Interview Bruno Tremblay
'We must not stand in the way of innovations'
One of the spearheads of the European Green Deal is that agriculture must become more sustainable. This not only demands a lot from the farmer, but also from the related companies.
Boerenbusiness spoke to Bruno Tremblay, Bayer Crop Science's regional director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. What challenges does he see and do the green ambitions also offer opportunities?
Europe has great green ambitions. Significant efforts are also required from agriculture and related companies. How do you view this?
"We support the green ambitions of the EU's Green Deal. The impact of the measures taken must then be properly mapped out. Several studies have been conducted into the European Commission's plans, which show that the agricultural production across the board decreases by 10%, 20% or more, while environmental benefits are limited.If we want to make it a success, we have to take a proactive attitude and not hinder, but encourage innovation.It also requires for trust and good cooperation between governments and business."
What role does Bayer have in that debate?
"We are still a large chemical company among the general public and we do not exactly have the sympathy. Although we are trying to break through with our vision of sustainable agriculture. Beyond telling the honest story, we must above all let our actions speak in order to way to gain confidence."
Crop protection is a sensitive issue. The Commission wants to reduce use in the EU by 50% and even convert 25% of the acreage to organic. Is there still a future for traditional crop protection products?
"PPPs are an important tool for farmers. Farmers work hard for good yields and at least as important products of excellent quality. In a way it feels like we and the farmer have the same goal. As Bayer we are committed to an innovative toolbox with sufficient tools. At the moment PPPs are an important part of this. That importance could decrease if we get alternatives, such as new breeding techniques to develop resistant varieties or an even more effective application through developments in digitally driven precision agriculture."
Does that mean that PPPs will become a less interesting market for Europe?
"No, you don't have to, we invest approximately €2 billion annually in R&D, a large part of which is in PPPs. Bayer is a global company and our development focuses mainly on the important crops and less on regions."
“We are supporting the existing portfolio with life cycle measurements and investing in new studies to help support the renewal of the existing portfolio. Our research is also aimed at developing future agents with, for example, a safer mode of action and lower toxicological profiles. This requires substantial investment and our industry's role is to support authorities in their quest to bring safer chemistry to the market in the future, which will require resources from new chemical families that are also safe for the environment and the user."
"That requires more and more effort. Europe has pretty much the strictest authorization policy for chemicals in the world. Every new authorization or renewal of registration requires thorough scientific new or additional studies, which makes the procedure more and more complicated and expensive. We "We need to bring these innovations to EU farmers so they have access to the most innovative toolbox. Other regions may just move forward and European farmers miss out."
"Biologicals are a technology that we see as part of integrated pest management and should become part of farmers' toolboxes. There are a few solutions on the market right now, but not many yet. We are making strides in that area. Serenade is an example of an effective biocontrol solution that farmers are using successfully. We believe that the introduction of biologicals should be accelerated."
You already mentioned breeding. Can we expect major steps in the near future?
"In practice, for example, we see that in Europe the yields of wheat have been around the same level for years. Earlier this year we entered into a partnership with the French company RAGT for the development of hybrid wheat varieties. With this we hope to take steps to increase the yield. or - and I think that receives too little attention - to improve the quality, for example the protein content."
"We would also like to get started in the EU with new breeding techniques such as CRISPR-Cas. This is precisely where there are opportunities to reduce the use of resources without sacrificing quality or yield. The technique can also be used to make a plant more resilient. against drought, something that will become more and more important due to climate change."
"In addition to breeding, I think we should not underestimate the digitization of agriculture. Farmers are partly already working on this themselves, but further development is needed to recognize and tackle problems at an early stage before they spread."
Jurphaas Lugtenburg
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