Officially recognized foreign seed testing laboratories

The Canadian seed certification system relies on accredited industry personnel and laboratories to perform various activities that result in traceable information being generated for official seed certification (labelling with an official seed tag and/or a Canada pedigreed grade name). The principal activities concerned, following official certification of the seed crop, are seed sampling, seed testing, grading, labelling and documentation.

Seed laboratories must meet the requirements set out in the Seed Laboratory Accreditation and Audit Protocol (SLAAP) in order to be accredited by CFIA. This document establishes a quality system-based approach to laboratory accreditation based on the ISO Guide 17025. There are approximately 35 seed laboratories in Canada accredited pursuant to the SLAAP that test seed in support of the Canadian seed certification program.

The Seed Testing Laboratory Accreditation Standard (STLAS) of the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) is considered by the CFIA to be equivalent to the SLAAP. Similarly, the Accredited Seed Laboratory (ASL) Program of the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA-AMS) is also recognized as equivalent to the SLAAP.

The following foreign seed testing laboratories have applied to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for official recognition. Their facilities, testing protocols and personnel have been assessed under the STLAS by ISTA, the ASL Program by USDA-AMS or ISO/IEC: 17025. In all cases, a subsequent evaluation by CFIA confirmed adequate knowledge of the Canadian Methods and Procedures for Testing Seed. As a result, the reports of analysis issued by these laboratories may be used by an accredited grader to establish a Canadian pedigreed grade name for seed lots destined for marketing in Canada.