Canada has extended the plant breeders’ rights protection period for potatoes from 20 to 25 years, following updates to the country’s legislation announced by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and supported by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
The move has been welcomed by the Potato Growers of Alberta (PGA), which sees the change as an important step towards strengthening varietal innovation and improving growers’ access to new potato varieties with better agronomic and commercial performance.
More time to recover varietal investment
According to the PGA, developing new potato varieties requires long periods of research, multiplication, evaluation and commercialisation before reaching sufficient market scale. Under the previous 20-year protection period, breeders had a more limited timeframe to recover their investments.
By extending protection to 25 years, the organisation expects stronger incentives for the development of new varieties and a broader range of options for growers, particularly in the seed potato segment.
The updated legislation also includes measures designed to simplify administrative procedures, making the plant variety protection system easier to manage.
Better adapted and more resilient varieties
Producers highlight that the new framework could help bring forward varieties better suited to evolving growing conditions, with improved disease resistance and stronger commercial yields.
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For growers, the change could translate into greater competitiveness and improved sustainability at farm level, in a context where production systems are under increasing pressure to become more efficient and respond to climate and phytosanitary challenges.
Alberta, a key seed potato region
Alberta remains a major player in Canada’s potato sector. In 2025, the province planted 6,789 hectares of seed potatoes, representing 28.6% of national seed potato production, according to data from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Between 2020 and 2024, Alberta also accounted for an average of 23.5% of Canada’s total potato production, according to Statistics Canada. The PGA notes that the province’s seed potato sector grows around 200 varieties annually.
A long-standing sector priority
Extending the plant breeders’ rights protection period has been a priority for the PGA for more than a decade. The organisation highlighted the work carried out over the years to bring the legislative process to completion and recognised the contribution of former seed coordinator Deb Hart, who continued supporting the file as co-chair of the Plant Breeders’ Rights Committee after her retirement.
With this change, Canada strengthens its protection framework for potato breeding and aims to create a more attractive environment for innovation, investment and competitiveness in the sector.
