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Study finds conditions tough for agrochemical innovation: Full report

Plant protection R&D costs rise 68.4% in a decade

A new study of Research and Development (R&D) within the crop protection sector shows that, in a decade, the costs associated with the discovery, development and registration of new crop pest and disease agents have increased by 68.4 per cent to €189m. The research, conducted by agribusiness consultant Phillips McDougall and commissioned by Crop Life America and the European Crop Protection Association (ECPA), sheds new light on the costs of agrochemical innovation encountered by major R&D driven companies.

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Pesticide residues: is my food safe?

As we wait for the publication of the latest annual pesticide residues monitoring results, we met with two industry experts to ask them about pesticide residues and Maximum Residue Level (MRL) monitoring in the EU.

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Navigating the dangers

In the coming years Europe must steer a path between the perils of climate change and the threat of global famine. The challenge will be to keep producing enough food while adapting to climate change and not making it worse. Massive population growth, land pressure and the need to reduce the environmental impact of farming all contribute to this dilemma, for which the right solutions need to be found and soon.

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Solving Africa’s weed problem

Currently, the primary method of weed control by smallholder farmers in Africa is hand weeding with short-handled tools. A single hectare requires approximately 400 hours of labour for optimal weed control. With roughly one hundred million hectares of smallholder plots in Sub-Saharan Africa, this equates to forty billion hours a year spent by African women and children weeding fields by hand.

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