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Testing, Grading, Tagging, Labelling and Advertising of Plant Pest Tolerance Management (PPTM) Varietal Blends of Corn Seed

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Background

The Plant Biosafety Office (PBO) of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has authorized the unconfined environmental release of several plants with novel traits conferring insect tolerance in corn. These authorizations require implementation of Insect Resistance Management (IRM) plans which specify the planting of a refuge, non-tolerant corn variety in close proximity to the tolerant variety, among other conditions.

Typically, seed of the insect-tolerant variety is purchased and planted separately from the refuge variety. However, the PBO has authorized certain products to be released with a blended refuge, in which seed of both the insect-tolerant variety and the refuge variety may be packaged and planted as a single, blended product. The ratios of the insect-tolerant and refuge varieties in these plant pest tolerance management (PPTM) varietal blends are specified as a condition of the authorization granted by the PBO. The availability of these PPTM varietal blends is expected to simplify producer implementation of IRM requirements.

The PBO authorization further requires that the germination level of the refuge component of the blend should be such that the refuge is maintained in the field at the percentage specified in the authorization.

PPTM varietal blends of corn must be appropriately tested, graded, and tagged when offered for sale in the marketplace. The industry advisory Sampling and Testing Requirements for Seed Imported into or Sold in Canada outlines the general sampling and testing requirements for corn and other crop kinds. The following information is intended to clarify the more specific requirements for testing, grading, tagging, labelling and advertising of PPTM varietal blends of corn.

Blending

Seed establishments blending the seed must maintain complete records of the blending of the varieties to enable tracing back and tracking forward of the seed in the marketplace. The blending procedures and related record keeping must be included in the quality management system manuals or procedures of the establishment.  

It is recommended that the component varieties be sampled and tested separately, prior to blending, in order to provide clear evidence of the quality of the seed lots that make up the blend.

Testing

The seed testing laboratory may be requested to test samples of the individual components of a PPTM varietal blend of corn or a single sample of the pre-blended seed. The samples should be tested as received.

When samples of each component are submitted separately, before blending, the tests should be conducted separately, and a report of analysis issued for each sample. The grader should combine the results in order to establish the grade of the final blend.

Samples of pre-blended seed are tested in the same way as single varieties of corn (i.e., as a single sample) and a single test report is issued. The seed testing laboratory is not required to determine the percentage germination of the individual components or percentages of the component varieties in the blend.

Germination

If the germination of the refuge variety is below the grade standard it is not recommended to average this with a higher germination percentage in the dominant, insect tolerant variety in order to meet the grade standards. There is a risk that the standing crop will not meet the PBO requirement for a specified minimum percentage of the refuge variety in the standing crop if the germination of the refuge variety is too low.

The CFIA recommends that, especially in the case of treated seed and seed carried over from a previous year, the germination tests be repeated prior to sale to verify that the germination of the seed still meets the labelled grade and the conditions of the PBO authorization. Seed should be re-graded, re-labelled and/or re-blended if the seed lot no longer meets the germination standard of the original labelled grade or the conditions of the PBO authorization.

Grading

A PPTM varietal blend of corn is graded in the same way as seed of a single variety of corn. Table VI (corn and sunflower hybrids) of Schedule I to the Seeds Regulations (the Regulations) applies.

Tagging

As per section 8 of the Regulations, seed of field corn must be of pedigreed status to be sold in Canada. Therefore, all seed of hybrid corn offered for sale in Canada (including PPTM varietal blends) must be of pedigreed status and bear an official seed tag.

Domestic Seed

Canadian domestic official seed tags (CFIA/ACIA 0031 - Certified) or labels (CFIA/ACIA 0041 - Certified) must be applied to PPTM varietal blends of corn offered for sale in Canada.

Imported Seed

A. Seed certified by a foreign official seed certifying agency

Imported Certified status PPTM varietal blends of corn may be sold in Canada with tags issued or approved by another official certifying agency that indicate that the seed is of pedigreed status. In addition:

B. Seed imported and then re-labelled with Canadian Interagency tags

Where one or more of the components of the blend are imported, and the seed is blended, packaged, or re-packaged, in Canada after import, the seed must bear the official Interagency Certified seed tag (CFIA/ACIA 5627 – Interagency Certified). The following information must appear on the Interagency tag:

It is not permitted to indicate the percentages of the component varieties on the Interagency Certified tag; however, this information may appear on the foreign official tag or company tag/label.

