Europe’s first registered seed bank to open in Copenhagen

It is becoming easier to find quality cannabis seeds in Europe. According to an April 28 press release, Franchise Global Health announced that its Danish subsidiary, Rangers Pharmaceutical, will be Europe’s first legal and registered seed bank in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The seed bank houses one of the largest collections of its kind with 286 strains including several world class genetics and winners of 19 High Times Cannabis Cups. The company is represented all over the world, including Germany, Canada, Colombia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Portugal and Denmark.

While seed banks can be found in places like the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, this seed bank is licensed to store, sell and export cannabis seeds worldwide under legal frameworks for international trade, with permits to import and export. Strict adherence to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) is part of the equation.

“In Europe, we adhere to EU GMP standards, which requires a rigorous approach to manufacturing all medicines,” Clifford Starke, Executive Chairman and CEO of Franchise Global Health, told The High Times via email. “Medical cannabis is, by definition, a medicine and we are committed to complying with these requirements so patients can have confidence that they are taking a consistently high quality product.”

New Frontier Data’s Special Contributor, Oliver Bennett, explained in an article why EU-GMP certification is vital in Europe – especially in the world of medicinal cannabis, where quality control is paramount. Adhering to these good manufacturing practices is key to surviving in the regulated marketplace.

Starke continued, “In our discussions with patients in Germany and other European countries, we realized that they are discerning, demanding and want quality control at all points of the journey, making sourcing quality genetics vital to our industry’s integrated business model .”

According to the press release, Franchise Global will set aside its top cultivars for its own in-house flower production for global markets. In 2021, it received a third-party audited valuation of CAD$9.5 million.

“Our goal is to become Europe’s most trusted source of high-quality EU-GMP cannabis. This will be accomplished in part by establishing our seedbank as a source for high-quality Cannabis Cup-winning genetics,” Starke said in the announcement. “Essentially, this is 30 years of intellectual property from landraces around the world with strong genetic heritages, including those from Thailand, Colombia and other highly sought-after pedigrees.”

Franchise Global Health gained an early mover advantage in Europe after receiving licenses to import and distribute cannabis in Germany with a 90,000 square foot EU-GMP certified processing facility. In Germany, Franchise Global also operates a 500,000 square foot dedicated cultivation capacity at an EU-GMP certified facility in Ontario, Canada that shipped to Germany, as well as a 30,000 square foot EU-GMP facility.

Last May, the Danish government permanently authorized licensed companies to produce and export medical cannabis, independently of an existing pilot program, Hemp Today reported. Many Canada-based companies aim to partner with operations in the country.

Meanwhile, Germany imported a record number of medicinal cannabis in 2020, according to a study by Prohibition Partners published last year. This trend continued to show an annual increase in imports, according to additional data.

Seed banks usually sell viable seeds with a high germination rate. Seeds are typically bred to increase the likelihood of female plants, which are needed for bud growth and THC production.

In general, cannabis seed banks stock autoflowering, feminized, and regular seeds. In 2016, former High Times grow editor Danny Danko provided a brief explanation of the difference between these three types of cannabis seeds.

Visit the Franchise Global Health website to learn more about the seed bank plan.