Monthly Archives: July 2015

Concern over patents for vegetable varieties

Copa and Cogeca have issued a warning over the consequences for plant breeders and others about using patents in the EU agriculture sector.

The comments were made at a seminar in Brussels on 24 June on the interface between patents and plant variety rights. The unions say granting patents will result in fewer products and varieties and additional costs.

Thor Kofoed, Chairman of Copa-Cogeca Working Party on Seeds, said “A patent system in the EU agriculture sector will not help farmers to get a better crop variety adapted to local conditions. Instead, it will lead to less products and less varieties and additional costs. Copa and Cogeca are very concerned by the increasing number of patents granted to plants.”

He pointed to the recent decision of the Enlarged Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office (EPO) which recognises two patents: one from a British company for broccoli that contains a bitter anti-carcinogenic substance, and another from an Israeli company for ‘wrinkly’ tomatoes which have reduced water content.

Copa-Cogeca maintain that the specific characteristics of these broccoli and tomato plants were not invented or artificially manufactured, but were present in the wild parent plants and are the result of crossing and selection practices, which are essentially biological processes. ‘This protection will mean that all companies that produce varieties with the same features will have to obtain a licence from the patent holder. It could jeopardise progress in breeding, and decrease innovation and biodiversity, thus resulting in increasing consolidation in the seed industry,’ the unions added.

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M&S plans Pick Your Own strawberries

According to newspaper reports, Marks and Spencer could be looking to offer customers the chance to ‘pick their own’ strawberries after unveiling a trial at its flagship Marble Arch store in London just in time for Wimbledon.

In fact the installation was created by Bompas and Parr who worked with British Summer Fruits on an installation entitled ‘Fruit Fantasia’, which was in place for just a few days.

The proposed multi-sensory environment takes the principals of fashion retailing and brings it to the food environment, which is typically a purely functional space that has not undergone as much innovation as other retail streams. The concept is to bring the scents, tastes and sounds of a strawberry field to the shopping aisle.

Andy Mitchell, M&S Strawberry Expert said, “The start of the British strawberry season is one of the highlights of the summer calendar and it’s great to see that this very clever installation will really bring to life the many delicious qualities of our strawberries. We hope our customers enjoy it and are looking forward to seeing their reaction.”

Research conducted by The University of London revealed that the scent of strawberries can evoke feelings of summer and nostalgia and shoppers, will be able to taste and smell the strawberries as soon as they enter, through a berry mist that will emerge around the store.

Laurence Olins, Chairman of British Summer Fruits, added, “The soft fruit industry is at the forefront of innovation–plant breeders raise tens of thousands of seedlings each year and only about one per cent go forward for further trialling.”

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Plans progressing for annual carrot trials

The British Carrot Growers’ Association (BCGA) says that preparations are well underway for its 2015 Variety Demonstration and Trade Exhibition on the 1st October.

The event, organised in conjunction with HDC, will be held in Norfolk this year courtesy of growers and packers Alan Bartlett & Sons. Seven seed companies will demonstrate a total of 68 different carrot varieties alongside product demonstrations by BASF, Bayer and Syngenta and machinery demonstrations.

“Innovation is a continuing theme for this event and all the trade companies will be asked to submit their most innovative product or service prior to the event and an innovation award winner will be chosen by the BCGA R & D Committee,” explains Julie Foyster of British Growers. “Similarly, each seed company will be asked to submit their best variety for evaluation by the delegates so that a ‘best variety in show’ can be determined.”

Entry is free of charge and light refreshments will be provided. For further information and to register your attendance please contact Julie Foyster at British Carrot Growers Association: phone 01507 602427 or email Julie.foyster@britishgrowers.org.

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Syngenta Bioline targets thrips at Fruit Focus

Essex-based Syngenta Bioline is using Fruit Focus to highlight the threat that Western Flower Thrips (WFT) pose to strawberry production.

“Western Flower Thrips remain a major problem in strawberry production, and growing resistance to conventional crop protection products continues to exacerbate this problem,” comments the firm’s Richard GreatRex.

To help growers manage the pest Syngenta Bioline offers both ThripLine sticky roller traps and the predatory mite Amblyseius cucumeris in its AmblyLine cu product. The company says that recent trials have demonstrated that TrapLine roller traps, which are available in lengths of 100 metres, and widths of 15 and 30 cms, can give significant reductions in the numbers of adult thrips in flowers, as well as improved fruit quality.

AmblyLine cu sachets can be used in tunnels and open field crops, as well as in glasshouses. Richard adds that they “Provide a tried and tested solution, producing high numbers of Amblyseius cucumeris continuously over several weeks, thus providing prolonged protection for the crop.”

Syngenta Bioline can be found on Stand 228 at Fruit Focus, which is held at East Malling in Kent on 22 July.

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Campaign to promote British flowers and plants

British Flowers Week, the annual campaign to promote British flowers and foliage has been declared a success by organisers.

A new website, www.britishflowersweek.co.uk, and social media tag, #BritishFlowersWeek, helped to spread the word with more than 5.4 million posts on Twitter. According to organisers New Covent Garden Flower Market and Flowers From the Farm, ‘Support for British Flowers Week in the media has broadened this year to reach over 3 million people with mentions and features in regional, trade and national media, including pieces in The Daily Telegraph, Gardens Illustrated, The Independent, RHS The Garden magazine, English Garden, Waitrose Weekend, The Daily Express, Country Living, Homes and Gardens, Yorkshire Life and on regional radio stations.’

During each day of the week a different florist was commissioned to create three of fifteen special arrangements which were highlighted on the website and in the media.

The campaign was founded by New Covent Garden Flower Market in 2013 to spread passion for British flowers and foliage, with the ultimate aim of bringing British flowers back into British homes.

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Record breaking Open Farm Sunday

Organisers have branded this year’s Open Farm Sunday, held on 7th June, a record breaking success.

According to organisers LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming), more than a quarter of a million visitors visited one of almost 400 farms which were open across the country. Good weather and pre-event publicity help beat last year’s record visitor figures by around 15 per cent.

Annabel Shackleton, Open Farm Sunday manager at LEAF commented, “Our tenth Open Farm Sunday has been a resounding success and a fantastic celebration of British farming and food. We’re particularly delighted so many families took the time to visit farms up and down the country, many for the first time. On behalf of LEAF I’d like to offer a huge thank you to everyone involved.”

In Lincolnshire, potato grower and produce packer Worth Farms and QV Foods received more than 1,000 visitors. Duncan Worth said, “Open Farm Sunday is a wonderful opportunity for people to get to have a look around working farms such as ours across the country. The numbers of visitors today, all interested to learn more about modern farming and food production, highlights how important this is for our local community too.”

Open Farm Sunday 2016 will be on the 5th June.

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