As Bill C-18 — The Agricultural Growth Act — makes its way through the parliamentary process, questions linger around what the bill does and doesn’t mean for Canadian farmers. Will the changes to Canada’s Plant Breeders’ Rights act mean you can you still save seed? Will the adoption of UPOV ’91 make seed more expensive?
To get the straight goods, Real Agriculture spoke with Anthony Parker. He’s commissioner of the plant breeders’ rights office with CFIA, and hears many of these questions over and over. In the interview below, Parker explains what changes mean (yes, farmers can still save seed), why adoption of UPOV ’91 creates more competition in the marketplace (and what that means to prices) and shares what other countries have experienced under the same system.
Parker also explains the relationship between changes to the Plant Breeders’ Rights act and end point royalties, which seems to have caused much confusion in the industry.
Interested in more about this topic? See all our UPOV ’91 coverage here.
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