The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service today announced that its U.S. Accredited Seed Laboratory (ASL) Program is equivalent to the Canadian Seed Laboratory Accreditation and Audit Protocol, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) Plant Production Division.

The recognition of equivalency will allow seed testing laboratories accredited by AMS in the ASL Program to be recognized by the CFIA, and seed test results from these laboratories may be used by accredited graders to grade and label seed with a Canadian pedigreed grade name.

To acquire official recognition, laboratories must apply to the CFIA, and the lab’s manager or supervising analyst will then need to be evaluated on the specifics and procedures required under the Canadian Methods and Procedures for Testing Seed.

More information on the ASL is at http://www.ams.usda.gov/lsg/arc/asl.htm or by contacting Richard C. Payne, Chief, AMS Seed Regulatory and Testing Branch by phone at 704-810-8870, or by writing to 801 Summit Crossing Place, Suite C, Gastonia, NC 28054-2193.