b'The Trickle-down Impact of Brown Bag Seed SalesBrown bag seed sales affect all levels of the plant breeding and development chain. Ashley RobinsonAN ILLEGAL SOcalled brown bag seed sale may notWhen your country is seen as a region that infringes on intel-seem like a big deal. You get a deal on seed you need andlectual property rights by partaking in brown bag seed sales, it can grow your crop. However, these sales have wide rangingfactors into future investment decisions, Parker added. He said impacts besides causing you to spend a bit more on seed. some seed companies dont want to invest in Canada because of Brown bag seed sales cause a loss of revenue for the plantthe amount of brown bag seed sales happening in the country.breeder and the seed company, (it) goes all the way down theIf we dont have plant breeding, we dont have innovation and chain. And its a lost sale for the authorized seed grower. The losswe lose our competitive advantage, Karlowsky said. Plant breed-of revenue hinders the development and the distribution and pro- ing is the only way to do that. And if you dont invest in certified duction of new seed varieties, which are essential for growers toseed and buy certified seed, that wont happen.SWhave access to. (Access is needed to) the best varieties they can buy with yield disease resistance and continuous improvement, Jodee Karlowsky, general manager of Alliance Seed, said during the Sept. 20 episode of Seed Speaks.Theres added costs for plant breeders and seed companies when they pursue legal action against those partaking in brown bag seed sales, she added. Plant breeders and seed companies must pay for investigations into the illegal seed sales and anyWHERE further legal actions required. ON THE WEBTypically, its up to the breeder to enforcesending a cease-and-desist letter is usually the first step in the process. But ifWatch the entire episode at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuxPDlm2MKQsomeone (has) multiple infringes and refuses or ignores that, then the process that you have to go through is to file a claim with the courts, and then it becomes a civil matter, explained Anthony Parker, commissioner of the Plant Breeders Rights Office for Canada, during the episode.This work takes money and time away from being able to develop new crop varieties for farmers. Brown bag seed sales also harm competition as it makes it harder for seed companies to make profits.Youre going to have less investment, not just in pure dollars, but by a number of companies. So, in the end, a grower is going to hurt him or herself because theyre going to have less breeding programs to choose genetics from, said Bryan Gerard, president and co-owner of JoMar Seeds Inc., in the episode.60/ SEEDWORLD.COMDECEMBER 2023'