Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108 Page 109 Page 110 Page 111 Page 112 Page 113 Page 114 Page 115 Page 116 Page 117 Page 118 Page 119 Page 120 Page 121 Page 122 Page 123 Page 124 Page 125 Page 126 Page 127 Page 128 Page 129 Page 130 Page 131 Page 132 Page 133 Page 134 Page 135 Page 136 Page 137 Page 138 Page 139 Page 140 Page 141 Page 142 Page 143 Page 144 Page 145 Page 146 Page 147 Page 148DECEMBER 2016 SEEDWORLD.COM / 101 CANADA USA MEXICO BRAZIL PARAGUAY URUGUAY CHILE Just as SAA encourages regulators to recognize the natural biology of ecosystems, it also advocates for the use of sustaina- ble technologies advantageous to both farmers and the environ- ment — seed treatments. The Seed Treatment Working Group, which aims to reduce trade barriers throughout the Americas associated with treated seed, is charged with collecting data on how each country regulates seed applied technologies and the labeling of those technologies. Paula Bey of Dow AgroSciences, who serves as vice chair of the Seed Treatment Working Group, says the working group is concerned about some of the new restrictions of using neonicoti- noid treated seed in Canada, specifically Ontario. This doesn’t just negatively impact corn and soybean growers in Canada. Bey says it could have a trickle effect, setting a prece- dence and making it easier for others in the Americas to disregard the science and follow actions called on by vocal activist groups. Seed Treatment Working Group chair, Antonio Tejada of Syngenta, says that SAA is working jointly with national seed associations to minimize the impact that new regulations might have on growers and prevent unnecessary ones in the future. To help, SAA members have adopted and translated the Guide to Seed Treatment Stewardship, developed by the American Seed Trade Association in partnership with CropLife America, into Portuguese and Spanish. The document is avail- able on the SAA’s website. “Our hope is that members will download these materials and share them with others in their company and regulatory officials at the local, state or provincial, and national levels,” Tejada says. In addition, Bey says through the working group, members also have access to a spreadsheet containing all the SAA coun- tries’ regulatory officials and their contact information. “We are currently working on technical specifications for all treatments of seeds being imported and exported,” she shares, noting they hope to complete the project by mid-year 2017. Another significant project nearing completion is one that’s been a total international effort: having a seed-specific ISPM (International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures). SAA through ISF submitted comments to the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) to improve its future imple- mentation. “I’m very proud of the comments we sent to ISF for submission,” says Inés Ares, SAA senior adviser on phytosanitary. “In pulling together our comments, we tried to work through many different levels, including the national seed associations and regional plant protection organizations. “This is the most important standard for advancing the international movement of seed, and I’m cautiously optimistic it will be approved at next year’s IPPC conference … then it will be several years for its development.” To make sure member needs are being met, the Phytosanitary Working Group surveyed members, companies and national seed associations about their concerns regarding phytosanitary issues. “For us, the survey was very informative and sets the stage for future work,” Ares says. “From it, we know that we need to sup- port and strengthen international, regional and national actions.” ARGENTINA