18 I SEED WORLD EUROPE I SEEDWORLD.COM/EUROPE | OCTOBER 2026 AN INTERDEPENDENT AND INTERNATIONAL SECTOR Seed World Europe: Many in the European seed sector know you from your time at Svalöf Weibull, Lantmännen and DSV. Looking back at your journey so far, what have been the defining experiences that shaped your perspective on the seed sector? Nilsson: I think that realising how closely connected and inter dependent everyone is in the plant breeding and seed sector has been a defining experience. Regardless of company size, whether it is a multinational, a small family company or a public institution, they all have the same basic needs in their operations. They need access to genetic resources, a level playing field, clear rules and regula tions and the possibility of getting a return on their investment. But there is also the global nature of the sector, getting together with people from all over the world. I think we’re truly privileged in so many ways to have that cultural exchange. And I mustn’t forget to mention the people in this sector. Obviously, I don’t have another sector to compare it with, but the warmth, friendliness and willingness to share knowledge and experiences are something that I find quite unique. That feeling is as strong today as it was 25 years ago. BREEDING FOR NORTHERN CONDITIONS Seed World Europe: For those outside Sweden, what makes the Swedish seed sector distinctive? And where do you see its greatest strengths, and its most pressing challenges, in the coming years? Nilsson: Sweden is a very large country geographically in rela tion to its population. Agriculture is centred in the south and along the coasts. The north to south stretch of the country results in quite different prerequisites for agriculture. The further north you go, the colder the winter, the shorter the vegetation season and the more light there is in summer. Because of the long day conditions during summer, short cycle varieties are not automatically suitable, which is one of the reasons why it is crucial to maintain breeding in the Nordic countries. Breeding activities are, however, limited. There is only one commercial breeding company of scale left in the country and varieties from other, primarily northern and western European breeders, are therefore well represented in the Swedish market. Regarding seed production, the main crops are cereals, potatoes and forage crops. But generally speaking, I don’t believe that the main chal lenges for the Swedish seed sector are very different from those in other countries. How do we attract young people to our sector? How many farmers will there be left in the future? What will the medium and long-term consequences of global warming and a changing climate be? When, or if, climate change makes agriculture move fur ther north, what will that mean for breeding for northern Europe and our long day conditions? How will the introduction of NGT 1 plants under the new EU framework affect the sector? How do we secure long-term breeding for our conditions? Then there is the preparedness perspective. In recent years, our government has been determined to increase self-sufficiency both in grains and seeds. I am not that well updated on the topic, but there are different projects for stockpiling grains, and seed will also be looked into in terms of preparedness and self-sufficiency. “We’ll never have resources comparable to larger countries, but we can at least take part, listen and work together.” Malin Nilsson, secretary general of the Swedish Seed Trade Association (SVUF)
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