For several reasons, important changes are occurring in the traditional balance between public and private sectors that profoundly impact the overall seed industry: privatisation of the seed industry in developing countries and countries with transition economies, withdrawal of governments from direct central activities, shift of the basic research from the public to the private sector, etc. These changes are quite new compared to the history of the seed industry and all the possible consequences are under debate and not fully understood.

• Privatisation of the seed industry in developing countries and countries with transition economies is a continuous trend and the private sector is already active in some crops, notably hybrid field crops and vegetables. This is a real opportunity for the development of the seed industry. However, the real challenge is to involve the private sector in supplying the self-pollinating grain crops, both cereals and legumes. Satisfactory solutions have still to be found in many countries.
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• Until recently, official bodies or parastatal organizations were in charge of seed control in most of the countries and very often still are: field inspection for seed certification, see testing, seed labelling. Today there is a global trend to accredit seed company employees for this activity, both at national and international levels, in order to avoid duplication of work. The accreditation for field inspection was been made permanent in 1999 for the OECD certification and is also possible according to the IPPC.

  An experiment is going on accreditation for seed sampling, testing and labelling at both OECD and ISTA levels.

  These regulatory changes are an opportunity to seed companies and ISF has been very active at international level to achieve these results. But the full implementation of this new development requires:
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• The establishment, in each seed company, of a strong and accredited quality assurance system;
• The change in thinking of officials in some countries, still too much habituated to historical practices.
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• Finally, last but not least, governmental withdrawal, biotechnology and a strong protection of intellectual property are leading to significant changes in the research system.
  
  Until recently, basic research and also plant variety development were mainly done by the public sector and the results were put at the disposal of the world community and considered as public good. Today, the private sector’s role in research is expanding. The consequences of these changes must be fully understood to avoid possible negative effects on some staple or "orphan" crops. We also have to tackle the more general growing concerns on possible new form of separatism known in some circles as "scientific apartheid". It won’t be an easy task and the partners will have to resist dogmatic thinking to find acceptable solutions.