Seed Program

The Seed Program of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), under the Seeds Act, is specifically designed to ensure that seeds sold in, imported into and exported from Canada meet established standards for quality (including varietal purity and germination), and are labelled so that they are properly represented in the marketplace.

In the case of most agricultural crop varieties, CFIA must verify that seeds are registered prior to sale in Canada.

The Seed Section is the Registrar for both variety registration and registered seed establishment programs.

Eligibility Criteria

The Seed Program applies to all growers, wholesalers and retailers who import, export or sell seed.

Summary

The major activities undertaken by CFIA staff under this program include:

• developing seed standards;
• registering and inspecting seed establishments;
• accrediting seed graders;
• licensing seed operators; and
• developing training materials to help ensure seeds sold in, imported to and exported from Canada meet established standards for quality and are properly labelled.

Manitoba Contact(s):
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Room 613
269 Main Street
Winnipeg, Manitoba  R3C 1B2
Telephone: 204-983-2200
Fax: 204-984-6008
Web site: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/toce.shtml
 

National Contact(s):
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
1400 Merivale Road
Ottawa, Ontario  K1A 0Y9
Telephone: 613-225-2342
Fax: 613-228-6601
Toll-free (information): 1-800-442-2342
TTY Toll-free (hearing impaired): 1-800-465-7735
Web site: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/toce.shtml
Hours of operation: Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Eastern Time).