March 2021

Reminder – Participate in the CFIA Seed Regulatory Modernization Survey by March 15

The CSGA encourages all seed growers and seed sector stakeholders to participate in and provide input to the CFIA Needs Assessment Survey for Seed Regulatory Modernization (SRM) by the survey closing date of March 15, 2021.

The CFIA is committed to a full-scale review of Part I – Seeds other than Seed Potatoes, Part II-Seed Potatoes, Part III – Variety Registration and Part IV-Registration of Establishments that Prepare Seed and Licensing of Operators of the Seeds Regulations. The CFIA intends to improve flexibility, responsiveness, consistency, reduce complexity, and protect producers and consumers by strengthening existing requirements within the Seeds Regulations.

Help the CFIA understand your perspective. By completing the survey, you will help inform topics such as:

• Benefits of the current regulatory framework and seed system
• Opportunities for change
• Key issues to address
• Views on further industry delivery of regulatory services

With a commitment to transparent and active engagement throughout the process, the CFIA is involving stakeholders – including producers who bear the risks of using seed – throughout the entire process to make recommendations on what changes are needed.

It is important to remember that SRM does not include value creation, plant breeders’ rights, plant breeding innovations or the plant health program.

Help shape the scope, scale and direction of regulatory change that affects you directly. Please complete the survey today. For more information on SRM, visit CFIA’s webpage.

The 2021 Crop Season has Begun

CSGA’s Applications for Seed Crop Certification and Membership/Renewal for the 2021 crop season are now available online in the Members’ Area (SeedCert) of the CSGA website.

Application packages are being sent out via email on March 15. If you do not receive your package next week, please check your junk inbox or email the office or call (613) 236-0497, ext. 231.

Please consult the 2021 Fee Schedule for a list of fees, and the Application Support Document for important updates to the application process. New in 2021:

• A field map or GPS coordinates is required for each pedigreed seed crop (sequence) in certification. The field map, or GPS coordinates, must be submitted to CSGA at the time of application through the Members’ Area (SeedCert), or within 14 calendar days of the date of application. A $50.00 incomplete application penalty will be applied to accounts with applications without a map or GPS coordinates supplied within this timeframe. For more details on this requirement, please consult the Application Support Document.

• To allow for increased customization, seed crop certification applicants will now be able to customize the information that is released in pedigreed seed crop listings and that appear in publications such as CSGA’s national online Pedigreed Seed Locator and Provincial Seed Guides. Applicants may choose to opt-out of this free service.

• For CSGA-Accredited Plot Growers, CSGA-Recognized Plant Breeders or Associate Plant Breeders, a new option provides an opportunity to give expressed consent to CSGA to release contact information with interested parties looking for Select growers to multiply seed or Breeders to work with new genetics.

Ensure you submit your applications online on or before the deadline dates.

CSGA Launches Mechanical Impurity Pilot Project

With improvements in seed cleaning technology and with advances in CSGA’s own technological capacity to manage exceptions, CSGA is launching a research pilot project in 2021 to gather data to inform a review of CSGA’s maximum impurity standards for mechanical impurities in cereals and small grains (Section 2) of Circular 6.

Growers will be invited to enroll certain fields that would otherwise be demoted or declined due to mechanical impurities, provided the impurities do not exceed the qualifying limits for the research pilot. Currently, only fields of Barley, Buckwheat, Canaryseed, Durum, Flax, Oat, Rye, Triticale, and Wheat for Foundation, Registered, or Certified status will be included in the research pilot.

CSGA is committed to having standards that are reflective of modern practices and technology and whose evolution is informed by evidence-based research. Results of this research will inform the work of CSGA’s Regulatory Services Committee, in the review of standards in Circular 6. For more information, please Brianna Chouinard.

Register for CSGA’s Annual General Meeting

The CSGA virtual Annual General Meeting (AGM) is Wednesday, April 14, 2021, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm EDT.

Meeting registration will open Monday, March 15. We ask that you please register before Sunday, April 11.

Plan to join us for the unveiling of CSGA’s 2.0 Business Plan and the introduction of the new CSGA Executive Director. Full meeting details are available on the CSGA AGM webpage.

Sponsorship opportunities are available. Please contact us via email or telephone at (613) 236-0497, ext. 231 to discuss the unique virtual options offered. Thank you for your support!

Opportunity to Submit a Member Resolution

Resolutions allow members to express their views on matters related to the affairs of the CSGA. Any Regular Member (per By-law 3.01) may submit a resolution to the Association no later than Thursday, April 8 at 11:59 pm EDT.

Regular members interested in submitting a resolution should complete this form and submit it via email to Michael Scheffel, who is compiling submissions on behalf of the Chair of the CSGA Resolutions Committee, Jonathan Nyborg.