Advertising and Labelling

PPTM varietal blends of corn may be advertised using the name of the dominant variety without mention of the name of the refuge variety, but both variety names must appear on the official seed tag.

In advertising or labelling, if a suffix such as VB (varietal blend) is appended to the variety name, then this should not be presented as part of the variety name. For example, advertising using Variety Max VB is not permitted, however, Blend Max VB or simply Max VB is permitted. Where the seed is referred to as a variety, only the actual variety name(s) should be indicated.

Use of Brand Names

Paragraph 15(2)(c) of the Regulations prohibits the use of any brand name or mark that might be construed or perceived as the name of a variety. The brand name must be followed by the word Brand, or TM, or ®.

For example: if a company has a brand DMX and a variety registered as 1234, then the company may advertise the variety using one of: DMXTM 1234 or DMX® 1234 or DMX Brand 1234. It is not acceptable to advertise the variety as: DMX 1234 or DMX1234.

Appendix  A

Tag example 1: Canada Certified tag - CFIA/ACIA 0031

The blue Canada Certified seed tag should be completed similarly to the example below.

A blue Certified seed tag. Description follows.
Description for the blue Certified seed tag

The following image is an example of a blue Certified seed tag with letters in white font on a dark blue background on the top and bottom of the tag. The remainder of the tag is filled out in black text. This tag is completed as follows: Kind = Hybrid Corn; Variety = Corn AA/Corn BB; Grade = No.1; Crop Certificate No. = 11 Blend; and Lot No. = 12345678.

Tag example 2: Canada Interagency Certified tag - CFIA/ACIA 5627

The Canada Interagency Certified seed tag should be completed similarly to the example below.

An Interagency Certified seed tag. Description follows.
Description for the Interagency Certified seed tag

The following image is an example of a blue Canada Interagency Certified seed tag with letters in white font on a dark blue background on the top and bottom of the tag. The remainder of the tag is filled out in black text. This tag is completed as follows:  Kind = Hybrid Corn; Variety = Corn AA/Corn BB; Grade = No.1; Lot No. = 12345678; Country/State of Certifying Agency = IOWA; Reference No. = 12345678 (same as the Lot No.).

Tag example 3: AOSCA Interagency Certified tag

The blue AOSCA Interagency Certified seed tag should be completed similarly to the example below.

A blue AOSCA Interagency Certified seed tag. Description follows.
Description for AOSCA Interagency Certified tag

The following image is of a blue AOSCA Interagency Certified tag with letters in white font on a dark blue background on the top and bottom of the tag. The remainder of the tag is filled out in black text. The AOSCA logo is on the left hand side. The right hand side is completed as follows: Kind = Hybrid Corn; Variety = Corn AA/Corn BB; Lot number = 12345678; and Interagency Certification = CDN, IL.

Tag example 4: AOSCA Certified tag from a foreign certifying agency.

A blue AOSCA Certified tag from a foreign certifying agency should be completed similarly to the example below:

A blue AOSCA Certified tag from another certifying agency. Description follows.
Description for the blue AOSCA Certified tag from a foreign certifying agency

The following image is an example a blue AOSCA Certified tag with letters in white font on a dark blue background on the top and bottom of the tag. This tag has a logo on the left side for the ABC Corn Crop Improvement Association. The right hand side is completed as follows: Kind = Hybrid Corn; Variety = Corn AA/Corn BB; and Lot number = 12345678.

Contact

For more information contact:

Seed Section
Field Crops and Inputs Division
Plant Health and Biosecurity Directorate
Policy and Programs Branch
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
59 Camelot Drive
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0Y9

Phone: 613 773 7691
Fax: 613 773 7144
Email: SeedSemence@inspection.gc.ca
Website: CFIA Seeds Page

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