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70 SEEDWORLD.COM SEPTEMBER 2015 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. NATIONAL EPA APPROVES OBVIUS FUNGICIDE SEED TREATMENT On Aug. 6 Obvius fungicide seed treatment from BASF received full Environmental Protection Agency registration for use on pulse podded veg- etables and canola. According to BASF state registrations are forthcoming. Powered by Xemium fungicide and F500 fungicide the same active ingredients found in Priaxor fungicide as well as meta- laxyl Obvius fungicide seed treatment helps provide seed- ling disease control pressure often found in areas where pulse podded vegetables and canola are grown. Research field trials in 2015 showed that applying Obvius fungicide seed treatment can result in more rapid and increased emergence long-term residual disease activity and improved seedling health. It controls ascochyta blight pythium fusarium rhizoctonia botrytis and others. USDA DEREGULATES ENLIST COTTON The U.S. Department of Agriculture on July 23 deregulated Enlist cotton a trait developed by Dow AgroSciences that makes cotton tolerant to the application of a new proprietary blend of 24-D choline glyphosate and glufosinate. However the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has not yet approved the use of Enlist Duo herbi- cide on Enlist cotton two components that comprise the Enlist Weed Control System. Pending regula- tory approvals Dow expects to launch Enlist cotton in PhytoGen cottonseed in 2016. FOOD LABELING ACT ADVANCES On July 14 the House Agriculture Committee passed The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act H.R. 1599 which is designed toestab- lish a uniform science-based labeling framework for foods made with genetically modified organisms and for GMO-free foods. H.R. 1599 would preempt state GMO- labeling efforts and block states or local jurisdictions from imposing bans on GMO crops. The preemption clause addresses the possible threat to interstate commerce resulting from a patchwork of state GMO-labeling laws. Then on July 23 the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1599 by a 275-150 vote. The result was applauded by numerous agriculture organiza- tions including the American Seed Trade Association. INTERNATIONAL KENYA WILL SOON LIFT BAN ON GMOS According to Deputy President H.E. William Ruto the Kenyan government will lift the ban on genetically modified organisms in two months. Mark my words in a matter of a month or two we should be able to be out of the ban he said at the fourth annual Biosafety Conference organized by the Kenya National Biosafety Authority in Nairobi. I want to allay any fear from any quarter that there will be any attempt to roll back what has already been achieved and to give our undertaking to the scientific community in Kenya that you have support by the govern- ment of Kenya in facilitating the work you are doing. ARCADIA BIOSCIENCES RECEIVES EUROPEAN PATENT The European Patent Office granted Californias Arcadia Biosciences a key patent for its Water Use Efficiency WUE trait. The patent covers the use of Arcadias WUE trait to develop drought-resistant and water- efficient plants which will help growers produce higher yields per unit of available water. The platform technol- ogy was invented by Shimon and Amira Gepstein at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and Eduardo Blumwald at the University of California Davis and is licensed exclusively to Arcadia Biosciences. CANADA RATIFIES UPOV 91 Officials of the Canadian government ratified the 1991 Act of the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants UPOV 91. UPOV provides and promotes an effec- tive system of plant variety protection by encouraging the development of new varieties of plants for the benefit of society. Canada which is already one of the 72members of UPOV is the 53rd member to become bound by the 1991 Act of the UPOV Convention. The 1991 Act entered into force for Canada July 19. GRAIN FARMERS OF ONTARIO TAKES PROVINCE TO COURT Grain Farmers of Ontario filed legal proceedings against the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Climate Change in regard to the prov- inces legislation restricting the use of neonicotinoid seed treatments. Grain Farmers of Ontario asked the Superior Court to delay the imple- mentation of the proposed regulations until May 1 2016 or such time as the require- ments of the Regulation can reasonably be met. If the court provides a stay against the regulations farmers will be able to plant next year under the same rules followed this planting season. EUROPEAN COMMISSION AUTHORIZES 19 GMOS The European Commission adopted 10 new authoriza- tions for genetically modified organisms GMOs for food feed use seven renewals of existing authorizations and also the authorization for the importation of two GMO cut flowers. These GMOs have gone through a full authoriza- tion procedure including a favorable scientific assess- ment by the European Food Safety Authority however the authorization decisions do not cover cultivation. SW