Seed

Letter – Urgent need to reinstate safety assessments and transparency for all GMOs

Today we are asking you to hear our concerns, and the concerns of many Canadians, and return to Health Canada’s initial proposal for pre-market regulation of gene edited products. Reversing the changes to regulatory guidance can and should be made immediately, before products begin to slip through unregulated. Read more

Farming Cooperatively: Film Screening and Q+A with Tourne-Sol Cooperative Farm

Join us for an exciting evening of connection, film and discussion at the Concordia Greenhouse in Montreal, QC, Canada. We are thrilled to present a community screening of a captivating Read more

NFU asks Canada not to join US-Mexico GM corn dispute panel

The National Farmers Union (NFU) urges Trade Minister Ng to respect Mexico’s decision to prohibit imports of GM corn for human consumption, as it has put these measures in place in order to uphold its food sovereignty, including the traditional Indigenous farming systems known as milpa. We urge you to refrain from having Canada join the Panel as a Third Party in the US dispute with Mexico in order to avoid escalating our role in this dispute out of respect for Indigenous rights, Canada being signatory to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and to support Canada’s biodiversity protection commitments as a signatory of the UN Convention on Biodiversity. Read more

Science takes a back seat with federal gene editing decision

Even though they have no history of safe use in Canada or elsewhere, Agriculture Minister Bibeau announced on May 3, 2023 that Canada will exempt gene-edited plants from regulation and Read more

Take Action: Reverse CFIA decision on gene edited seed regulation!

On May 3, 2023 Agriculture Minister Bibeau approved the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) regulatory guidance on gene-edited genetically engineered (genetically modified or GM) plants and seed, making many of Read more

Sommaire: Modernisation de la réglementation des semences

Canada’s Seeds Regulations include a series of Grade Tables that set out standards for all major field crops and field crop mixtures of pedigreed seed sold in Canada. All pedigreed seed must be graded before it can be sold. Seed that is pedigreed can be traced back to the original breeder through an official paper trail overseen by the CFIA. Corn seed is not included in Canada’s pedigreed seed system, but in order to be given an official grade it must be tested by a government-approved seed lab. Read more

Summary: Seed Regulatory Modernization Review

Canada’s Seeds Regulations include a series of Grade Tables that set out standards for all major field crops and field crop mixtures of pedigreed seed sold in Canada. All pedigreed seed must be graded before it can be sold. Seed that is pedigreed can be traced back to the original breeder through an official paper trail overseen by the CFIA. Corn seed is not included in Canada’s pedigreed seed system, but in order to be given an official grade it must be tested by a government-approved seed lab. Read more

Farmers Guide – CFIA Winter 2023 Seed Regulations Survey

Fact Sheet – Incorporation by Reference

Documents that are incorporated by reference may be “internal” or “external”. Internal documents are created and managed within the Canadian government. External documents belong to an outside organization or agency. A key difference between internal and external documents is “who holds the pen” – who has the authority to change the wording of a document, and thus the rules. Read more

Fact Sheet – Understanding Pedigreed and Common Seed

Pedigreed and common seed each have important roles in our seed system. Pedigreed seed provides strong protection for farmers through its thorough, transparent and robust production, naming and inspection processes. The ability to buy and sell common seed allows farmers to keep older varieties in circulation and to obtain seed for lower prices and fewer restrictions compared with seed that is subject to Plant Breeders Rights. Read more