Should Canada's Seed Regulations Be Modernized?

Official title: Share your thoughts: Future-proofing Canada’s Seeds Regulations for a stronger tomorrow: Proposals to modernize Canada's seed regulatory framework

Closed Regulations & Permits Agriculture & Food
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency wants to update decades-old seed regulations. The goal? Cut red tape for seed businesses, speed up approvals for new crop varieties, and better protect farmers from low-quality seed. This consultation gathered feedback before formal rule changes are proposed.

Why This Matters

Farmers depend on quality seed to grow the food Canadians eat. Faster variety approvals could mean better crops reaching fields sooner. Tighter rules on common seed protect farmers from buying duds. If you eat food grown in Canada, this affects your plate.

What Could Change

Foreign-approved crop varieties could get fast-tracked for Canadian registration. Heritage and heirloom varieties might get a simpler path to market. Common seed would face stricter quality requirements. Seed businesses could see reduced paperwork for mixing seed lots.

Key Issues

  • Should foreign-approved crop varieties get expedited registration in Canada?
  • How should heritage and heirloom varieties be registered?
  • Should common seed face stricter quality requirements?
  • Should country of origin labelling continue for seed?

How to Participate

  1. This consultation is now closed. The comment period ran from July 29 to October 3, 2025. A 'What We Heard' report will be published once feedback is analyzed.

What Happened

The CFIA received feedback during the consultation period. A full 'What We Heard' report will be published once analysis is complete. The page includes preliminary responses to frequently asked questions about expedited variety registration, heritage varieties, variety cancellation processes, and seed labelling requirements.