COMMUNICATING, engaging and changing is just a taste of what the International Seed Federation (ISF) is working to achieve this year. They’re also rolling up their sleeves to work on many other aspects of the seed industry that will help them get closer to their vision of “a world where the best quality seed is accessible to all, supporting sustainable agriculture and food security.” In 2016, ISF set a few strategic goals: 1.  Innovation by moving towards consistent policies for products developed through the latest plant breeding methods. 2.  Promoting the harmonization of policies and regulations for phy- tosanitary measures for seed applied technologies. 3.  Encouraging biodiversity by sup- porting the International Treaty as the preferred tool to administer genetic resources. 4.  Facilitating cooperation between countries to simplify procedures for plant variety protection at an inter- national level. With this vision and these strategic goals top-of-mind, the various committees of ISF have their work cut out for them, and they’re diving in and getting down to the nitty-gritty work. Facilitating the movement of seed The International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) has provided a number of International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM) to serve as guidelines for countries to implement phytosanitary measures and procedures While there’s a lot of work to be done, the ISF committees are getting down and dirty to find solutions for the seed industry. Alex Martin amartin@issuesink.com to manage the introduction and spread of plant pests. In 2017, ISPM 38 on the international movement of seed was adopted by the IPPC. Since the adoption, ISF has been working together with national and regional seed associations to develop training materials to assist countries with the implementation of the standard. “ISF has developed and participated in various workshops and meetings to raise awareness and provide better under- standing of ISPM 38 to both industry and National Plant Protection Organizations (NPPOs),” says Rob Keene, director of International Affairs for Enza Zaden and chair of ISF’s Phytosanitary Committee. “It’s an ongoing process as all countries are at various stages of implementation, but there’s been quite a lot of collabora- tion between the IPPC, NPPOs and the industry since it was adopted.” An ISPM 38 training manual has been developed by ISF to provide the industry with a better understanding of the IPPC, NPPOs, the guidelines contained within the standard and the outreach opportu- nities available to companies and seed associations. ISF is also supporting the devel- opment of a systems approach for the international movement of seed. Briefly mentioned in ISPM 38, a systems approach could provide a more efficient, predictable framework for managing the pest risk associated with seed. “Currently, importing countries manage pest risk by requiring field inspections, seed treatment or seed testing,” Keene says. “In a systems approach, importing Getting Down to the Nitty-Gritty 68 / SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2019