b'ON LOCATION: ISF WORLD SEED CONGRESSHOW FRENCH PLANT BREEDERS PROTECT THEMSELVESFor decades, France has had a seed royalty system for funding plant breeding innovation and creating value in the cereals sector which it continues to build on. As we work to create a value creation system of our own in Canada,Germination recently asked French officials the Who, What, Where, Why and How in regard to their own seed royalty system.Marc ZienkiewiczWHO WHYSICASOV is a cooperative of breedersThe French seed levy system (as who create plant varieties. The co-opsapplies to certified seed) was cre-main mission is to manage the intel- ated 50 years ago to ensure breeders lectual property rights entrusted to it.received a return on their invest-SICASOV is mandated to: ments. The farm-saved seed levy is a Grant licences to collect royalties. newer creation (about 15 years old) Protect and defend rights holders. implemented due to a decrease inEnsure compliance with con- certified seed use. As long as certified tracts and monitor licenseeseed use in France remains relatively declarations. high (it currently sits at around 50%Provide legal monitoring andto 60%) the system works well and advice to its users. is viable. Cereal farmers understoodRaise awareness of research,from a very early stage their own varietal improvement, and intel- interest in the system and its benefits, lectual property issues. according to SICASOV director-gen-eral Eric Devron.protected. SICASOV manages most WHAT protected plant varietiesfield In Francejust as in Canada crops, horticultural, fruit, forest, veg- HOWthe creation of a cereal variety is aetable and floral species. After verifying the licensee declara-long and costly process. A return onThe system is split into two roy- tions, SICASOV invoices and collects investment is essential to ensure thealty/revenue streams: the royalties due. They are then redis-sustainability of research. For this Certified seed royalty: A royaltytributed to the rights holders accord-purpose, SICASOV protects breedersof 80 Euros per tonne is applieding to strict procedures. SICASOV rights through license agreements,to the purchase of certifiedprovides users with a large amount of which generate a remuneration in theseed. data necessary for the traceability and form of royalties. The system appliesFarm-saved seed royalty: Farmersanalysis of their activities. to both farmers who use certifiedwho do not use certified seed seed and those who divert grain topay a royalty of 90 cents per use as seed (commonly referred to astonne of grain delivered to the farm-saved seed). elevator. To ensure farmers do not pay twice when they use cer-tified seeds, 5 Euros per ton of WHERE seeds is sent back to them at the SICASOV services are available toend of the day (this ensures thereFor more info visit sicasov.comFrench and foreign breeders in allis no double-dipping).territories where their varieties are 20GERMINATION.CA SEPTEMBER 2019'