NOVEMBER 2017 GERMINATION.CA 37 WHAT HAPPENS WHEN one region of the world — a major hub for global trade — chooses politics over science when it comes to innovation in agriculture? Unfortunately, Europe is a perfect case study. The European Union (EU) has proven to be a drag on global innovation. When it comes to crops commonly traded with the EU, new crop varieties developed through genetic modification (GM) will generally not be released to farmers in Canada until they are approved for import into the EU. Releasing these new crop varieties prior to EU import approvals could have potentially devastating impacts on trade. The result is that Canadian growers — and others around the world — cannot access the latest technology they need to more efficiently and sustainably grow food to feed the world. Europe’s policy is a drawback to its own people, too. This is a region that is heavily depend- ent on food and feed imports. In Canada, on average, it takes about two years to get a new GM crop through the regulatory approval pro- cess. According to EuropaBio, it takes an average of six years for the EU to approve GM crops for importation. The resulting delay in getting new crops into the hands PLANT SCIENCE WHEN POLITICS TRUMPS SCIENCE: EUROPE AS A CASE STUDY Stephen Yarrow CropLife Canada Vice-President, Plant Biotechnology yarrows@croplife.ca • croplife.ca of farmers can have huge costs for the entire agricultural value chain. While the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) does a scientific assessment of any new GM products, their findings can be ignored in favour of politics when member states of the European Commission vote on whether or not to accept that scientific recommendation. This creates a system that is completely unpredictable. This is a significant disincentive for life sciences compa- nies to invest in research and innovation, because the path to commercialization is fraught with uncertainty. Given what we have learned from the European story, it’s critical that as Canada engages in trade negotiations with any country or region, that we address issues such as these that serve as a barrier to innovation and trade. When it comes to Europe specifically, we must leverage the momentum from the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement. We as an industry must support the Canadian govern- ment in pushing Europe towards science-based decision- making, which will drive Canadian agricultural exports and allow our farmers to adopt the latest technology at home. TRADE SHOWS ARE hugely popular in the seed industry, and for good reason — they offer an opportunity to showcase product, meet customers and potential customers, and see what your competitors are up to. Being successful at a trade show isn’t as easy at it looks, though. Simply setting up a booth and trying to catch people’s attention isn’t going to automatically trans- late into sales. There are a few key success factors that determine whether or not you really get noticed at one of these events. Presentation counts. You have to have a very professional-looking booth — something that’s clean and uncluttered. But you also have to take into considera- tion the time of year the show is being held. This often influences which items we put on display at the show. We try to display something that is very new to the market whenever possible. If there’s a new product line coming out, we want it there. A new colour sorter or gravity table is something that will generate a lot of talk. Have the right staff. Who’s staffing your booth? They PROCESSING EQUIPMENT HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF TRADE SHOWS Jason MacNevin Alberta Sales, CanSeed Equipment @jason_macnevin • jmacnevin@canseedequip.com • canseedequip.com should be from the region the show is being held at. If we’re attending a Manitoba show, I ensure we have Manitoba sales representatives staffing the booth. Same goes for Saskatchewan and Alberta. Not only will they be familiar with many of the people they encounter at the show, they will know what regional issues were encountered over the current or previous season, which shows them to be knowl- edgeable people. That brings us to my next point. Don’t sell — educate. I never go to trade shows to sell equipment. I go there to network with and educate customers and potential customers. People want to know their equipment supplier is a professional who should know everything there is to know about equipment, and when they view you that way, sales come as a result. I don’t ever want to be seen as just another salesman hawking his wares. Trade shows can be a great way to sell product, but only if you approach them the right way. Do so, and you’ll find they’re a great way to establish yourself as someone who can be trusted as an expert in the field.