Plantum and Seed meets Technology are organising a mini-symposium on Tuesday 25 September, titled ‘The future of seed treatment – is there a threat for treatment?’. This symposium, which is being held at the Seed meets Technology event in Zwaagdijk during week 39, will look at important issues faced by the seed industry.
The main theme is the future of seed treatments, their place in Integrated Pest Management, and the views on this from a crop protection industry, a seed company and a regulatory perspective. Background is that many ‘old’ seed treatment products (are threatened to) lose their authorisation, while new, ‘greener’ products hardly become authorised. This is a threat for sustainable Integrated Pest Management, for which seed treatment is an excellent basis.
The first speaker is Carole Desbois-Vimont, Seed Technology Coordinator at the vegetable seed branch of Limagrain (France). She also works at national (UFS), European (EU Minor Uses) and international (ISF) level for what are known as ‘minor uses’. Carole Desbois-Vimont will be addressing the challenges and wishes vegetable seed companies are facing when supplying treated seeds to the international market. In addition, she will be indicating some of the seed industry’s solutions.
Presentation Carole Desbois-Vimont
Werner Pol, Ecotox Team Manager at the Ctgb (Board for the Authorisation of Plant Protection Products and Biocides), will be explaining authorisation policy and practice for seed treatment products from a national and an European perspective. He will be highlighting the Ctgb efforts for further European harmonisation and acceleration of the authorisation process for ‘green’ low-risk plant production products, as well as the challenges for the future.
Finally, René Huijsmans from Syngenta will be presenting the vision from the industry perspective. What challenges and opportunities does the crop protection industry see when registering seed treatment products? Is there a future for chemical and/or biological seed treatment products?