128 / SEEDWORLD.COM DECEMBER 2018 Seed and grain cleanerS for the world Crippen Northland Superior Supply Co. 8-851 Lagimodiere Blvd. Winnipeg, MB Ph: 204-925-6141 www.northlandsuperior.com Air Screen Cleaners Indented Cylinder Length Separator Gravity Separator NATIONAL USDA ANNOUNCES DEREGULATION OF GE LOW-GOSSYPOL COTTON The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced the deregulation of Texas A&M’s cotton variety geneti- cally engineered to have ultra-low levels of gossypol in its seed. Gossypol is a naturally occurring compound in the pigment of cotton plants and protects them from pests and diseases. This GE variety maintains protective levels of gossypol in the plants, but the compound is significantly reduced in the seed. This benefits agriculture by lower- ing cottonseed oil refining REGULATORY ROUNDUP Keeping you informed of legislative and regulatory changes at the state, national and international levels — from lawsuits to approvals to other regulatory issues affecting your business. costs, and potentially expands the use of cottonseed in the livestock and aquaculture feed industries, as well as for human food uses. ARCADIA BIOSCIENCES RECEIVES U.S. PATENT FOR WHEAT TRAIT Arcadia Biosciences announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted the company a patent for extended shelf life wheat, the newest trait in Arcadia’s non-geneti- cally modified (non-GM) GoodWheat portfolio. US Patent No. 10,087,455, entitled “Wheat With Reduced Lipoxygenase Activity,” covers this new technology which extends the storage life of whole wheat flour by minimiz- ing oxidation. This new trait was designed to promote whole wheat consumption by improving the shelf life and taste of whole grain wheat products. YIELD10 BIOSCIENCE OBTAINS NONREGULATED STATUS GENE EDITED CAMELINA Yield10 Bioscience announced it has received a positive response from the USDA- APHIS’s Biotechnology Regulatory Services (BRS) confirming that its genome- edited Camelina sativa plant lines developed using CRISPR- Cas9 for increased oil content are not regulated articles under BRS regulations. This clarification of the regulatory status of the triple genome- edited Camelina plant lines accelerates the path to con- ducting field trials in the U.S. in 2019. The company’s submis- sion along with the USDA- APHIS BRS response is posted on the USDA’s website. INTERNATIONAL EUROPEAN SCIENTISTS UNITE TO SAFEGUARD PRECISION BREEDING Leading scientists represent- ing more than 85 European plant and life sciences research centers and institutes have endorsed a position paper that urgently calls upon European policymakers to safeguard innovation in plant science and agriculture. The scientists are deeply concerned about a recent European Court of Justice ruling around modern genome editing techniques that could lead to a de facto ban of innovative crop breeding. As a result, European farmers might be deprived of a new generation of more climate resilient and more nutritious crop varieties that are urgently needed to respond to cur- rent ecological and societal challenges. Together with the countless statements of European research institutes that appeared online over the last months, this statement is proof of a solid consensus among the academic life sci- ence research community in Europe on the negative con- sequences of this ruling. SEED SYNERGY PARTNERS PLEASED WITH THE LAUNCH OF THE PLANT BREEDERS’ RIGHTS REGULATORY REGULATIONS The Seed Synergy part- ners applaud the Canadian Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Lawrence MacAulay, for confirming the launch of a consultation on potential amendments to Plant Breeders’ Rights (PBR) regulations. This consulta- tion includes value creation in cereals which explores increasing the investment in research and innovation that is necessary to position Canada as a leader in variety development. Seed Synergy partners and member companies alike are united in support of a con- sultation process that would bring about an effective value creation system in cereals for Canadians. This system would allow Canada to remain com- petitive in a rapidly evolving national and international mar- ketplace and benefit cereal breeding programs for private and public companies of all sizes across Canada. SW