Source: Newsletter of the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA)

Dear Members and Colleagues

We would like to address this announcement of the 6th ISTA Proficiency Test on GMO Testing to all laboratories which participated in a previous round or are interested in the sixth round.

The aim of the proficiency test is to check the ability of individual laboratories to detect the presence or absence of GM seeds and to quantify their presence in samples of conventional seeds of Brassica napus.
The results of the proficiency test rounds are intended to be used by the laboratories for their internal performance evaluation. At this stage performance in the tests, based on voluntary participation, will remain without consequences for the participants. Once GMO testing has been included in the ISTA Accreditation Programme and has become part of a laboratory's intended scope of accreditation, the results from voluntary proficiency tests on GMO testing, may be taken into account. This is to speed up the accreditation process for laboratories that have performed satisfactorily.

Laboratories interested in participating should please contact the ISTA Secretariat as soon as possible. More details can be found in the Annoucement posted on the ISTA Website at
http://www.seedtest.org/en/content---1--1157.html 

We look forward to receiving your registration.

With best regards,

Dr. Bettina Kahlert
ISTA Head of Technical Committee Administration
International Seed Testing Association (ISTA)
Zurichstrasse 50, P.O. Box 308
8303 Bassersdorf, CH - Switzerland
Phone: +41-1-838-6000, Fax: +41-1-838-6001
E-mail: ista.office@ista.ch
www.seedtest.org