b'It was an eye opener. The agenda was compelling and to say the least very forward thinking. South America has found a way to propel themselves forward with modern thinking and a need to address the challenges around farming with climatic changes. They are true leaders in our industry and are ready to take on any aspect of being climate-friendly, Foster says. In terms of the agenda at the Seeds Canada/ANPROS gath-ering, attendees discussed ways to make the flow of seed go smoother and reduce costs. From Seeds Canadas perspective, we want to communicate the importance of Chile to Canadian seed companieswhy we need Chileand just make sure everybodys aware why we have such a major presence there and say, Hey, this is whats important to us. And then, of course, there are challenges, so we wanted to talk about some of the things that we can improve, Horner says. Those areas for improvement include paving the way for third-party field inspections in Chile, something Canada has made a reality in recent years and which Chile is slowly movingSarah Foster is president ofLauren Comin is Seeds Canada toward as well. Ways of streamlining the import/export process20/20 Seed Labs. regulatory affairs manager.were discussed as well.It was a very open discussion, Horner adds.ANPROS and the 74 members it represents have a long relationship with Canadian seed entities, notes Mario Schindler, executive director for ANPROS. He says the meeting helped further cement the relationship between Chilean seed companies and their Canadian counterparts. In Chile we are very interested in field inspections. In Chile, we now have in place an authorization of third parties for seed inspections. Its something weve been making progress in over time. Lauren Comin, regulatory affairs manager for Seeds Canada, says the issue of third-party inspections is an important one for Seeds Canada members who do business in South America, specifically Chile.Inspectors from countries in South America may not always be as familiar with our crop types, so making sure that we have those with expertise recognized and authorized to do that is important. Its not going to happen tomorrowit will take timebut I think our Canadian members were quite satisfied that its in the works, Comin says.Scott Horner, chief commercialMario Schindler leads Chiles Having Seeds Canada at the table nearly two years after theofficer for HyTech Production. national seed association.organization was created by the amalgamation of four Canadian seed associations is a major asset to the Chilean seed industry, Schindler adds.The Canadian seed industry come together in the form of Seeds Canada has been a big benefit to ANPROS. Having worked in the seed association sphere for so many years, I know that if youre able to bring together all these people and have them move in the same direction, it really pays dividends. We look forward to seeing what benefits this merger has for Canada and beyond in the coming years.SWLATAMSEEDWORLD.COM /11'