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Workshop on Fruit Trees and Ornamental Trees with Novel Traits

On February 20-21, 2006, the Plant Biosafety Office (PBO) of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) hosted a workshop to discuss the requirements for the environmental release of fruit trees and ornamental trees with novel traits. Participants at the workshop included representatives from industry associations, plant breeders, botanical gardens and nursery operations, provincial and federal government bodies. This workshop was the second step in developing a pragmatic framework for regulating ornamental plant with novel traits (PNTs) within Canada.

The workshop was organized in response to the recommendations made by the office of the Auditor General in the March 2004 report on the Regulation of Plants with Novel Traits. The audit focussed on the processes that the CFIA has in place to ensure that it was meeting its environmental responsibilities with respect to the regulation of PNTs. The recommendations included:

• The CFIA should more formally and more systematically identify the environmental safety issues related to the environmental release of ornamental PNTs;
• The CFIA should develop appropriate approaches for its assessment and regulation of environmental releases of ornamental PNTs;
• The CFIA should enhance its efforts to educate the Canadian ornamental industry of their responsibilities under the Seeds Act and Seeds Regulations Part V.

The workshop allowed stakeholders and government officials to exchange information on current regulatory requirements for fruit trees and ornamental trees with novel traits and the current procedures for the importation and environmental release of fruit trees and ornamental trees within Canada.  The objectives of the workshop were:

1. For PBO to understand the key relevant issues facing the Canadian fruit tree and ornamental tree industries regarding the environmental release of PNTs;
2. For fruit tree and ornamental tree importers and breeders to understand how the Canadian PNT regulatory system might apply to their work;
3. To identify the aspects of PBO’s regulatory process that works for the fruit tree and ornamental tree industries, as well as the challenges that the regulatory process poses to these industries;
4. To collect suggestions from fruit tree and ornamental tree breeders and importers for PBO to use in adapting the PNT regulatory process to these industries.

Background Documents

• Finding the balance: What is the least intrusive & most effective way to regulate the environmental release of fruit trees and ornamental trees with novel traits?

Summary Documents

• Summary of Workshop Proceedings – Workshop on Fruit Trees and Ornamental Trees with Novel Traits
• Workshop Proceedings - Workshop on Fruit Trees and Ornamental Trees with Novel Traits