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 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60MARCH 2017 GERMINATION.CA 5 importance of transparency in each country’s science- based approval processes for biotechnology products. “The real benefits for seed were around non-tariff trade barriers. Something like the TPP really helps alleviate those barriers. Having a multilateral free trade agreement in place makes sorting out those barriers easier for our members,” Carey says. “What it did for Canada was give us a level playing field in the key growth markets of Japan, Vietnam, and Malaysia which are emerging as strong markets. Seventy per cent of Canadian seed exports go to countries in the TPP, so having that trade agreement was definitely a big positive.” Protectionist Mindset As Carey notes, Trump made no secret of his dislike for the TPP during the dramatic and often outrageous presi- dential campaign. On Jan. 23, when Trump signed the executive order pulling the U.S. out of the TPP, Trump hailed the move as “great news for American workers.” But even some of his staunchest opponents praised the move as well. Vermont senator and Democratic presidential candi- date Bernie Sanders had good things to say about the U.S. withdrawal from the TPP. “I am glad the Trans-Pacific Partnership is dead and gone. For the last 30 years, we have had a series of trade deals — including the North American Free Trade Agreement, permanent normal trade relations with China and others — which have cost us millions of decent- paying jobs and caused a ‘race to the bottom’ which has lowered wages for American workers,” Sanders said in a news release. For Carey, such wide support from within the U.S. for scuttling the TPP means Canada could be held back in a number of areas. “The TPP represents a $20-trillion market of over 800 million people. That’s 40 per cent of the world’s econ- omy,” he says. “An aspect we really like as an industry is there’s provisions in the TPP around intellectual property which require signatories to be compliant with plant breeders rights and UPOV 91. All countries in the TPP would have to comply with UPOV 91 and ensure we’re protecting intellectual property and further plant breeding research.” The TPP was also the first multilateral agreement to include provisions around low-level presence (LLP). Ian Affleck, executive director of plant biotechnology for CropLife Canada, hopes that the U.S. withdrawal from the TPP does not indicate a bigger trend — a protection- ist mindset that could spill over into many areas that affect Canadian seed stakeholders. “Prior to the inauguration, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) published a proposed revision to its biotech regulatory framework, and we think that proposal should continue to move forward,” he says. “There are ongoing discussions on many different scientific issues and disciplines, and exactly where the Trump administration stands on those has yet to be seen.” The USDA is proposing to revise its regulations regarding the importation, interstate movement, and environmental release of certain genetically engineered organisms in order to update the regulations in response to advances in genetic engineering and understanding of the plant pest and noxious weed risk posed by GMOs. This would be the first comprehensive revision of the regulations since they were established in 1987. For Affleck, this is a positive step forward. “The key to driving innovation is having a consistent and predict- able regulatory framework. This is a very important time for us as trading partners to work together to determine how those new technologies will, or won’t, be regulated,” he says, but hopes the Trump administration’s approach on the matter of GMOs and its regulatory framework will remain rooted in science. “Over 30 years of regulation in the U.S. has demon- strated that the risk GMOs pose is extremely minimal. The take-home message [of the USDA report] is that after 30 years of study and regulation, looking at 18,000 indi- vidual authorizations, the U.S. can take this history into account when modernizing its regulatory structure.” Trump’s pick for agriculture secretary might offer a clue as to what the administration’s approach will be to the issue of agriculture and regulation. Sonny Perdue served as gover- nor of Georgia until 2011, and once ran a grain and fertilizer business. He’s made comments in that past that were inter- preted as being skeptical of climate change, writing in a 2014 editorial that, “liberals have lost all credibility when it comes to climate science because their arguments have become so ridiculous and so obviously disconnected from reality.” “ALOTOFCSTAMEMBERCOMPANIESOPERATE INTHEU.S.,ANDOURHOPEISTHATINTEGRATION OFTHETWOECONOMIESISSOMETHINGTHAT WILLCONTINUE.” –DaveCarey