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 8410 / SEEDWORLD.COM OCTOBER 2016 Congress Finally Ratifies International Treaty THE NIGHT OF Sept. 28, the U.S. Congress made a “historic” move and passed the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture — something the industry has been advocating. “The treaty is a win for the American seed industry and for agri- culture innovation around the world,” says Andy LaVigne, American Seed Trade Association president and CEO. “Ratification of the treaty has been one of ASTA’s top legislative priorities for the past decade and has been supported by a wide range of agriculture and scientific organizations and universities. “The treaty will ensure U.S. public and private plant breeders have secure access to the materials they need to address some of the world’s most pressing chal- lenges — from evolving plant pests and diseases, to changing climate, and feeding a growing population.” Under the auspices of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the treaty first entered into force in 2004 with the guidance of a governing body comprised of representatives from all contracting parties. It was first signed by President George W. Bush and saw movement a few times through the years, but the treaty never made it through. It again picked up steam in May when John Schoenecker of HM.CLAUSE provided testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. History was made in 2016, putting the U.S. back at the negotiating table. Julie Deering Schoenecker explained that the U.S. played a key role in negotiations leading up to the creation of the final text of the treaty during the Bush Administration. “The intent was to create international rules and standards around access and benefit sharing with regard to seed used for agriculture,” he said. “Recently, the implementation of the Nagoya Protocol under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is further threatening our ability to exchange germplasm globally. “With ratification, the U.S. would be able to resume its leadership position to enhance the functioning of the treaty and greatly diminish the uncertainty created by the CBD and Nagoya.” Then in June, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the treaty, and it moved before the full U.S. Senate. With last night’s passage, the United States became the 140th country to ratify the treaty. The Big Picture The treaty sets out to accomplish three things. First, it aims to take care of the conservation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. Second, the genetic resources should be used in a sustainable manner. And third, access and benefit sharing should be managed. The treaty also recognizes that farmers have contributed to the diversity of crops that feed the world; therefore, it works to ensure that recipients share benefits they derive from the use of these genetic materials. Also in support of the treaty is the Crop Science Society of America (CSSA). In its policy position paper, the Germplasm Writing Team, noted: “The process of plant improvement is ongoing as pests and diseases evolve and new market and environmental challenges continuously arise. Agriculture now faces a host of intensifying challenges with global popu- lation increases and increasing weather extremes. “New traits that will boost crop performance and value will depend on continued access to storehouses of plant genetic resources, maintained by the USDA National Plant Germplasm System, universities, research organizations and companies around the world. These col- lections, in aggregate, are fundamentally important to our ability to maintain a vibrant U.S. bio-economy, national secu- rity, and an adequate global food supply.” At the time the position paper was written, CSSA’s Policy Committee Chair was Stephen Baenziger, a wheat breeder at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Meetings continue to happen at the international level with discussions primar- ily focused on access and benefit sharing. As a ratifying country, the United States will now have a seat at the negotiating table. LaVigne says this is important to protecting U.S. interests, as well lending expertise. SW