Canada
August 13, 2025
After a five-year consultation, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has released their Seed Regulatory Modernization (SRM) Policy paper “Future-proofing Canada’s Seeds Regulations for a stronger tomorrow – Proposals to modernize Canada’s seed regulatory framework”. Seeds Canada staff and members invested considerable effort into this initiative, serving on the Working Group, participating in task teams and submitting feedback through online consultations.
Seeds Canada is pleased to see recognition of the value of an external seed advisory committee, with balanced representation from across the value chain, to provide advice to the CFIA’s Seed Program. In 2022, Seeds Canada introduced the concept of an independent, inclusive industry advisory body (at the time presented as the “ISSB”) to provide input into the Seeds Regulations, including advising on policy, services and standards related to the commercialization and sale of seed.
In 2025, Seeds Canada and the Canadian Seed Grower’s Association (CSGA) released a joint statement supporting the advisory body concept. Seeds Canada would not only like to see the advisory committee established but envisions it playing a role in amending regulations that are proposed for incorporation by reference and in other future explorations and discussions that require input from the seed value chain.
Unfortunately, given the time and resources invested over the last five years, and the promises made with regards to the impact of the process at its inception, the proposed amendments that are detailed in the policy paper do not satisfy the industry’s need for modernization. When viewed under Prime Minister Mark Carney’s new lens of regulatory transformation, the SRM proposal lands far from hitting the mark. While there are some positive changes that relieve operational pinch points, there are other changes where the suggested reductions of regulatory burden are exaggerated, as well as others where additional burden is added. In addition, included in the paper are several suggestions to explore future changes. Continuous improvement is positive. However, these explorations could have taken place over the past five years. Exploration will not guarantee change and cannot be considered to contribute to regulatory modernization process.
Incorporating portions of the regulations by reference introduces much-needed agility into the regulatory framework, a change welcomed by the seed sector. Seeds Canada recommends that the external seed advisory committee be actively involved in identifying when amendments are necessary and guiding how those changes are implemented. That said, the policy document’s proposed changes fall short of meaningfully improving farmers’ access to seed or reducing seed costs through regulatory streamlining. Therefore, in line with Prime Minister Carney’s welcomed emphasis on the need for regulatory change to investment and increase innovation, Seeds Canada urges the government not to consider the modernization of the seed regulatory framework complete with the publication of this document or the conclusion of the formal Seed Regulatory Modernization process. The regulations governing seed production and sale must remain a priority for future regulatory transformation initiatives, recognizing that substantial work remains to be done.
Seeds Canada will work with our members to review the policy document and provide feedback to the CFIA. We encourage members to participate in engagement sessions and submit their own feedback by the October 3, 2025, deadline. Seed is an essential input in the agricultural value chain and a key contributor to competitiveness and sustainability of our industry. Reducing the regulatory burden of getting innovation into the hands of the farmer customer is critical for the value chain’s success.
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