32 GERMINATION.CA MARCH 2018 CROSS-COUNTRYCHECKUP Canada-wide workshops help get a clearer picture of what people think of the Seed Synergy green paper. Marc Zienkiewicz BACK IN DECEMBER of 2017, the Seed Synergy Collaboration Project Working Group released its green paper, which outlines a proposed vision for a next-generation seed system for the country. In January and February, the working group held six workshops across Canada. The goal of these workshops was to engage with members of the broad seed value chain and hear their perspectives on the recently-released green paper. Germination attended the Manitoba workshop held Feb. 20 and also conducted a number of telephone interviews to get reaction on the green paper, which will serve as the precursor to a white paper expected to be released in the spring/ summer of 2018. The workshops solicited feedback on five specific proposals put forth in the green paper. What follows is a brief synopsis of those five proposals as worded on the workshop agenda, followed by some key concerns put forward at the workshop and some com- ments from our interviews. VALUE CREATION This is a very complex subject, but we know some basic facts. 1.  Innovation drives the seed system, and creates the products needed for success in Canada. 2. Innovation requires investment. 3. Investment only happens where investors see the prospect of a reasonable return. 4.  Reasonable returns result when the system is designed to deliver them, and to do so fairly amongst the beneficiaries. If Canada filled existing gaps and implemented a robust value creation model to fund innovation, could you envision substantive benefits for yourself, for the seed sector, and for the agricultural sector? “When I see the notion of value creation I always want to dig deeper and ensure we don’t design it to be profit-driven. If we’re just capturing additional funds from any part of the value chain to fund another part of it, I don’t think that will be well received. There should a protection and preservation of profits and an opportunity for innovation, not just taxing existing components and gaining additional revenue for checkoffs.” Is there a guarantee the royalty makes it back to research? We don’t want the system to just reward developers — it has to provide value to the whole chain. Can we get serious commitment from the grains sector to invest in value creation? Can we ensure predictability for developers? Trevor Nysetvold, Director, SGS BioVision What are the benefits for Western Canadian growers? Over 90 per cent of all investment in seed is in corn, soybeans and canola. How do we ensure value creation for all 50 crops in Canada? How to create post-patent value creation?