32 GERMINATION.CA SEPTEMBER 2017 LEADERS RECOGNIZED EARLY on that if plant breeders were going to have access to the latest innovations and meth- ods, they had to take the lessons they learned from the 1980s and 90s with GM technology and apply them today. Due to the regulation and the costs associated with bringing a GM product to market (eight years and an estimated $135 million), public plant breeders have been priced out of the market, and that’s true for smaller devel- opers as well. Another lesson learned is around policy. Bernice Slutsky, who co-chairs the International Seed Federation (ISF) Plant Breeding Innovation Working Group, says that for GM products, countries set up special pre-market approval processes for products of genetic modification. “We are asking, ‘When is it justified to include a product under these GM regulations?’ Most new plant varieties are regulated around the world,” she explains. “It’s not a ques- tion of whether they should be regulated, or should they not be regulated, but should they be subject to the same special pre-market approvals that were set up for GM.” But Slutsky cautions this isn’t just about gene editing or another technology. “This is about the seed industry and agriculture’s ability to innovate,” she says. Therefore, ISF and its members have taken the lead on this issue, shares Secretary-General Michael Keller. For researchers and plant breeders to take advantage of the latest plant breeding methods, they need reassurance that their product will be accepted by consumers and that it won’t interrupt international grain trade. Industry leaders hope that by developing a set of criteria for governments around the world to adopt, international markets will align. Julie Deering / SeedWorld.com PavingtheWayforInnovation