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Agricultural Growth Act (Bill C-18) receives Royal Assent

Mar 02, 2015
By Harry Siemens
 
The Harper government continues to make changes and improvements to the structure of Canadian agriculture, hoping to modernize it and help farmers and companies at home to remain competitive as they grow and produce the food while other companies and entities sell the fruits of their labour at home and abroad. 
Last Friday, ag minister Gerry Ritz announced the Agricultural Growth Act (Bill C-18) received Royal Assent. This Act will modernize Canadian agriculture and increase trade opportunities for farmers.
Ritz, who made the announcement at the Canterra Seeds head office in Winnipeg with about  60 farmers and industry representatives looking on and some participating with their responses says farmers now benefit from greater access to new crop varieties and the latest technology to remain competitive and meet the needs of Canadians. 
“This new legislation strengthens agricultural intellectual property rights through the ratification of the Act of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants, also known as UPOV'91, improves access to the latest scientific research, reduces red tape and regulatory burden on producers, and expands global market opportunities,” says the ag minister. “As well, inspectors have stronger tools to enforce regulations and deter anyone who puts Canada's plant and animal resource base at risk.”
On Thursday, minister Ritz tabled before Parliament a treaty to ratify the UPOV'91 Convention. The 1991 UPOV Convention is the international standard for plant breeders' rights. Being party to the UPOV'91 Convention will provide access to new and better tools to help Canada's farmers and agricultural industry grow their businesses and bring Canada in line with its major trading partners.
Ratification of the UPOV'91 Convention at the international level will facilitate farmers' access to new and innovative plant varieties while protecting intellectual property and encouraging investment.
 
“This new legislation will increase trade opportunities, enhance oversight and contribute to Canada's overall economic growth,” Ritz says.
Aggregate net cash income for 2014 is expected to reach $14.0 billion, 10 percent above the 2013 record. -- Under Growing Forward 2, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative, the Government of Canada is investing more than $70 million in grains, oilseeds and special crops research projects. 
Bill C-18 updates the suite of statutes the government uses to regulate Canada's agricultural sector: Plant Breeders' Rights Act, Feeds Act, Fertilizers Act, Seeds Act, Health of Animals Act, Plant Protection Act, Agriculture and Agri-Food Administrative Monetary Penalties Act, the Agricultural Marketing Programs Act and Farm Debt Mediation Act.
"The Canadian Seed Trade Association supports all of the measures included in this Bill as they continue to modernize regulatory and policy measures affecting agriculture and agri-food,” says Patty Townsend, president, Canadian Seed Trade Association
Ron Bonnett, president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture says the changes in the Agricultural Growth Act reflect a number of recommendations made by industry over the years and show  the government is listening.
 
"The proposed amendments in Bill C-18 to the Plant Breeders Rights Act will align Canada with the 1991 International Union for the Protection of New Varieties, or UPOV'91,” says Gary Stanford, Grain Growers of Canada president. “This is important for ensuring Canadian farmers have access to the newest seed varieties so that we can remain competitive internationally."
 
David Hansen, president & ceo of Canterra Seeds in Winnipeg says this is significant for the entire seed sector in Canada. 
“This provides an opportunity for those companies who have a desire to look at investment opportunities in Canada, to now do so because the framework wasn’t there before,” says Hansen. “The fact this legislation will provide the intellectual property protection mechanisms, provides that incentive and initiate for further investment in Canada  with respect to variety development and even further beyond all that.”
He believes all those in the seed industry will be able to capitalize and have an opportunity through partnerships and investments to take advantage of this. 
“We are greatly thrilled by what this means for Canada, and producers in the industry alike,” he adds.  
Art Enns, president of Prairie Oat Growers Association and a who farms at Arnaud thinks it opens up the door to bringing in newer varieties, especially from people who develop some of the smaller acreage crops.
“Take oats for instance it provides an opportunity for our plant breeders and private industries like Canterra Seeds to access germplasm from anywhere and bring it over here,” says Enns.
“I think that is the key. I think the really small crops, meaning smaller acres, many of the bigger companies are avoiding these because the acres and volume just aren’t there.” 
It now gives them an opportunity and there are many across western Canada and across Canada as a whole, he says. 
“It isn’t just oats, but the pulses and some other special crop varieties will have a really distinct advantage by bringing those varieties and germplasm into the country,” says Enns.