b'regions and the larger industry to grow faster and grow better.Europe is the Global Seed PowerhouseIve led Seed World for nearly 20 years and am feeling a whole range of emotions as we embark onBy: Marcel Bruins, Editorial Director, Seed World Europethese big changes. Excitement, certainly. Pride inWhen we speak of the seed sector in Europe, a lot of people seeing our brand grow even more fully into servingimmediately think of the European Union, with its 27 Member as the globally recognized source for seed informationStates. But of course, Europe is quite a bit larger, and has in total and the hub of an ever larger and more inter-con- 44 countries. Countries including Switzerland, Norway, United nected seed industry network.Kingdom, and Ukraine, just to name a few, are also part of Europe, Ill admit that theres also a bittersweet pangand several of them play an important role in Europes seed trade. for some of the brands were moving away from.And it is exactly in terms of the trade (import & export), that Europe Germination has been a stalwart ship and a deepis where a lot of the global seed trade happenssource of pride for us. European Seed, too, has consist- According to the latest ISF seed statistics, European countries are ently delivered. Theres some sadness to be steppingresponsible for 78% of the global seed import quantity, 63% of the away from names that have meant so much to us andglobal seed import value, 78% of the global seed export quantity, to the industry.and 69% of the global export value in seeds. In short, a very large The good news, though, is that while the indi- majority of seeds is being traded through European countries. And vidual brands are disappearing, everything that makesthat is why I describe Europe as the global seed powerhouse.them special and trusted will be front and centre under the new branding. Germinations hard-hitting,And this also underlines why it is so crucially important for Seed critical, for Canadians, by Canadians regional feelWorld Europe to keep informing our audience of the multitude of will remain. The same goes for the European Seeddevelopments that are ongoing in the field of seeds, agriculture, brand. Our partners at Euroseeds have been staunchsustainability, intellectual property, biotechnology and gene-supporters of our publication and our organizationediting, phytosanitary matters, seed applied technologies, seed and are just as excited as we are to see us build Seedtesting, seed certification, and many other topics that influence the World Europe better than ever. daily life of plant breeders and seed traders.What can you expect to see for changes over theFrom our Seed World Europe website statistics, we know that it coming months? The cover of this magazine show- is not just Europe that is reading our articles and consuming our cases our brand-new look. As of December, well bevarious forms of content. All around the world, we find people are rolling out an all-new global website. The website willinterested in the information we are providing, and they are liking feature all the local, national, European-specific con- and sharing it from our various social media platforms.tent youre used to, all conveniently findable under a Europe-specific tab. In addition, the website willIve been in the plant breeding and seed sector all my professional feature each of our other regions content under theirlife, and I am firmly convinced that the seed sector is a greatest own regional tabs, making Seed World the one stopsector on the planet. And to this very day, it makes me feel very source for all seed information. Even better, the newfortunate and also very proud to be part of it.website will provide more in-depth multi-regional content too. We cant wait to show you! Ive already told you about feeling excitement, pride and some bittersweetness. My very biggest feel-ing as weve worked through this strategic process and now, as we embark on these changes, is gratitude. I feel incredibly lucky to be part of a powerful team that continues to drive us forward through content, innovation and creativity, all with an eye on best meeting the complex, diverse and changing needs of the seed industry. This team, from our editorial experts to our business development managers, is second-to-none across the industry and beyond. It is their expertise, knowledge and commitment that sets us apart. I also feel incredibly lucky to have the partners and colleagues that I do across this great industry. At Seed World Group, we are honoured to play a supporting role in as incredibly passionate, forward-thinking, and important an industry as the seed industry. Thank you for trusting us with your stories, for depending on us for your information, and for partnering with us across this industry. We feel the weight of that responsibility, and we are committed to delivering what you need today, tomorrow and as we grow together into the seed industrys future.EUROPEAN-SEED.COMISEED WORLD EUROPE I 7'