Syngenta vegetable seed plant receives GSPP accreditation

Date:12-18-2012

Syngenta announced that its vegetable seed processing plant in Pasco, Wash., is the first site in North America to receive Good Seed and Plant Practices (GSPP) accreditation. Syngenta strives, in the coming months, to transition all active greenhouse (AGH) tomato seeds supplied in North America to be GSPP accredited.

GSPP is an independently-audited hygiene and prevention protocol that significantly reduces the risk of Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis (Cmm) in tomato seeds while assuring the traceability of seed.  A persistent bacterial disease, Cmm can cause serious economic damage and is easily spread through plant handling, cropping, grafting and from other host plants. For young plant growers, GSPP certified seed means significantly reduced exposure to Cmm and greater peace of mind.

"As one of the international leaders in crop protection and the breeding of high-quality seed varieties for the professional market, Syngenta has taken a leadership role as one of the key initiators of GSPP,” said Motti Schramm, Syngenta Tomato Portfolio Manager. "With GSPP, Syngenta and its partners reach the ultimate level of hygienic measures to significantly reduce the risk of Cmm infection in tomato seeds.”

To ensure strict adherence to GSPP, all Syngenta employees and partners involved in the production and processing of tomato seed at the Pasco site have been trained on GSPP protocol. Moving forward, Syngenta will provide GSPP-certified tomato seed for the AGH segment – including commercial varieties, new introductions and seed for trials. Syngenta GSPP-certified tomato seed packaging will be easily identifiable by the GSPP logo.

Syngenta will also take an active role in working with young plant raisers in the marketplace to attain GSSP accreditation, thereby helping ensure adoption of practices by the entire supply chain and thus reducing the risk of contamination even further.