I see two main categories of reasons for being a member of ISF:

• A bottom-up process allowing each national association and seed company to express their concerns regarding new issues at international level and to have these concerns voiced in relevant international organizations after a consensus has been reached in a very democratic way within the industry. It is in fact the only possibility to have all our positions defended at international level, as the government’s representatives also attending international meetings do not always defend the position of their national seed industry. So far ISF, or rather its predecessors have been quite successful in defending the seed industry at UPOV, ISTA, FAO, OECD, CBD levels.
• A top-down process by which the ISF members are rapidly informed about the main decisions taken at international level and the practical impact on their day-to-day business. This is done quarterly by the "ISF Info", but also by special circular letters if necessary.