58 / SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2017 PLANT BREEDING INNOVATION PATH AHEAD LEADERS RECOGNIZED EARLY on that if plant breeders were going to have access to the latest innovations and methods, they had to take the lessons they learned from the 80s 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 developers as well. Another lesson learned is around policy. Bernice Slutsky, who co-chairs the International Seed Federation’s (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 regula- tions?’ Most new plant varieties are regu- lated around the world,” she explains. “It’s not a question of whether they should be regulated, or should they not be regu- lated, 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. “When we first initiated our efforts in this area two years ago, ISF had to clarify its role and focus,” says Keller. Consequently, three key objectives were identified: 1. To facilitate policies across countries that don’t impede, but rather enable the adoption of new technologies and foster harmonized regulations across countries. 2. To communicate with ISF members and other parts of the value chain. 3. To create alliances with stakehold- ers, public plant breeders and research institutes. When the working group started, members focused first on policy. Laying the Groundwork The working group started by hosting off- the-record meetings, designed as an infor- mation exchange, with individuals from key countries. Slutsky says these were people who often wouldn’t meet to discuss the issue, but they were asked: “What could be done to facilitate consistent science-based policies across countries?” This led to some very good discussions, Slutsky says. From there, the Plant Breeding Innovation Working Group developed a concept paper to foster discussion and serve as a road map for national seed associations and ISF members when working with governments and stake- holders. The paper provides a detailed background on plant breeding and the tools and technologies available today. “Essentially, if you can reach the same product endpoint with traditional plant breeding as with the new technologies, then we believe they should be governed the same as products derived from tradi- tional breeding,” Slutsky summarizes. The paper, which has been translated into Chinese, Korean, French and Spanish, with more languages to come, outlines criteria to help governments determine if products should fall within, or out of, the GM regulatory framework. “Our hope is that if governments follow the criteria provided, there will be consistency among countries,” she says. Meanwhile, the communications sub- group of the Plant Breeding Innovation Working Group has been developing a communication toolkit that comprises info- graphics, presentations and a discussion guide on how to talk about the topic. “These tools are designed to support our national and regional seed associations in their communications with their public stakeholders, policymakers and members,” explains Jennifer Clowes, ISF communica- tions manager, who is coordinating this project. As co-chair of the International Seed Federation’s Plant Breeding Innovation Working Group, Bernice Slutsky knows the next year to two years are critical in terms of paving the path ahead. 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. Paving the Way for Innovation