16 GERMINATION.CA JANUARY 2019 THE SEED SYNERGY White Paper has been ratified by all of the Seed Synergy Collaboration Project partners and lays out a set of proposals for the future of the seed sector and agriculture in Canada, based on a trio of keys areas: Stimulating Innovation, Modernizing the Seed Regulatory Framework and Building the Next-Generation Seed Organization. The White Paper is a follow-up to the Green Paper released in 2017 and further refines the ideas that will be taken forth by the Seed Synergy partners as the industry prepares for seed regulatory modernization in 2020, the year the federal government plans to open up the seeds regulations. What follows is a brief look at the White Paper (watch seedsynergy.net for a downloadable copy) and the three policy goals it lays out for the road ahead and some com- mentary on the concepts therein. GOAL: Stimulate Innovation How we can achieve this: •  Update Canada’s delivery of the novel products regula- tions for plant breeding innovations. •  Align with like-minded trading partners to avoid unnec- essarily regulating products that were, or could have been, achieved through conventional breeding. •  Provide for a tiered approach (with service standards) so that “novel” but familiar products can move through the approval process more quickly, with appropriate data requirements in comparison to products that are more complex or less familiar. •  Develop and implement a system that results in addi- tional investment in varietal research and development in cereals, pulses and other crop kinds in Canada by facilitating the development and implementation of a seed variety use agreement (trailing royalty) system for UPOV 91-protected varieties (see page 36). AVISIONOFCANADA’S NEXT-GENSEEDSYSTEM GOAL: Modernize the Seed Regulatory Framework How we can achieve this: •  Amend the seeds regulations to streamline require- ments and enable the modernization of the delivery of the seed certification program by identifying elements of the seeds regulations such as seed quality and label- ling standards and registration of seed establishments that can be removed from the text of the regulations and incorporated by reference. •  Delegate the authority for the delivery of the seed certification program to a single, national seed industry organization while government continues to provide reg- ulatory oversight, enforcement and science support, with an expanded role for accredited seed laboratories and where the government continues to be Canada's national designated authority for seed varietal certification and to represent Canada at the OECD Seed Schemes. •  Create a single window for all seed regulatory services, facilitated by the use of secure, controlled access, effi- cient, cost effective information technology solutions, in order to simplify access to services for users of the system. GOAL: Build the Next Generation Seed Organization How we can do this: •  Create a more efficient and effective seed industry organizational model to deliver seed certification ser- vices under a “modernized seed regulatory framework” by creating and implementing a single, consolidated national seed organization. •  Lobby government to identify the new consolidated national seed organization as the authorized and responsible body for seed certification regulatory docu- ments that are incorporated by reference. •  Leverage the use of secure, controlled access, efficient and cost-effective information technology solutions, to implement a Single Window concept in order to streamline and simplify access to services by users of the system, access to application information by service providers and provide transparency to stakeholders. The Seed Synergy White Paper lays out three main policy positions designed to move Canadian seed into the future. Compiled by Marc Zienkiewicz SEED SYNERGY: MOVING FORWARD