EUROPEAN-SEED.COM I EUROPEAN SEED I 45 REGULATORY KEEPING YOU INFORMED OF LEGISLATIVE AND REGULATORY CHANGES IN EUROPE AND ABROAD — FROM LAWSUITS TO APPROVALS TO OTHER REGULATORY ISSUES AFFECTING YOUR BUSINESS. NATIONAL BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA ACCEDES TO THE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF NEW VARIETIES OF PLANTS Bosnia and Herzegovina deposited its instrument of accession to the UPOV Convention on October 10, 2017, and will become the seventy-fifth member of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) on November 10, 2017. The purpose of UPOV is to pro- vide and promote an effective system of plant variety protection, with the aim of encouraging the development of new vari- eties of plants, for the benefit of society. UPOV is an intergovernmen- tal organization based in Geneva. The members of UPOV are: African Intellectual Property Organization, Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Bosnia and Herzegovina (as of November 10, 2017), Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, European Union, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, UnitedRepublic of Tanzania, United States of America, Uruguay, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. INTERNATIONAL UGANDANS TO EAT GMO POTATOES IN 2020 Scientists have said the first batch of locally grown genetically modified potatoes will be on sale in Ugandan markets in 2020. Dr Alex Barekye, the director of Kachwekano Zonal Agriculture Research Institute in the western district of Rubanda, said agricultural biotechnol- ogy research on potatoes is underway to create a genetically modified variety that will be resistant to diseases. Barekye said three trials have been conducted on the Victoria potato variety and so far, tests did not find any disease yet the yield is high. Barekye explained that the next phase of the project is to test the trans- genic potato in three different areas in Uganda, beginning in November this year, to establish whether the seed crop will thrive in the environment. Before planting begins at the three multiplication sites, scientists said the National Biosafety Committee must give the nod of approval. The committee is provided for under the GMO bill and is tasked with prescribing conditions, standards and procedures relating to development, testing, transit and general release of a GMO. MYANMAR SIGNS THE SEED SHARING PROTOCOL AGREEMENT On 10 October 2017, Myanmar became the latest country to sign the Seed Sharing Protocol Agreement. The nation joins Cambodia, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka in this multilateral initi- ative that allows signatories to rapidly distribute modern rice varieties across their borders. This will enable farmers in different countries to gain fast access to new, climate-resilient seed varieties, reducing the average amount of process- ing time and transit from seven to eight years, to two to three years. As an effect, farmers will have a more secure food supply and a better profit margin. Signed during the IRRI Board of Trustees meeting in Myanmar, the agreement allows faster deployment of and access to improved rice varieties across countries by establishing common parameters for varietal release. AMERICAN SOYBEAN ASSOCIATION COMMENDS U.S. EPA DICAMBA RULING, CONTINUES SEARCH FOR ANSWERS ON DICAMBA DAMAGE As nationwide reports of dicamba-related damage to soybeans and other crops continue to climb, American Soybean Association (ASA) President and Illinois farmer Ron Moore reiterated the association’s commit- ment to find a solution to the issue: “This issue isn’t going away—in fact, it’s only getting worse. There are now a reported 2,242 complaints affecting 3.1 million acres of soybeans in 21 of our 30 soybean-growing states, and we expect that number to continue to rise. This is unacceptable, and we are committed to establishing both a cause and a path forward on the dicamba issue, including what actions need to be taken to assure that soybean farmers can use the product safely without damaging their own or their neighbors’ crops. “We continue to strongly support independent research underway at several land grant universities and coordinated by the national soybean checkoff to find answers. It is absolutely true that farmers need and want new technologies to help fight resistant weeds, and we are going to support the marketing of those new technologies and new formulations. That need is not blind, however, and we need to ensure that these products can be used by farmers in varied climates and growing regions safely.”