Section 1. Certifying Agency

The certification of seeds in California is performed by the California Crop Improvement Association (CCIA), a nonprofit corporation established in 1944. The CCIA is officially recognized as the seed certifying agency under the California State Seed Law (Section 3875). Seed certification is conducted by the CCIA with the supervision and cooperation of the California Agricultural Experiment Station (AES), the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), members of Cooperative Extension (CE), county Agricultural Commissioners, and the Association of American Seed Control Officials (AASCO). The offices of the CCIA are located on the University of California, Davis (UCD) campus. The CCIA’s certification standards are designed to meet or exceed all standards defined by the Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies (AOSCA) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Genetic purity standards observed by the CCIA are in compliance with Part 201 of the Federal Seed Act Regulations. When the CCIA has no specific rules or standards governing a crop, rules of AOSCA will be used.