b'A look at seed industry developments around the globe.Kenya the first AfricanSTATUS CANADA STATUS EU will receive an email alert for Country to Adopt electronicIn a virtual press conferenceWith the aim to ease com- the first new communication May 3, Agriculture Ministermunications with its users,received in the communica-phytosanitary certification,Marie-Claude Bibeau con- the Community Plant Varietytion center.Thailand updates its GMOfirmed that new plant varie- Office (CPVO) launched itsSource: CPVOties will not trigger Plants withnew communication center regulations and strongNovel Traits (PNT) legislationonline platform (e-Comm) protection for IP in Newso long as they dont expressoffering a more intuitiveSTATUS KENYAa commercially-viable her- layout which allows for anKenya is the first country in Zealand bicide tolerance trait andenhanced monitoring of allAfrica to introduce and adopt include foreign DNA. new messages and docu- electronic phytosanitary certi-The confirmation was partments related to users files. fication (e-phyto). Many other of a larger announcementDealing with proceduresnations in the continent are regarding the Seeds Canadarequiring exchange of mes- visiting the country to bench-public database, which willsages and documents can bemark and is likely to increase be expanded to identify seedquite demanding for all partiesthe quality of trade with the varieties created using geneinvolved, and it needs to beEuropean market that fits well editing. supported by an effectivein the ongoing agriculture According to a govern- communication platform. Untildigitalization program.ment news release, throughtoday, sending a messageSpeaking during the the Canadian Food Inspectionabout your Community Plante-certification milestone cel-Agency (CFIA)s updatedVariety Rights (CPVRs) to theebrations, Principal Secretary guidance for Part V of theCPVO was only possible by(PS), State Department for Seeds Regulations, seedsubmitting a document in theCrop and Development in the developers will be able to con- section documents of yourMinistry of Agriculture and fidently invest in new prod- "user area", where exchangesLivestock, Kellow Harsama ucts while maintaining thedo not happen in real-time.expressed optimism that the high standard of safety thatWith the new communicationshift was instrumental in shap-Canada is known for domesti- center, users will be able toing a more inclusive digital cally and internationally. exchange live messages andtransformation in all business This update builds on adocuments with the CPVO,processes in agriculture and similar update last year to themeaning that communicatingtrade.Novel Food Regulations byand sharing documentationThe COVID-19 pandemic, Health Canada. with CPVO staff will becomehe added, had affected every The government haseasier and faster. organization around the announced measures to main- In practice, users will beworld, necessitating changes tain the integrity of organicable to read and reply directlyin their strategies to embrace certifications, which prohibitto communications sent bydigitalization of their operation the use of gene-edited seedsthe CPVO. Such communica- to cope with the life threaten-but allow conventional seeds.tions will be available in theing situation.These measures aim to pro- new communication centerWe are aware that digitali-mote transparency in seedplatform through an easy-to- zation is a key factor to bolster production. A Government- search and accessible inbox.investment and innovative Industry Steering CommitteeUsers will also be able todevelopment for both our on Plant Breeding Innovationsperform a series of additionalcountries, he said.Transparency will be createdoperations such as archivingHarsama noted that tech-to facilitate ongoing discus- a communication, saving itnology enhanced security by sions as gene-edited productsas a draft, retrieving a his- reducing risks associated with are introduced in the market. tory of communications, etc.cyber-attacks which can dis-In addition, when not con- rupt business operations.nected to the User Area, usersThe PS added that the 34/ SEEDWORLD.COMLATAM'