Page 83 - Breeding and regulatory opportunities, Renaud

Seed Regulation in the US, EU and Mexico

3.1 Introduction

In the context of a rapidly growing global organic market, estimated at $63

billion in 2011 (Willer and Kilcher, 2013) regulators have taken steps to bring

order to the organic sector. This article deals speciically with the regulation

of organic seed, a signiicant component of organic production systems.

Although organic values and norms require organic farmers to use seeds that

originate from organic production, the sector continues to depend largely

on conventionally produced seed. Certiied organic seed is deined by the

International Federation for Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) as seed

from cultivars that may be derived from conventional breeding programs

(excluding genetic engineering) and that are produced under organic farming

conditions for one growing season for annual crop species, and two growing

seasons for perennial and biannual crop species (IFOAM, 2012). Organic seed

production is a challenge because use of synthetic chemical herbicides and

pesticides are not allowed, and therefore adjustments to cultural techniques

to achieve good quality seed are required. Evolving standards for organic

agriculture worldwide are pushing the organic sector toward restricted use of

conventional seed in favour of certiied organic seed. Market recognition that

the integrity of organic production systems begin with organic seed has caused

organic seed production and seed sales to increase annually and new players in

seed provision to enter the market (Döring et al., 2012).

However, progress toward organic seed sector development has been slow to

overcome both technical and institutional obstacles. An appropriate assortment

in suicient quantity of organic seed is not yet available. A procedure to allow

continued use of conventionally produced seed is needed as a result (Groot

et al., 2004, MacDougall, 2005). Many countries, including the United States

(US) and the Europe Union (EU), have implemented a regulation to govern the

production and use of organic seed. However, the regulations difer in the ways

in which they support the development of the organic seed sector and in their

procedures for obtaining exceptions for the use of organic seed. This article

focuses on how divergent practices and interpretations among stakeholders

of organic seed regulations in three jurisdictions have created new risks in

seed supply and in international trade, that potentially limit further expansion

of the sector within and between them. The importance of harmonization of

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