Ontario Grain Farmer August 2021

“A lot has changed in the last few years in terms of how seed is developed and how farming is undertaken,” says Dr. Paul Hoekstra, Grain Farmers of Ontario’s vice president of Strategic Development. He wants positive changes made to the legislation to reflect the tools and processes that are and will be used in the industry in the coming years. He cites everything from changes in how new varieties would be assessed and ultimately registered for sale and looking at new frameworks. The CFIA did a needs assessment that was sent out to farmers and others and concluded in March 2021. The government’s Seed Regulation Modernization Working Group has created a number of sub-groups to look at various topics. The teams are made up of representatives of the entire supply chain, including farmers, developers, breeders, seed companies, and academics. Hoekstra is the co-chair of the variety registration task team, and Dr. Josh Cowan, manager of Research and Innovation at Grain Farmers of Ontario, is on the seed certification task team. “We have a farmer representative and a staff alternate on all of the teams,” says Gowriluk, adding that the alternates are available because of the time commitment and the fact that the task teams’ work is going on during planting and harvest. She adds that farmers are dedicated to participating because they care deeply about maintaining Canada’s high standards and getting what they pay for. The teams are meeting regularly to consider various priorities and options. Hoekstra says his team is looking at everything from the role of government to the need for variety registration to different delivery options and more. “The goal is to provide the CFIA with options, including the pros and cons, on how they can improve,” says Hoekstra. Once the work is done by the task teams, the next steps are for the CFIA to consolidate the options and go back out for consultations. “At the end of the day, farmers want seed technology to get to market as fast as possible but without compromising safety or the integrity of Canada’s world-class regulatory system,” he says. “It’s incredibly important that our voices are heard in this process to ensure the needs of our members are being met.” For information on changes to novel food regulations focused on plant breeding, read the expanded version of this article online. l ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER 29 AUGUST 2021 “Farmers want seed technology to get to market as fast as possible but without compromising safety or the integrity of Canada’s world-class regulatory system.” www.agro-100.com KaLime ® is a nutriliming agent that adjusts soil pH and supplies plant available potassium (K) , calcium (Ca) , sulphur (S) , and magnesium (Mg) , to increase yields, crop quality and the overall health of your soil... all this in a single application. Lime like a pro. Go KaLime ® . download the Agro100 application for free today! enhance soil and plant nutrition from the get-go KaLime ® adds value to your soil fertility program Talk to your Agro-100 representative or Ag retailer. 1 866 770.8887 • www. agro-100.com