Regulating Biostimulant Products
Posted 20th August 2018 by Jane Williams
Degrading soil quality and increased interest in sustainable farming have caused the biostimulant market to go from strength-to-strength and it is expected to reach $4.14 billion by 2025. [1] Despite this, companies have expressed concerns that the regulation of biostimulants will hinder industry growth and the longevity of small companies and start-ups.
We spoke to Nick Moon, Global Regulatory Manager, Plant Impact, to discuss the regulation of biostimulants and its impact on industry.
Unraveling the Regulatory Quagmire of Agrobiologicals
Posted 10th August 2018 by Jane Williams
At the Partnerships in Biocontrol, Biostimulants, & Microbiome: Europe, Peter Jens, Director of Strategic Alliances at Koppert Biological Systems and CEO of AND Biopharma, discussed regulation from product to systems thinking.
He focused specifically on the way in which consumers and citizens have become more vocal on the quality of products, arguing that the current regulatory discussion is fated and different thinking is required.
Here, he explains what he means by ‘different’ kinds of thinking and how this could help unravel the regulatory quagmire of agrochemicals and agrobiologicals.
The Long Shadow of the European Ruling on New Breeding Technologies
Posted 1st August 2018 by Jane Williams
Last week, the European Court of Justice ruled that gene-edited crops are equivalent to transgenic GMOs. The court ruling came as a surprise because it negates a preliminary opinion that was issued by the court’s Advocate General Michael Bobek in January 2018. This reactionary ECJ ruling might become the final nail in the coffin of the European Agbiotech sector and many scientists, including myself, are concerned that it will discourage the use of genome editing in agriculture.
Gaining Public Confidence in Genetically Modified Products
Posted 9th July 2018 by Jane Williams
Despite the fact that GMs have been around for over thirty years, they still ignite debate. We spoke to Professor Jim Dunwell, University of Reading, at the 6th Plant Genomics & Gene Editing Congress: Europe to discuss the steps that should be taken to gain the public’s confidence.
Regulatory aspects of gene-edited crops: A Q&A with Jim Dunwell
Posted 22nd June 2018 by Jane Williams
On January 2018, Michal Bobek, in a preliminary judgement in a case at the European Court of Justice, advised that “organisms obtained by mutagenesis” should not be seen as genetically modified, unless they contained recombinant nuclear acid molecules or other GM organisms. [1]
Finding a High Quality Probiotic
Posted 16th June 2017 by Jane Williams
This article was originally published by the California Dairy Research Foundation, May 2017, and is published with permission.
Among all the options for probiotics on store shelves, how can end-users spot a high-quality product? In today’s U.S. market, it’s not easy.