Alexandira, Virginia, USA
June 8, 2012

Source: ASTA newswletter

U.S. seed industry representative met with individuals from the China National Seed Trade Association, the China National Seed Association, Ministry of Agriculture Seed Administration Bureau, the Center for Intellectual Property in Agriculture and more May 8-11 in Beijing, China.

The American Seed Trade Association's Bernice Slutsky, vice president of science and international affairs; Ric Dunkle, senior director of seed health and trade; and Lisa Nichols, director of international programs, attended the meetings along with Tim Johnson, incoming International Seed Federation president, and Tom Moore, ASTA International Executive Committee vice chair.

This trip was designed to help address several different topics, including: plant variety protection, variety registration systems, intellectual property rights and phytosanitary guidelines.

For Moore who works for HM. Clause, it was his first time attending one of these meetings with ASTA.

"Through these meetings, we all better understand the Chinese parameters with intellectual property rights and phytosanitary - not only on the enforcement side, but how they write their rules and regulations," Moore said. "It's obvious that progress is being made, but we still have a lot to learn."

Moore credits the meetings' success to ASTA's efforts to build relationships with relevant agencies, departments and organizations.

U.S. planting seed exports to China in 2011 was valued at more than $96 million. This is a 4 percent increase from 2010, but a 98 percent increase since 2009.

ASTA has cooperative follow up planned with multiple stakeholders from the recent meetings in Beijing over the course of the next few months. For more information about the trip or how to get involved with ASTA's international activities, contact Nichols at 703-837-8140 or lnichols@amseed.org.
 

Website: http://www.betterseed.org/

Published: June 8, 2012