the seed is preserved throughout the movement, storage and delivery processes 4 Sales & Distribution It also proposes a new value creation model that enables technology transfer and innovation and drives economic growth, featuring a seed sale listing system that brings increased transpar- ency and utility to seed sales across the country, allowing for more efficient protections of intellectual property rights and commercial transactions. Finally, the green paper proposes improving governance of the seed system overall to sustain these reforms, and to better coordi- nate priorities across the seed and agricultural sectors. It suggests creating an “anchoring organization” that would perform many of the functions proposed herein. “This could take the form of a single organization or a formal network of organizations or parts thereof,” it says.