b'Need for Leadership and consultants whose joint efforts are According to CropLife International, IPaimed at the development, improve-rights are essential to enable innovationment, and harmonization of Plant Variety by providing innovators the ability toProtection (PVP) systems worldwide.recoup investments and fund new R&D;Vegetatively propagated crops are in in fact, the absence of IP rights wouldthe direst need of strong PBR protection, have a considerable cost for society sinceKrieger notes, because it is so easy to the key innovation incentive would bepropagate them. eliminated and thus the chance of newThe UPOV Plant Breeders Rights innovations being made, and the result- system is the tailormade protection for ing economic benefits, would be signifi- plant varieties and has support of the cantly reduced. breeders. But like any policy area, there According to International Seedare challenges in the world of global IP, Federation (ISF) Secretary-Generalhe says. Michael Keller, having someone like ParkerIn Kriegers view, Parkers appointment as UPOV council vice president is crucialcomes at a time when the discussions in to getting people around the table toUPOV are tough, as they circle around raise the profile of the importance of IPthe cornerstones of this systemwhat is around the globe. Michael Keller, International Seedpropagating material, how does the pro-Anthony has the leadership we needFederation (ISF) secretary-general. tection of harvested material work, and in these times where you have so manywhat constitutes an Essentially Derived question marks. You need a protector,Variety (EDV). you need leadership, you need someoneKrieger points to the discussion on who has a vision. He has the commitmentEDVs as just one area where Parker is a to get a diverse range of stakeholders onstaunch defender of plant breeders. the same page, Keller says. The concept of EDVs is a controver-For Parker, his appointment to thesial one, and some want to limit the EDV global UPOV council as vice presidentconcept to varieties which can be distin-is a culmination of Canada having finallyguishable from the initial variety by a very adopted UPOV 91.limited number of characteristics only. It wasnt just the seed industry thatAll leading breeders associations and made that happen; it was Canadian agri- most UPOV members say this interpre-culture as a whole. Its remarkable whattation limits the EDV concept and does you can achieve when the seed industrynot achieve UPOVs objective to create a and the entire ag community get behindbalance between biotechnology inven-something. tors and traditional breeders and to bring mutations under the scope of protection Balanced Viewpoints of their initial variety. In these times of climate change,Edgar Krieger, secretary-general forAnthony understands we need to increased investment in plant breeding isCIOPORA. broaden the EDV concept so that breed-needed, Keller says. Its key to have lead- ers are compensated when someone ers who understand how to balance thebuilds off of their variety, Krieger says.many voices in the discussion. from UPOV, but the organization providesOf course, nothing is ever black-and-There are new tools available withcrucial guidance and confidence to inves- white, and Parker acknowledges there are genome editing, which the seed sectortors that a member country is a friendlylegitimate arguments against broadening will use to tackle the issues we are facing.place to do business and takes PBR seri- the EDV concept.Having said this, we have to find the rightously.Theres a lot of important points to balance because we should never forgetEdgar Krieger is secretary-general fortake into consideration in this discussion. that genome editing will never replace thethe International Community of BreedersOne always needs to appreciate and whole breeding process, Keller says. of Asexually Reproduced Horticulturalunderstand different perspectives on any In any case, organizations in UPOVPlants (CIOPORA) based in Switzerland.issue. Ultimately, we need IP rights to be member countries are not obliged toThe association brings together plantstrong and effective, but also fair and bal-follow guidelines or explanatory notesbreeders, breeder associations, IP expertsanced, Parker says.SWINTERNATIONAL EDITION 2023SEEDWORLD.COM /67'