The Canadian agricultural industry and seed needs and demands looks nothing like it did in the early 1900s, when the Seeds Act was first enacted. While the act has gone through some changes since its inception, the federal government launched a full-scale modernization of the seed industry four years ago. Now through the second consultation… Read More
Tag: Seeds Canada
Thanks for tuning into this Wednesday edition of RealAg Radio! On this episode, host Shaun Haney is joined by: Krista Thomas with Canada Grains Council on gene editing approval; Barry Senft and Lauren Comin with Seeds Canada on the Seed Regulatory Modernization (SRM) process and the potential impact on farmers; Chris Vervaet with Canadian Oilseed… Read More
The Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau today announced how Canada will handle crop cultivars that contain gene-editing as part of the breeding process. Bibeau says the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has officially published updated guidance for Part V(5) of the Seed Regulations to make it clear which plants — whether developed via… Read More
What should the future of Canada’s seed industry look like? How should new varieties be funded and brought forward? Described by some as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is currently leading consultations on modernizing the rules around plant breeding and how new varieties are brought to the market. Seeds Canada and other… Read More
February 1, 2021, four seed industry groups amalgamated to form Seeds Canada with the vision to become the leading voice of the Canadian seed sector, helping members succeed and grow in Canada, and around the world. RealAg Radio host Shaun Haney was recently joined by Seeds Canada’s Barry Senft, executive director, and Ellen Sparry, the group’s inaugural… Read More
Longtime CEO of the Grain Farmers of Ontario Barry Senft has accepted the position of executive director of Seeds Canada. Senft will join Seeds Canada June 1. “We look forward to welcoming Barry to our organization. His national experience in the grain sector, understanding of agriculture issues and extensive experience in strategic development and leadership will be an asset,”… Read More
Alliance Seed and SeCan say they’ve agreed to a cash settlement worth over seven hundred thousand dollars with a large farm in southern Alberta that made unauthorized sales of barley and wheat varieties protected by plant breeders’ rights (PBR) legislation. Alliance, SeCan, and one unnamed seed distributor will receive $737,597 in compensation for royalties, as… Read More
Four seed sector organizations have officially voted in favour to become one new, national organization. The Canadian Plant Technology Agency (CPTA), the Commercial Seed Analysts Association of Canada (CSAAC), the Canadian Seed Institute (CSI), and the Canadian Seed Trade Association will become Seeds Canada on February 1, 2021. The vision for Seeds Canada is to… Read More
Four out of five seed industry groups that have been in discussions to amalgamate say they’re planning to go ahead with forming the national seed industry group without the Canadian Seed Growers Association. Pending approval from each of their members, they say Seeds Canada could be up and running as soon as February 2021. Five… Read More
The recent vote by the Canadian Seed Growers Association (CSGA) to not join the Seeds Canada group was surprising to some. The future relationship between CSGA and Seeds Canada remains uncertain, but there are some potential options moving forward. “There’s been a lot of reasons why growers, I think, voted against it,” says Sarah Weigum,… Read More