Agriculture committee  Certainly we would have members of the seed trade probably on both sides of that issue. We don't have an official position on it. First and foremost, we feel it's our job to provide top-quality seed to growers regardless of how they choose to market their crop.

Agriculture committee  Sorry, the $200 million was from another third party study, which we could provide, and I'm not sure that was included actually in the COMPAS study.

Agriculture committee  Certainly. With respect to the number and why we feel it could be underestimated, I think it's because for many decades plant breeders have been forced to essentially cross within a fairly narrow gene pool in order to meet the requirements of KVD. The effects of that over years and years and generations are cumulative, in that when you're restricted in terms of being able to bring new genetics into the pool, that means every generation after another is restricted, and so you're not able to build on the diversity of the genetics from around the world that are available in regions where they don't have the constraints of KVD.

Agriculture committee  Likely it's because for red wheat the western system was evolved a long time ago, and it's something that just hasn't changed. I believe we've been operating under a very similar model for something like 70 years. We had a situation in the late eighties in Ontario where the decision had to be made, as they saw that it was a huge uphill battle to try to meet the requirements of KVD.

Agriculture committee  I'd just like to echo some of those comments. Like everyone, I think, in the seed industry, the Canadian Seed Trade Association is very supportive of a science-based regulatory system. To build on that, though--and to answer your question--we can't predict what is going to be acceptable from time to time in different regions around the world.

Agriculture committee  Again, our comments here today were really just of a technical nature with respect to the KVD issue.

Agriculture committee  We believe that ultimately the impact will be that there will be more choice in terms of what farmers in western Canada can grow. Again, we feel that we're just on the verge now of having a bit of a revolution in western Canada with respect to the end use for the products and that we're no longer strictly dependent on the export market for high-quality CWRS type wheat.

Agriculture committee  Thanks for your question. With regard to the difference between Ontario and western Canada and the opportunities we see, essentially what's being proposed in eliminating KVD from the minor classes means that the minor classes of wheat can look like each other, but they all still have to be distinguishable from the major classes, being CWRS and amber durum.

Agriculture committee  Essentially, our organizations do not get involved at all on the grain side of the business. Our main concern is with providing a high-quality, pure product going into the production process. On behalf of the seed trade or SeCan, that's not an area we would get involved in or have an opinion on at this point.

Agriculture committee  Thank you very much. That's really a critical question, moving forward. If we look to the bigger picture internationally, it's my understanding, based on my experience in the industry, that Canada is the only place that depends on this type of KVD system. Obviously there are examples of systems that work around the world, and certainly Canada is not the only place in the world that grows and delivers good-quality wheat to its customers.

Agriculture committee  Thank you very much. I'd like to thank you, on behalf of the Canadian Seed Trade Association, for the opportunity to make our comments today on this issue. We would like to limit our comments to KVD, or kernel visual distinguishability, rather than the whole COMPAS report. My comments will be largely contained within the submission we made, which is available in both French and English, but rather than speaking directly from that submission I'll comment more directly, based on my own personal involvement in the seed industry and some examples we would like to share on opportunities for evolving KVD into the future.