Features Agronomy Plant Breeding
New website to help stakeholders adapt to updated Plant Breeders’ Rights

Mar. 13 2015 - A new website has been launched to provide a one-stop source of information for the crop value chain on the new Plant Breeders' Rights environment.

The new website was developed by the Canadian Seed Trade Association (CSTA) with input from the Plant Breeders' Rights Office at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and from intellectual property specialists.

As of February 27, 2015, all new varieties submitted for Plant Breeders' Rights (PBR) are protected under Canada's new Plant Breeders' Rights legislation. "More than 22 years after signing the most recent convention of the Union for the Protection of New Plant Varieties (UPOV), Canada's legislation finally conforms to the UPOV 1991 convention," Dave Baute, president of the CSTA, says. "Canada is finally in line with the rest of the world. This opens the door for increased investment to make new varieties available to Canadian farmers.

The new website is built around two logos that will identify PBR protected varieties by the type of protection they carry. The logos, paired with the information provided by PBRfacts.ca, will clarify the obligations associated with each type of protection.

The site contains specific and focused information for farmers, seed retailers, seed conditioners and buyers of harvested material (grain). It also has a page dedicated to questions and answers, and will give access to fact sheets, presentations and other material designed to inform and build awareness.

March 16, 2015  By Top Crop Manager