On the ground at Euroseeds 2026: A Note from the Editor
Yesterday was one of those wonderfully varied days at Euroseeds. I had the pleasure of doing some video interviews, having our annual meeting of the Advisory Board of Seed World Europe, and moderating two rather different discussions, one on making a Code of Conduct work in the context of patents and new genomic techniques, and the other on Europe’s ambitions for homegrown plant proteins. From intellectual property to oilseeds and feed markets in a single day. Only at Euroseeds!
My main takeaway from the Code of Conduct discussion? We are not starting from zero. The seed sector already has considerable experience with patent transparency, licensing and finding ways for breeders to work with protected innovations. But a voluntary Code will only earn credibility if it works for companies of different sizes, protects incentives to innovate and offers practical solutions. That will require some give and take. Nobody is going to get everything they want.
The Oil & Fibre discussion brought us to a very different corner of the same problem. Europe wants to reduce its dependence on imported plant proteins and build more resilient supply chains. Fine ambitions. But breeders will not invest for the next fifteen years on the strength of an encouraging speech. Farmers need a viable economic reason to grow these crops. Processors need sufficient volumes, and feed manufacturers need competitive, reliable supplies. If one link cannot make the numbers work, the whole ambition is in trouble.
There is also a policy question I cannot shake off. Agriculture, climate, energy and environmental policy all influence this same value chain. It is no good if one part of the European Commission encourages investment while another, unintentionally, makes it more difficult. We need the different pieces to fit together, rather than another fine collection of separate promises.
So two panels, and one lesson: we need fewer elegant ideas that stay on paper, and more solutions people can actually work with. I don’t think we solved either challenge yesterday. But hearing different perspectives in the same room is a decent place to begin.
If you disagree, or have a good example of what does work, come and find us at the Seed World Group Leadership Lounge, ground floor, next to the Auditorium entrance. I would love to hear it.
