Innovation Critical in Fight to Save Food

Brussels (ots/PRNewswire) -

Study finds innovation key driver of European agricultural
productivity, competitiveness

Against a backdrop of food-price spikes and calls for action on
global food security, an assessment of the economic importance of a
key class of crop protection chemicals has confirmed the value of
hi-tech solutions for sustainable productive agriculture and
underlined the essential contribution of research and development.

The Nomisma[i]-led study[ii] establishes that without
triazoles[iii], major European cereal crops would be critically
vulnerable to septoria, the most economically damaging pathogen of
European wheat, a devastating fungal infection that can inflict yield
losses of up to 40%[iv].

"If Europe is to remain competitive, we must invest to protect
our harvests. Research and development is costly and time-consuming,
but failure to equip farmers with the right tools for the job will
have serious implications on productivity," said Friedhelm Schmider,
Director General of the European Crop Protection Association (ECPA).

Europe is currently a net exporter of wheat, producing 21% of the
global harvest; triazoles support this level of productivity,
enabling a competitive European yield of 5.3 t/ha versus a global
average of 2.9 t/ha.

"This study underlines the vital contribution of triazoles and
the critical importance of innovation. A slump in European wheat
productivity would be a disaster for European markets and a serious
blow to global food security. The harvests that Europe takes for
granted are the fruit of hard-fought innovation," said Schmider.

European cereal fungicide programmes rely on triazole-based
solutions, as the effectiveness of alternative treatments have become
largely ineffective after septoria quickly developed resistance.
Triazole based fungicides have been the backbone in providing a more
resilient defence against septoria, but they are also vulnerable to
the threat of resistance.

"Triazoles are a key mode of action in the way they fight fungal
pathogens and research has demonstrated that by using a variety of
triazole-based products, farmers can reduce the risk of septoria
resistance. So far this has been instrumental in maintaining European
wheat harvests, but if we fail to develop new tools, it will only be
a matter of time until resistance strikes," explained Euros Jones,
Regulatory Affairs Director, ECPA.

Maintaining an effective range of triazole-based alternatives is
also central to managing the environmental risk of wheat production.
"Innovation brings more efficient products to the market, and
efficient products such as triazoles require a lower frequency and
volume of application - this works to reduce environmental risk,"
commented Schmider. "If a farmer doesn't have the right compounds to
work with in the field, they might need to compensate for yield
losses by putting more land under the plough, at the expense of
natural habitats; they may also have to choose inefficient mechanical
treatments, which enlarge the carbon footprint of farming," he added.

"Nomisma looked at wheat production, but the conclusions of the
study have significance for the entire range of crops that we grow in
Europe. Any loss of important crop protection solutions, where
innovation has not found adequate alternatives, would negatively
affect the quality, variety, availability and price of our food.

"The Nomisma study reveals the necessarily dynamic contribution
science and technology play in support of sustainable agricultural
productivity. Pests and pathogens don't giveupthefight when
scientists develop effective tools; they change and adapt, and so too
must our solutions," concluded Jones.

To download the press release, please follow the link: http://www
.ecpa.eu/news-item/agriculture-today/09-12-2012/691/innovation-critic
al-fight-save-food

To download the Nomisma report, please follow the link: http://ww
w.ecpa.eu/article/agriculture-today/assessment-economic-importance-az
oles-european-agriculture-wheat-case-stud

The European Crop Protection Association (ECPA) represents the
crop protection industry interests at European level. Its members
include all major companies and national associations across Europe.

i. Nomisma is an Italian economic research institute founded in
Bologna in 1981. Since then, it has carried out research activities
and delivered policy advice and technical assistance to
international, national and local public bodies and private
enterprises on applied economic issues, industrial policy, regional
planning, development and growth.

ii. 'The assessment of the economic importance of azoles in
European agriculture: Wheat case study'

iii. Triazoles are a compound of the azole class

iv. If untreated, septoria would be expected to account for
between 10 and 20% yield reduction, a figure could increase to 40%
depending on climatic conditions

Contact:

Euros Jones, Regulatory Affairs Manager, euros.jones@ecpa.eu
Anna Seretny, Communications Coordinator, anna.seretny@ecpa.eu
Switchboard: +32(0)2-663-1550

For more general information:

http://www.ecpa.eu - http://www.hungry4change.eu/
[http://www.hungry4change.eu ] - facebook.com/cropprotection
[http://www.facebook.com/cropprotection ] -
twitter.com/cropprotection [https://twitter.com/#!/cropprotection ]

ots Originaltext: European Crop Protection Association
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de