Politics

July 02, 2021 | News

Associations emphasize EU need for innovation in potato breeding

Four associations have co-signed a joint statement on New Genomic Techniques in potato breeding.

November 25, 2020 | Articles

‘Policy can only be determined on the basis of science’

A beautiful and healthy green potato crop. That’s what lobbyist Iris Bouwers likes to see on her own farm. So it’s not surprising that she has the topic of Plant Health high on her agenda for Brussels. ‘If you feel that things are not going too well with the commodities policy, you shouldn’t just look…

November 21, 2018 | Articles

Brexit also worries the British potato trade

The chance that the United Kingdom is moving towards a hard Brexit is increasing. Negotiations between the European Union and the UK as yet offer little prospect of a smooth transition. As a result, potato exporters trading with the UK may also face a hard transition without trade agreements as from 29 March 2019, the…

February 27, 2018 | Articles

Breeding costs time, the world is in a hurry

I was recently at an EU conference in Brussels, organised by the European Commission; the topic was modern biotechnology and, in particular, whether or not to apply it in agriculture and horticulture.

November 14, 2017 | Articles

New practical impetus for European trade at the Europatat conference

With the provocative slogan ‘Making the European Potato Trade great again! (it’s gonna be huge, it’s gonna be great, it’s true!)’ Europatat has given a new and unconventional practical impetus to the importance of healthy European trade at the annual conference that took place in Antwerp on 16 June.

November 14, 2017 | Articles

‘A sustainable potato sector requires a stable EU policy’

Albert Schirring is global Crop Manager for Potatoes, Fruit and Vegetables at the plant protection product manufacturer Bayer AG and works at its Global Head Office in Monheim, Germany. For his work, he travels around the world and closely follows developments in the international potato sector. While driving through the woodlands near the village of…