The Canadian Seed Trade Association (CSTA) is a voluntary association composed of approximately 140 seed companies from across Canada. Member companies develop, produce and market high-quality seed for field crops and home gardens. 

Who We Are
Founded in 1923, the CSTA represents a broad cross-section of Canadian businesses that are engaged in all aspects of seed research, production and marketing, both domestically and internationally. Membership ranges from those who market garden seed and herbs to large western grain handlers, and from small family-run businesses to large multinational corporations. 

The seed products come from about 50 principal crops, including: grains and oilseeds, special crops, forage and turf grasses, flowers, vegetables, fruits.

As companies with plant breeding programs, many of the CSTA’s members are active in research and development and virtually all have an interest in intellectual property as the primary source of returns on their investment. 

What We Do
CSTA represents its members with stakeholders at the government and industry level. In addition, CSTA fosters the development of international markets, and works with industry and affiliated organizations in Canada and abroad to address issues in the seed industry.

CSTA member companies are building markets in many areas and the association helps these members by removing trade barriers and handling systemic market access questions. Our successes to date have included:

  • Removal of phytosanitary barriers
  • Increased trade in licensed genetics now worth millions of dollars
  • Improved trade of soybean varieties and identity-preserved soy shipments founded on seed genetics
  • Removal of trade barriers
  • Ground-breaking accreditation programs to facilitate Canadian seed shipments to the United States in a post-9/11 world
  • Trade arbitration services
  • Improving the domestic regulatory environment to facilitate trade and access to improved genetics

For more information on CSTA, click on the links below

 

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