Title: National Forum on Seed Variety Registration Amendments: A Smart Regulation Pilot Project
1National Forum on Seed - Variety Registration
AmendmentsA Smart Regulation Pilot Project
- National Forum on Seed Meeting
- Winnipeg, Manitoba
- 27 July 2005
2Overview
- Smart Regulation Action Plans
- National Forum on Seed Pilot
- Variety Registration Proposal
- Cost-Benefit Impact Assessment
- Pre-Proposal - Issue Assessment
- Time Lines
3Government of CanadaSmart Regulation Action Plan
- Strategic Objectives
- Enhanced regulatory coordination and cooperation
- Increased policy coherence
- Improved transparency, efficiency, timeliness and
predictability of regulation - Strengthened planning and priority setting
- Improved identification, management and
mitigation of aggregated and unintended impacts
of regulation. - Strengthened regulatory management
4Government of CanadaSmart Regulation Action Plan
- Guiding Principles
- Protecting the public interest
- Extending the values of Canadian democracy
- Leveraging the best knowledge in Canada and
worldwide - Promoting effective cooperation, partnerships and
processes
5 CFIA Smart Regulation Action Plan Regulatory
Strategy Project
- Strengthen Policy Development Capacity
- Strengthen Regulatory Process
- Introduce Lifecycle Management Approach
- Improved Consultation Reporting Framework
- Linked to GoC Action Plan
- Both Linked to Pilot Projects
-
6Pilot Projects Iterative Approach
CFIA Regulatory Strategy Adjust CFIA Regulatory
Strategy in response to feedback from staff,
stakeholders and GoC (Smart Regulation) direction
Iterative Refinements
Pilot Projects Inform and informed by CFIA
Regulatory Strategy and GoC Strategic Direction
Iterative Refinements
GoC Action Plan Input into Cabinet Directives on
Legislation and Regulation
Implementability
7National Forum on Seed (NFS)
- NFS - Stakeholder led forum for coordinating
consultation and consensus building on policy or
regulatory change. - Variety Registration (VR) Working Group issue
specific forum to forge consensus on
cross-cutting elements of change initiatives - Crop-Specific Working Group (CSWG) sub-sector
specific fora to forge consensus on unique
aspects of change initiatives
8Regulatory Process
Core Processes
9 Issue Identification Assessment - Purpose of
Variety Registration
- Establishes an official, verifiable identity
consistent with Internationally accepted
Standards (OECD, AOSCA, etc) - Limits commercial varieties to those of
recognized merit - Facilitates informed consumer choice and fraud
prevention
10Issue Identification Assessment - Purpose of
Variety Registration
- Facilitates seed and crop certification
- Facilitates domestic and international movement
of seed - Facilitates enforcement of Seeds Regulations
- Compliance with seed purity standards
- Compliance with labelling requirements
- Compliance with PNT assessment requirements
11Assessment of Current System
- Varieties of all crops subject to registration
require prior merit assessment - Merit, for registration purposes means
- Equal or superior to appropriate reference
varieties - Variety registration officially recognizes
varieties as distinct, uniform and stable - Variety registration is required for all crops
with variety name requirements (except corn, food
grade soybeans, lawn and turf grass, chickpeas,
sorghum, and mung beans)
12Assessment -Consultations to Date
- One size does not fit all for crop kinds
- System must be flexible and responsive to changes
within the sector - Need for timely implementation of a revised
registration system - Differentiation between the information collected
prior to variety registration and
post-registration performance testing
13Regulatory Development Elements of a Proposal
- Tiered registration system including
- Mandatory Prior Assessment
- May include assessment of agronomic, disease
and/or quality traits - Merit assessment (meets minimum criteria) or for
information only - 2) Listing (no mandatory prior assessment)
- - Similar to the Form 300 listing process plus
the establishment of uniqueness.
14Regulatory Development Elements of a Proposal
(contd)
- Some form of registration requirement for CFIA
certification (use of CFIA tags and grade names) - Flexible approach to registration/listing based
on crop specific focus - Transparent, predictable process for movement of
crops within schedules - Enhanced risk-based approach to Contract
Registration
15Regulatory Development Elements of a Proposal
- Progress hinges on the ability of the Crop
Specific Working Groups (CSWG) to achieve a
degree of consensus on key issues such as - Schedules (crop placement)
- Pre-registration Performance Testing
- Post-registration Performance Testing
- Contract Registration
16Cost-Benefit Impact Assessment
- Increased scope for innovation
- Increased scope to manage change
- Increased pressure on post-registration elements
of regulatory system.
17Pre-Proposal Issue Assessment
- Gap analysis on the need (or not) for
listing/registration for use of CFIA tags and
pedigreed grade names - Confirm authority to require collection of
performance information prior to (post)
registration - Assess alternative options for listing process
(eg. formally recognize version of CSGA Form 300
process) - Assess impact on trade if imported seed held to
same standards as domestic seed (eg. require
listing /registration)
18Time lines
Summer/Fall 05 Consultations on proposal
elements Fall/Winter 05 Formal Consultation
on Regulatory Proposal Spring 2006
Pre-publication (Canada Gazette Part I) and
further consultation. Fall 2006 Publication
(Canada Gazatte Part ll ) and Implementation