Phytosanitary Issues Session
1:30 p.m.- 2:30 p.m.
The phytosanitary session will provide an overview of efforts to develop international standards for the movement of seeds, discuss the efforts on pest listing by seed species in order to promote harmonization of phytosanitary measures, provide an update on seed testing for Stewart’s wilt, discuss phytosanitary issues involving China and several other countries, and seek input on phytosanitary issues and concerns for corn, soybeans, and sorghum.
Seed Association of the Americas Open Meeting
3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
The Seed Association of the Americas will hold their annual open meeting in Chicago. On the agenda will be updates on the III SAA Bi-Annual Congress and Adventitious Presence/Low Level Presence (AP/LLP) meeting outcomes; as well as activities related to the goals set between industry and SAA member country governments at those meetings. If you are familiar with SAA or just learning about ASTA’s membership and involvement in SAA, please attend this meeting and contribute to the discussions to be had about current and potential opportunities for industry partners in the Americas.
Stewardship
3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
The Stewardship Committee will be considering a possible new joint project with the Seed Treatment and Environment Committee. In addition, stewardship and new traits coming down the commercial pipeline will be discussed.
Joint Corn & Sorghum and Soybean Division Meeting
4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
The Corn and Sorghum Divisions, along with the Soybean Division will hold a joint meeting in Chicago. The Divisions will hear updates on the following ASTA efforts and industry topics: patent expiration, coexistence, Congressional review, Mexico trucking issue, sulfuryl fluoride, and international news. The Joint Divisions also have the pleasure of hosting a speaker to discuss the risk management topic of Preventative Planning. The overall focus of the meeting for all divisions will be on the discussion of ways that the seed industry can influence the process and advance current industry activities and priorities.
Intellectual Property Rights Committee—Session on Patent Expiraton
8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
The ASTA IPR Committee will be devoting most its meeting to the industry efforts with respect to patent expiration. The session will highlight the framework being developed by ASTA and the Biotechnology Industry Organization for the transition from proprietary to generic biotechnology events. Other efforts and issues associated with patent expirations will also be presented. In addition, there will be an update on ASTA efforts with respect IPR education.
I-PIPE Session
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
The purpose of the I-PIPE (industry-Platform for Pest Information for Extension and Education) session will be to provide our members an overview of I-PIPE including its history and evolution and potential benefits to the seed industry, as well as discuss the potential value of field inspection and seed testing data collected by the seed industry for use in pest distribution databases used for regulatory decision making and export certification purposes.
Organic Seed Committee
12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
The Organic Committee will meet to discuss progress and updates on committee priorities including trade issues in Mexico, the planned launch and funding strategy of the seed availability database and ASTA advocacy for key industry initiatives.
Seed Industry Relations Committee
1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
The Seed Industry Relations Committee will be devoting a significant amount of time on the issue of uniformity of testing. An update will be provided on the efforts of AOSA/SCST to promote uniformity among the public and private testing laboratories. The Committee will discuss options for addressing capacity necessary for meeting the needs of the industry in the future. Other topics on the agenda include updates on the OECD seed schemes and refuge-in-a-bag, and future of the USDA Seed Testing Branch.
Seed Treatment and Environment Committee
3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
The Seed Treatment and Environment Committee will meet to discuss current international and domestic affairs regarding Seed Treatment, as well as receive industry updates from ASTA members. The plan to develop a new stewardship module, as an addition to ASTA’s Seed Quality Management Guide, specific to seed treatment will also be discussed.
Biotechnology Committee
3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
The ASTA Biotechnology Committee has a full agenda, focused on coexistence, seed low level presence, and new developments in domestic regulations. An update on USDA’s advisory committee for Agriculture in the 21st Century (AC21) will be presented. Progress on the low level presence (LLP) front will also be discussed, in particular the most recent developments in the Seed Association of the Americas seed LLP project and the seed LLP project in OECD
