Comments from seed royalty meeting

[jimmy]

No variety should be deregistered or reclassified without as much due diligence as it took to register and stay in the system...

The CWRS varieties that took years of development and testing took the swipe of a pen to move to CNHR...

Where is the older canola varieties like Quest or Q2 or Quantum....etc or just plain old open pollinated conventional canola....


Publicly bred and corporately deregistered.....

I agree 100%
Columbus hrsw was one of those that was chopped this year. In my area it grew as well as the newest varieties out there except maybe Brandon. Using today’s inputs and farming techniques bring the best out of some varieties such as Columbus it’s fault was it grew tall straw and could shatter on occasion but would yield good and kick ass for grade when weather turned bad. I have had it in the two top grades with snow rain on it when the new stuff went feed.

[bucket]

Hi Jimmy,
No you will not be required to pay any 'seed tax' or royalties on older public varieties. Deregistered Varieties can still also. without 'seed tax', be grown... as Canada Feed... and milled into baking products without restriction as well.
It was only contemplated that 'Plant Breeder Rights' [PBR] registered varieties... are the only ones new 'seed tax' royalties can be applied to.
I am going to work on Stopping the deregistration of our heritage cereal grains.
Cheers

No variety should be deregistered or reclassified without as much due diligence as it took to register and stay in the system...

The CWRS varieties that took years of development and testing took the swipe of a pen to move to CNHR...

Where is the older canola varieties like Quest or Q2 or Quantum....etc or just plain old open pollinated conventional canola....


Publicly bred and corporately deregistered.....

[TOM4CWB]

Hi Jimmy,
No you will not be required to pay any 'seed tax' or royalties on older public varieties. Deregistered Varieties can still also. without 'seed tax', be grown... as Canada Feed... and milled into baking products without restriction as well.
It was only contemplated that 'Plant Breeder Rights' [PBR] registered varieties... are the only ones new 'seed tax' royalties can be applied to.
I am going to work on Stopping the deregistration of our heritage cereal grains.
Cheers

Got a question for you guys that where at meetings. I found a old variety of wheat that’s been around for over a thousand years and it’s been yielding as good as the new stuff out there only disadvantage is it has to be swathed because of uneven maturity and lodging. I sell it into the feed market and buyer really likes it. Question is will I have to pay a royalties on it? I am not organic will organic producers have to pay royalties on the heritage wheats they grow? Some of its been around since the pyramids were built. Will this grain be forbidden to grow?

[jimmy]

Got a question for you guys that where at meetings. I found a old variety of wheat that’s been around for over a thousand years and it’s been yielding as good as the new stuff out there only disadvantage is it has to be swathed because of uneven maturity and lodging. I sell it into the feed market and buyer really likes it. Question is will I have to pay a royalties on it? I am not organic will organic producers have to pay royalties on the heritage wheats they grow? Some of its been around since the pyramids were built. Will this grain be forbidden to grow?

This is pissing me off so bad i may seed the whole farm to ollie barley.

then they will just deregister it if it isn't already , lol

[makar]

This is pissing me off so bad i may seed the whole farm to ollie barley.

[bucket]

BTW... SECAN is a member owned non-profit seed organisation... tthat plows back in 100% of revenues... to plant breeding... every year.

SECAN....member owned as in who?

Commercial run of the mill farmers?

or seed growers that are salesmen of the varieties they pick without due diligence or responsibility to their customers?

There is a difference in a seed grower and a farmer.....

It pissed me off that seed growers stacked the meeting in Saskatoon on this royalty issue.

[TOM4CWB]

BTW... SECAN is a member owned non-profit seed organisation... tthat plows back in 100% of revenues... to plant breeding... every year.

Hi Vicki;
This is seed royalty issue... is 100% in the control of plant breeders/cos right now.[look at Canola and private varieties today] PBR is the law now... PERIOD. UPOV 78 and 91 gives PBR legal teeth.
We are being distracted... an easier more 'palatable' contractual system... is already enforceable...[Again PBR]
Seed Synergy... is really about the administrative cost... of maintaining a varieties 'stock seed' distribution function... [Breeder seed [seed lots] till the variety is in commercial growers ownership for seed multiplication ] ... the 'value add'... should be about how to LOWER ADMINISTRATIVE COST TO INTRODUCE NEW VARIETIES and maintain genetic purity on present good varieties of planting seed. AGAIN... PLANT BREEDERS/Seed Co's HAVE EXISTING Plant Breeders Registration...PBR... LAW TO COLLECT... WHATEVER .... THEY CHOOSE [BREEDERS/Seed Co's]... THROUGH ... CONTRACTS [available to them NOW...IF THEY WANT] ...[just like canola and private varieties that require new planting seed each year]
WE SHOULD BE WORKING ON ... LOWERING OVERHEAD COSTS[TO COMMERCIAL GRAIN PRODUCTION ULTIMATELY... TO BECOME MORE COMPETITIVE... INTERNATIONALLY ON GLOBAL FRONT.
Cheers! Merry Christmas!!

being

[TOM4CWB]

Bucket...
I Believe...
People have been sidetracked!!!

