SGS is now an approved Authorised Seed Crop Inspection Service (ASCIS) provider for Pedigreed Seed Crop Inspections by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
In early 2013, the CFIA requested third party suppliers to apply to deliver pedigreed seed crop inspection services. In response, we have successfully applied for approval and trained our inspectors to deliver this service.
Starting in 2014, most pedigreed seed growers in Canada will need to use seed crop inspection services from an ASCIS.
Based across Canada, our trained Licensed Seed Crop Inspectors (LSCI) will travel across their geographic region to conduct your pedigreed seed crop inspections.
Annually, 1.2 million acres of pedigreed seed crops are produced in Canada, with 2 300 varieties of 50 different crops. Canadian seed is exported to approximately 70 countries, generating $271 million in 2004-05. Canada’s seed production industry is comprised of 1 300 businesses and more than 3 500 farms.
During inspections, our LSCI will identify the crop, conduct a survey of the field, to verify varietal identification and note any troublesome areas. They will perform counts on the crop impurities such as deviant plants, variants, off-types, weeds, etc. and isolate and identify adjacent crops; determine isolation distance and condition of the isolation strip.
In addition, LSCIs will verify previous land use, estimate yield and inspect changes in acreage. They also identify damage that interferes with the ability to crop inspect. Once the inspection is performed, the LSCI will send an online inspection report to our Quality Assurance/Control team. They will review the inspection report within the Canadian Seed Growers Association’s (CSGA) allowable time limit, before forwarding the final, approved, report to the CSGA. Seed growers and assignees will then receive inspection notifications of field status and crop certifications direct from the CSGA.
Our global network offers local expertise, wherever you are based, and our offices are ISO 9001 certified or ISO 17025 accredited.
With experience and expertise, we offer agricultural services including: soil sampling & testing, Variable Rate Technology (VRT) maps, fertility recommendations, GIS mapping, and testing of manure, grain and food.
Due to increased demand for pan-EU trials and the need for consistency across geographic locations, SGS has extended field trials services to Denmark.
SGS’s global presence, in North and South America, Europe and China/Asia Pacific, allows clients to gain momentum for their new and existing product development and introduction.