New EU trade 
agreements 
could help 
strengthen 
market 
access and 
supply chain 
resilience for 
Europe’s plant 
breeding and 
seed sector.
dictability could encourage more long-term 
collaboration in breeding, variety testing, 
seed production, stewardship and market 
development. For European breeders, the 
key question is not only whether tariffs fall, 
but whether the framework improves con­
fidence that seed can move reliably, legally 
and on time.
AUSTRALIA: MARKET ACCESS 
AND INNOVATION LINKS
The EU Australia Trade Agreement nego­
tiations concluded on 24 March 2026. 
According to the Commission’s Q&A, 
the agreement would eliminate tariffs on 
almost all EU goods exports, make it easier 
for EU companies to provide services in 
Australia, improve access to procurement, 
advance mobility provisions in innovative 
sectors and protect and enforce intellectual 
property rights. 
For plant breeders and seed companies, 
Australia is not simply an export market. 
It is also a relevant partner for research, 
counter seasonal work, seed production, 
dryland agriculture, climate adaptation 
and crop resilience. Easier movement of 
researchers and trainee engineers, better IP 
enforcement and clearer market access con­
ditions could therefore matter to companies 
working across breeding, seed technology, 
seed treatment, digital agriculture and field 
testing.
For seed companies, the EU Australia 
agreement is less about a single headline 
concession and more about the operating 
environment it may help create. Provisions 
linked to intellectual property, services and 
the movement of skilled professionals could 
e.g. support cooperation between breeders, 
make cooperation easier over time. The 
real impact for breeders and seed companies 
will become visible only when the relevant 
schedules, procedures and national imple­
mentation measures are applied effectively 
in practice.
INDONESIA: SPS AND IMPORT 
PROCEDURES MAY MATTER 
MOST
The EU Indonesia Comprehensive 
Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) 
was finalised on 23 September 2025. The 
Commission’s agriculture factsheet says 
the CEPA will remove high tariffs and 
burdensome procedures for many EU agri 
food exports, while maintaining the EU’s 
rules on animal and plant health and food 
safety. It also refers to faster, simpler and 
more predictable procedures, clearer sani­
tary and phytosanitary rules, clear timelines 
for audits and import procedures, transpar­
ency, regionalisation1, reliance on interna­
Garlich von Essen, secretary general and CEO 
of Euroseeds
researchers and technology providers. As 
always in seed, the real test will be practi­
cal implementation: whether the agreement 
makes cross border work faster, clearer and 
more predictable for companies on both 
sides.
INDIA: A LARGE MARKET, BUT A 
COMPLEX ONE
The EU India Free Trade Agreement con­
cluded on 27 January 2026. The Commission 
says the agreement will reduce tariffs and 
administrative burdens, making trade easier, 
cheaper and faster, and that tariffs on more 
than 90% of EU goods exports will be elim­
inated or reduced. 
India is one of the world’s most signif­
icant agricultural economies, with a large 
and diverse seed market shaped by crop 
diversity, regional growing conditions, 
regulatory requirements and policy sensi­
tivities. For European plant breeders and 
seed companies, the agreement may create 
opportunities in areas such as vegetable 
seed, ornamentals, selected field crops, 
seed technology, research partnerships 
and climate resilience. Those opportuni­
ties, however, will depend on the details of 
implementation and on how the agreement 
interacts with India’s domestic seed, plant 
health and variety registration systems.
For seed, market access is never 
determined by tariffs alone. Registration 
procedures, plant variety protection, seed 
certification, phytosanitary import require­
ments, seed treatment rules and local dis­
tribution conditions will all influence the 
agreement’s practical value. If the EU India 
agreement helps reduce administrative bur­
dens and improve predictability, it could 
OCTOBER 2026  |  SEEDWORLD.COM/EUROPE  I  SEED WORLD EUROPE   I   39

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