This document summarizes a presentation on organic seed solutions in Canada. It discusses the current plant breeding system and proposed changes to royalty collection that could generate funds for breeding programs. For organic producers, existing varieties will remain available without royalties, but developing organic varieties faces the same challenges as conventional breeding due to limited public funding. Participatory plant breeding is highlighted as an alternative that has successfully developed wheat, oat and potato lines adapted for organic conditions. International agreements support farmers' rights to save and exchange seeds and strengthen on-farm breeding that conserves diversity for farmer-developed varieties.

1. Organic Seeds in Canada:
Solutions for Plant Breeders
and Farmers?
Jennifer Scott, CSI
Ann Slater, National Farmers Union
Aabir Dey, Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security
Moderator:
Catriona Ffrench, Cookstown Greens

2. OCO AGM
Plant Breeders’ Rights
Proposed Changes
Friday, April 12th, 2019
Jennifer Scott, CSI Organic Program Manager

3. What is PBR?
“Plant Breeders' Rights (PBR) are a form of
intellectual property rights by which plant
breeders can protect their new varieties in the
same way an inventor protects a new invention
with a patent.”
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/plants/plant-breeders-
rights/overview/guide/eng/1409074255127/14090742
55924#a1

4. Where does plant breeding take place in Canada?
• AAFC (research stations across the country)
• Universities (e.g. Crop Development Centre at
USask, OAC at U of Guelph)
• Private breeding institutions (e.g. Céréla)
• Private companies with breeding facilities (e.g.
Semences Prograin)
Varietal breeding material may also be imported
into Canada for development

5. Estimated Number of Plant Breeders Across Canada
Institution Breeders Public Share Total Share
AAFC 54 64% 25%
U of A 2 2% 1%
USask / CDC 10 12% 5%
U of M 3 4% 1%
U of Guelph 11 13% 5%
McGill 1 1% 0%
Alberta Ag &
Forestry
3 4% 1%
Total University 27 32% 12%
Total Public 84 100% 38%
Private 135 62%
All Breeders 219 100%
Source: CSTA for private sector breeders/scientists and consultants review of public sector and university materials and
websites for public institutions.

6. Canada’s Seed System
• Breeders work on developing a new
variety (typically takes 8-12 years of
research and field work)
• Breeder decides whether to protect
variety under PBR
• Breeder makes application to Variety
Registration Office if varieties of that crop
kind require registration

7. How do varieties come to market?
• New variety rights are purchased by a seed company
or an individual (e.g. SeCan, FP Genetics, Canterra
Seeds, C&M Seeds, etc.)
• Seed is multiplied through successive pedigreed
classes by seed growers who are members of CSGA
• Each pedigreed seed field is inspected by a third-
party crop inspector and issued a crop certificate by
CSGA

8. Pedigreed Seed
Cereals, pulses, soybeans
(self-pollinated):
Breeder seed Select seed Foundation Registered Certified
seed
Open-pollinated crops have 3 classes
(e.g. corn, canola):
Breeder Foundation Certified

9. • Foundation, Registered and Certified seed is cleaned, graded
and labelled at registered seed establishments
• All registered seed establishments and accredited seed
testing laboratories in Canada are monitored by CSI
• Pedigreed seed is labelled with CFIA tags

10. Pedigreed vs. Common or Farm-Saved Seed
What can I do with Certified seed?
1. Plant it and harvest a grain crop
2. Plant it and harvest it as a seed crop for my own use
3. Plant it and harvest it as a seed crop for sale (see below)
It is currently:
• Illegal to sell common seed by variety name (since 1974)
unless specifically allowed in certain crop kinds
• Illegal to sell any PBR protected variety as common seed
• Illegal to sell PBR protected varieties without paying
royalties to variety owners

12. How the system works now for cereals
Example: you buy AAC Brandon wheat in 2019, $1.27
per bushel will go back to SeCan and it will remit
whatever dollar figure it agreed upon to the breeding
institution (AAFC)
Seed companies may invest money directly into
breeding programs
Crop commissions may direct check-off dollars towards
breeding programs

13. Challenges in the current system
• With only 20% Certified seed usage for wheat in W.
Canada, only 20% of the acres of wheat produced pay
into the wheat breeding programs
• Government public breeding programs have been in
decline for the past 20 years
• AAFC has stated they would like to see their role in plant
breeding shift to higher-level background research or
“discovery science” and engage private industry earlier in
the variety development process

14. What is being proposed?
“Value creation” – consultations held this
past winter around a possible system of
royalty collection on varieties registered
after February 2015
Goal would be to generate a revenue
stream to infuse money into cereal, pulse
and specialty crop breeding programs,
which are heavily dependent on public
breeding

15. How does this affect organic producers:
• Existing varieties (registered prior to February
2015) will continue to be available without
legislated royalty collection
• Development of organic varieties will have the
same challenges in the publicly-funded system
that conventional breeding programs face
• How would organic producers control return
of check-offs or royalties to organic breeding
programs?

16. How to get involved:
• Government will continue the consultation
process
• Online survey planned by AAFC/CFIA
• More regional consultation opportunities?
• Check www.gfo.org or
www.ontariograinfarmer.ca for information

17. Alternatives to
Variety
Development for
Organics
OCO AGM & Policy Day
April 2019

18. Participatory plant breeding for wheat, oats, and potatoes

19. CANOVI: Participatory variety trials and
plant breeding program on

20. (Adapted from Morris and Bellon, 2004; Halewood et
al, 2007)
Steps in a
Breeding
Program
Traditio
nal
Grass-
roots
Comple
te
Efficie
nt
PVS Conventi
onal
F R F R F R F R F R F R
Breeding
goals and
Identifying
parental
lines
✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Creat
ing
new
germ
plasm
✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Trait
selection
and cultivar
developmen
t
✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Variety ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

22. ● $1.5M since 2013:
○ Dozens of advanced breeding
lines eligible for registration for
wheat, oats, and potatoes
○ Farmer-bred lines of wheat are
performing better than
conventionally-bred lines when
tested in organic conditions
○ Improved capacity of farmers to
participate and take ownership of
variety development

23. How to support plant breeding while
still upholding Farmers’ Rights?
● Breeding for the public good
○ Varieties that thrive in ecologically
restorative farming practises
● EU and US leaders in this space
○ Canada has insufficient industry and
public support
○ Farmers should not bear the full cost of
variety development
● PPB is low-cost and high-impact
○ Does not preclude IPRs, but reduces the
imperative

24. International Treaty for Plant Genetic
Resources for Food and Agriculture
● Article 9: Farmers’ Rights
○ “...agrees not to limit any rights that farmers have to
save, use, exchange and sell farm-saved
seed/propagating material”
● Article 6.2:
○ ...strengthen research which enhances and conserves
biological diversity...for the benefit of farmers who
generate and use their own varieties and apply
ecological principles in maintaining soil fertility
and in combating diseases, weeds and pests
○ ...promoting...plant breeding efforts which, with the
participation of farmers...strengthen the capacity
to develop varieties particularly adapted to social,
economic and ecological conditions

25. THANK YOU!

27. Organic Seeds in Canada:
Solutions for Plant Breeders
and Farmers?
Ann Slater, National Farmers Union