As I wrote below to Vicki; I reiterate again:

"This seed royalty issue... is 100% in the control of plant breeders/cos right now.[look at Canola and private varieties today] PBR is the law now... PERIOD. UPOV 78 and 91 gives PBR legal teeth.
We are being distracted... an easier more 'palatable' contractual system... is already enforceable...[Again PBR]
Seed Synergy... is really about the administrative cost... of maintaining a varieties 'stock seed' distribution function... [Breeder seed [seed lots] till the variety is in commercial growers ownership for seed multiplication ] ... the 'value add'... should be about how to LOWER ADMINISTRATIVE COST TO INTRODUCE NEW VARIETIES and maintain genetic purity on present good varieties of planting seed. AGAIN... PLANT BREEDERS/Seed Co's HAVE EXISTING Plant Breeders Registration...PBR... LAW TO COLLECT... WHATEVER .... THEY CHOOSE [BREEDERS/Seed Co's]... THROUGH ... CONTRACTS [available to them NOW...IF THEY WANT] ...[just like canola and private varieties that require new planting seed each year]
WE SHOULD BE WORKING ON ... LOWERING OVERHEAD COSTS[TO COMMERCIAL GRAIN PRODUCTION ULTIMATELY... TO BECOME MORE COMPETITIVE... INTERNATIONALLY ON GLOBAL FRONT.
Cheers! Merry Christmas!!"

Please do not get sidetracked... and miss the real opportunity to become more profitable!! Cheers!!

I hope to hear from the people that went to the meeting in Saskatoon on December 4.....

I was disappointed. ...


Comments....

[TOM4CWB]

Hi Vicki;
This is seed royalty issue... is 100% in the control of plant breeders/cos right now.[look at Canola and private varieties today] PBR is the law now... PERIOD. UPOV 78 and 91 gives PBR legal teeth.
We are being distracted... an easier more 'palatable' contractual system... is already enforceable...[Again PBR]
Seed Synergy... is really about the administrative cost... of maintaining a varieties 'stock seed' distribution function... [Breeder seed [seed lots] till the variety is in commercial growers ownership for seed multiplication ] ... the 'value add'... should be about how to LOWER ADMINISTRATIVE COST TO INTRODUCE NEW VARIETIES and maintain genetic purity on present good varieties of planting seed. AGAIN... PLANT BREEDERS/Seed Co's HAVE EXISTING Plant Breeders Registration...PBR... LAW TO COLLECT... WHATEVER .... THEY CHOOSE [BREEDERS/Seed Co's]... THROUGH ... CONTRACTS [available to them NOW...IF THEY WANT] ...[just like canola and private varieties that require new planting seed each year]
WE SHOULD BE WORKING ON ... LOWERING OVERHEAD COSTS[TO COMMERCIAL GRAIN PRODUCTION ULTIMATELY... TO BECOME MORE COMPETITIVE... INTERNATIONALLY ON GLOBAL FRONT.
Cheers! Merry Christmas!!

being

All I am saying, I am a pragmatist; this process is coming, the producer meetings are necessary to justify the transition, & so the questions I ask is:
What are the terms we want in return. & Who is negotiating for the producers?

I am a seed grower, I have a bias, I believe new genetics are important. Defining the terms of this agreement is all we have. And we should step in.

And so, what are our terms:

Better data is big.

Revenue matching with governments for sure.

Tax credits.

An independent committee to insure process is fair, accountable, & as free from conflict of interest and undue influence as can possibly be in an integrated world. Not all farmers, & industry, independent financial and legal folk.

What is the future of public plant breeders? How do they award varieties in a manner that is accountable, transparent and address the issue of potential for conflict of interest.
The anti on new varieties will increase: a process must be defined. Who decides where these genetics end up?

The Limagrain examples, on the table or not?


All, I suggest that we define what is being negotiated and who is negotiating producer terms, associations need to weigh in with meeting during crop week. Get their hands dirty, and negotiate for producers.

Are we at the table or are we not? Ask your associations reps to call a meeting in January at Crop show to define.