Nils Elmegaard : “Our challenge is to be more and more productive, with less and less input”

>>> The Belgian presidency recently failed to reach an agreement among national experts on regulation for NGTs. What is your take on this situation?

Nils Elmegaard : The rest of the world is moving ahead on NGTs and Europe runs the risk of falling behind with this recent failure to reach an agreement - despite six years of efforts and negotiations. Though the Belgian presidency of the Council of the European Union did a good job in trying to secure a deal, I deeply regret this negative outcome. Furthermore, now, the Hungarian presidency has issued a new paper that takes a different view. Not only it seems to me as if it runs against the traditional spirit of cooperation, but on top of this, it brings back issues that had already been discussed and settled.

So, while the clock is ticking, it will take extra time to iron out these differences. Yet it is key to rapidly set a clear distinction between NGTs and GMOs, and have a separate legislation for NGTs. Equally important for the seeds sector is the new legislative proposal for a regulation on the production and marketing of plant reproductive material (PRM), adopted on July 5, 2023 by the European Commission. The proposal is indirectly linked to NGTs, as it aims to ensure a level playing field for operators across the European Union, ensure access for farmers to quality seeds, support innovation and competitiveness, and contribute to addressing sustainability, biodiversity and climate-related challenges we face. Future NGT-bred varieties will have to be listed and marketed via the PRM legislation.

>>> Patentability was the main stumbling block in reaching an NGTs deal. What is your position?

N. E. : I wish this issue, which is a political one, would have been separated from the main framework, especially since the original one made no reference to intellectual property. In other words, we need to concentrate on NGTs first, and then deal with issues of intellectual property. In any case, at the Danish Seed Council, we support the system managed by the Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO) on Community Plant Variety Rights. For decades, this system, which gives breeders the opportunity to invest in R&D and bring about innovations, has worked perfectly well. And there is no need for patent on NGT1.

>>> Apart from NGTs, are there other tools that come to your mind to deal with issues such as the impact of climate change and food security and self-sufficiency?

N. E. : Of course! It would be a mistake to solely rely on NGTs. NGTs are an important answer but this is not the only one. And there are plenty of other technical developments under way, in order to prevent leakage of nitrous oxide and nitrogen from the soil, or improve varieties with better roots to grow more strongly, for example. The possibilities are enormous and innovation is necessary, since plants are parts of the answer to our climate change problem.

>>> What can be done to encourage R&D in seeds?

N. E. : The seeds sector already invests heavily in R&D, but it could use some help! This could take various forms. Tax breaks on R&D, for example, or, funding such as what has been set up in Denmark, where money collected from levies on the seeds market goes to a special fund supporting pre-breeding projects. Other possibilities, such as partnerships between private companies and public or private research institutions, are also a good solution. And R&D should be supported all along the value chain.

>>> Growing consumers’ demand for organic and non-GM seeds seems a key development in the seeds business. Are market players satisfying this demand?

N. E. : Demand is obviously the market driver for us. In Denmark, we already produce a lot of organic seeds and I believe we satisfy demand. But if there would be more demand, we would be able to satisfy it, too.

>>> Are there other specific challenges in the seeds business?

N. E. : Absolutely! Especially in Europe, the sector has to deal with the ever-decreasing number of plant protection products (PPPs). This means that we are missing opportunities to control weeds, insects, fungi... True, with R&D, we are now able to grow seeds and crops with fewer and fewer PPPs.

And, by the way, we come back to NGTs, which could help in this respect. But if this is true for pests and fungi, with more adapted and resilient plants, this is not the case for weeds. There are now mechanical precision tools, but if we could eliminate, let’s say, 90 % of PPPs with precision agriculture, we still need some active ingredients to deal with the 10 % that is left. However, these active ingredients keep disappearing, despite the fact that we still need to have access to them. And we are worried about farmers and how they will solve this issue.

Remember, though I believe in science-based solutions, we are dealing with nature and living entities, this is not like a new industrial process that can be implemented on the assembly line! So, the current situation is particularly awkward, as our challenge is to be more and more productive with less and less input. We’ve come a long way, but there is still ground to be covered until we reach the finish line, that is an agricultural production system playing its role and rising to the current challenges of food security and good health for all, in a carbon neutral context in the future.

>>> Where does the European seeds business stand in terms of world ranking?

N. E. : Europe is number one! It is the world’s seeds chamber! Many countries, including in the Global South, rely on Europe for their seeds, to secure their food production. Seeds move around the world, more than once, in fact, for breeding and multiplication, as well as for import and export. This is part of our responsibility to act for food security and good health around the world.

Furthermore, though Denmark is a small country, there are, in other European countries, initiatives undertaken to help developing nations and provide a better access to good quality early-generation seeds for small farmers. But we can’t take our leading position for granted. We have to have support. And we have to make politicians understand that, instead of putting up barriers, there is a pressing need to open up to new technologies. We need a big tool box, with plenty of tools at our disposal, from NGTs to PPPs, from R&D to talents, and with the lid open so we can add new tools if necessary.

>>> Is there a lack of talents in the European seeds sector?

N. E. : Currently, we have many experienced and competent individuals in the field. However, most of them are approaching retirement age. Attracting young talents has been a challenge, but we have a wonderful opportunity to highlight the crucial role that clean, high-quality seeds play in ensuring food security. We need to better communicate on the significance of our work.

Despite some negative perceptions about the seeds sector and science-based solutions, the public debate is engaging. To sustainably grow food and feed the world, we need excellent seeds, robust crops, productive fields, and large-scale operations. This requires significant expertise, investment, and a dedicated workforce. While urban gardening is innovative and inspiring, large-scale agricultural endeavors are essential for global food security.

>>> Denmark will host the Euroseeds 2024 Congress from October 13 to October 16. What do you expect from this event?

N. E. : I hope we will be able to highlight solutions to issues I just referred to and promote science-based solutions. Also, I would like to see Denmark’s best practices put forward, in particular in terms of cooperation for R&D, along the whole value chain, and between all market players and political decision-makers. May be Denmark can do it, whether it is this dialogue or setting up the right conditions for financial support, because it is a small country, where players know one another, but I think that our recipe, which we took to Brussels since we joined the European Union in 1973, is working, and Denmark can lead the way.