72 / SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2019 position paper in June 2018. This paper outlines the typical seed movement in the industry, describes the regula- tory issues impacting the movement of treated seed and outlines the prerequi- sites of a regulatory system that would facilitate the movement of treated seed. “There is confusion on the terms and the scope of the regulations,” says Klaus Schluender, head of the Sub Business Unit Oilseed Rape of KWS and chair of the Seed Applied Technology Committee. “This leads to an interpretation of the regulations that has unintended conse- quences.” ISF continues to raise awareness of this issue at the regional and national level and is actively developing outreach materials to assist seed associations with a targeted approach appropriate for their region. “In the end, treated seed is still a seed,” says Schluender. “It should not be regu- lated as a seed treatment product.” In addition, Schluender says seed treatment products are going through a heavy reevaluation period, and particu- larly in the EU, the industry is facing the loss of a lot of fungicides like Thiram and insecticides like neonicotinoids. The chal- lenge is then to find something to replace those losses. “If you do a proper seed treatment, only 0.5-1% of the acreage is exposed to the active ingredient in comparison with a sprayed application where 100% of the field is exposed,” Schluender explains. “Seed treatments are better, even if a lot of decision makers don’t understand that.” Communication is key and the seed associations have an important role in this, he says. An additional topic that the Seed Applied Technologies Committee is fol- lowing closely is the discussion on micro- plastics in seed treatments. “Microplastics are present in the form of polymers which are key to reducing dust-off and help the seed treatments to stick to the seed,” says Schluender. Europe is currently considering the regulation of microplastics that aren’t biodegradable. As most polymers used today are not biodegradable, the industry would need to consider new, biodegrad- able polymers. This would take about 3 years to develop and another 7 years to get to market. “This is something that can have a large impact on the industry, so ISF will need to work quickly to make people aware,” Schluender says. Plant Breeding Innovation After last year’s decision in the European Union (EU) to regulate varieties acquired by technologies such as mutagenesis and gene-editing like GMOs, plant breeding innovation (PBI) is at the top of every- one’s mind. However, according to Bernice Slutsky, senior vice president of Innovation at the American Seed Trade Association and chair of the PBI Working Group, coun- tries are moving forward and so is ISF. “We’re continuing to work on what we’ve always been working on,” Slutsky says. “Our goal is to have alignment across countries on science and risk- based approaches with respect to products around gene-editing. This is an ongoing process, and it continues to be the top priority of the working group.” Slutsky says they’ve been taking their lead from the EU decision from the European Seed Association (ESA). “No one thinks this was a very good decision or a science-based decision, so if there’s anything we can do at an ISF level to support the strategy that ESA has, then that’s what we’re going to do to address the decision.” Vegetables and Ornamentals The priorities of the Vegetable and Ornamental Section are fully aligned with the strategic objectives of ISF and support some of the other committees’ work. According to Vicente Navarro, senior vice president of Crop Strategy & Marketing, Vegetable Seeds of BASF and chair of the ISF Vegetables and Ornamentals section, there are three priorities for their committee: facilitating the global movement of seeds, prevent- ing intellectual property (IP) infringement, and engaging with society. “The vegetable seed sector is greatly exposed to market access problems, including phytosanitary issues, due to its nature — with more than 50 different crops produced in countries other than where treatment, packing and sales take place,” Navarro says. “Facilitating the free movement of seeds is probably one of the most difficult things that we are facing, especially when the enacted non- tariff measures are not science-based, but serve as a form of market protection. Navarro says that the systems approach is another project in which the section provides frequent inputs. “A glob- ally accepted systems approach for seed is an opportunity for NPPOs and industry to collaborate to develop a more efficient, predictable and secure framework to facilitate the international movement of healthy seed.” Next, there are several projects under the protection of IP rights for the Vegetable and Ornamental section. “Although IP rights are territorial in nature, most of the countries are signa- tories of the UPOV Convention therefore the PVP systems are more or less harmo- nized,” Navarro says. “Emphasis must be placed on the enforcement part. The veg- etable seed sector wants to raise more awareness on IP infringement therefore we developed a guideline of good prac- tices on how to protect IP rights more efficiently.” Finally, Navarro says engagement is key for their working group. “If we are not capable of getting our business model accepted by society, then people will be negative towards our industry regardless of the value we are creating,” he says. “It’s really important for us to step up and engage with a broader audience, because if we don’t uphold our license to operate, then who will?” SW Bernice Slutsky.