The ABIM (Annual Biocontrol Industry Meeting) international trade fair will be held from 21 to 23 October in Basel. In collaboration with the Walloon cluster Wagralim, eight companies representing Wallonia’s cutting-edge biocontrol sector will be there to ensure the Region’s visibility in this field. An opportunity to highlight this high potential sector.
Definitions
Biocontrol encompasses all plant protection products for field crops and biostimulants, as alternatives to petro-sourced plant protection products (pesticides).
The sector is directly linked to #DIS5 Agri-food chains of the future and innovative environmental management, and in particular to the strategic innovation initiative Digibiocontrol, which aims to strengthen the Walloon biocontrol ecosystem by interconnecting the digital world (applications, sensors, robots, etc.) and the world of biological control of plant predators, through three pillars: innovation/R&D, training and entrepreneurship.
The applications for biocontrol products are vast. These include seed coating, foliar application and soil amendment. Defence, naturally includes biocontrol (biopesticide, biofungicide, bioherbicide), plant defence elicitors and abiotic stress. With regard to growth, there are biofertilisers and biostimulants that increase germination and speed, protection against pathogens and, finally, the stimulation of plant vigour.
The biocontrol sector is very much at the cutting edge, and still requires a great deal of education. For example, ‘organic/bio’ certification linked to organic farming is not to be confused with green biotechnology, which is based on living organisms!
“The aim is to bring about a change in mentality among customers and end-users, so that they move away from ‘chemicals’ towards the use of biostimulation and biocontrol products, which are more respectful of people and the environment.” Vincent Vandamme, Agricells COO
Strengths, challenges and missing links
The sector’s main challenges are undoubtedly the shortening of legal registration deadlines for new products (and European legislation has recently moved towards this direction), as well as the sector’s transition to large-scale use, which implies the adoption of biosolution products by a large number of users (farmers).
Biocontrol in particular has great potential for economic development: to meet the demand of a new market being created in Europe and worldwide – replacing chemical control products in agriculture.
The European Union member states are traditionally heavy pesticide consumers, even if their use has been falling over the past 10 years. Total sales fell from 360,000 tonnes per year in 2011 to 333,500 tonnes in 2019, before rising again to 346,000 in 2020.
For the first time, the European Union has set a legally binding target of a 50% reduction in pesticide use. This is an ambitious target, symbolic of the European Commission’s new ‘farm-to-fork’ strategy.
In Wallonia, the strategic innovation initiative DIGIBIOCONTROL aims to solve the problems currently holding back the widespread deployment of biocontrol solutions to reduce the use of pesticides in agriculture, by mobilizing skills in the fields of biocontrol and digital technology in a unique and innovative way.
The sector’s strength lies in its strong, innovative scientific base, creating a real opportunity for an exponentially growing market.
The sector’s current weakness is the lack of a Walloon driving force and, at the same time, the race for development with many innovative global players. The resulting threat is the takeover of these small structures by large chemical companies.
The missing links include manufacturers and/or the packaging of these products, as well as manufacturers of the raw materials for these products. The sector is closely linked to R&D, for which we have highly-recognised researchers and state-of-the-art universities in Wallonia.
“The sector’s main challenges are the complexity of the regulatory framework, the uniqueness of our technologies‘ method of action, which can act as an obstacle to understanding and adoption, and also the constant scientific validation,” Gwendoline Clotuche, Marketing and Communications Director, Fyteko.
Walloon participation
Wallonia, driven by a network of dynamic companies, is at the forefront of sustainable agricultural practices, thanks to its innovative range of biostimulants and biocontrol solutions. The aim is to steer agriculture towards a sustainable and prosperous future. As ABIM is a solutions trade fair, the participation of Walloon companies will highlight this cutting-edge sector at an event with an international reach.
Of course there’s Wagralim, the Walloon agrifood cluster. Founded in 2006 as a not-for-profit organisation, it is Wallonia’s leading agrifood innovation cluster. Representing a network of 300 members, its mission is to foster innovation and collaboration within the food ecosystem. Wagralim’s aim is to support stakeholders on their journey towards responsible development and sustainable transformation.
Agricells
Agricells is a biotech company that develops and manufactures innovative, combined biosolutions for biostimulation and biocontrol treatments for field crops. Vincent Vandamme, co-founder and COO, will be present to “Meet prospects/customers interested in our products and discover other companies active in the field. We also want to convince our customers of the effectiveness of our organic products, which have been scientifically and statistically tested.”
Fyteko
This biotechnology start-up specialises in green chemistry. The biostimulation technology they are developing should, among other things, help combat the effects of climate change on agriculture. Gwendoline Clotuche, Marketing and Communications Director at Fyteko, explains: “ABIM is a key event in the biocontrol sector, providing an ideal opportunity to meet most of our customers in one place, and to create synergies and new collaborations. Working alongside a number of Walloon companies is an excellent opportunity to increase synergies and raise our profile.”
Hedera22
Hedera-22 is committed to creating sustainable plant protection products. This UCL spin-off will be coming to develop its business further. Valérie Renard, CEO, tells us: “We are looking forward to meeting potential investors interested in our active biomolecule discovery platform combining AI and molecular biology, as well as partners for the development of our biopesticide solutions.”
Fytofend
Fytofend conducts the research, development, registration, production and marketing of biological elicitors that improve plant defences. It is a regular at the ABIM trade fair, having attended since 2009. “Although we are well established internationally, we have relatively few contacts with the Walloon companies exhibiting at the show. The AWEX joint stand could facilitate discussions and enable us to raise our general profile,” says CEO Raffael Buonatesta.
Redebel
Similar to the procedure for new medicines in Belgium, Redebel carries out field tests on new products before they are registered.
The company offers the full range of services involved in the registration process in the EU and abroad for active substances and formulations of plant protection products.
APEO Solutions
The Gembloux-based agro-biotech spin-off plans to submit an approval application for its essential oil-based bioherbicide, an alternative to glyphosate. Haissam Jijakli, CEO of APEO Solutions, explains: “We hope to strengthen our ties with the ecosystem of Walloon companies, but above all to continue to consolidate our international partnerships, with firms upstream helping to register our essential oil-based bioherbicide products, and downstream the distributors.”
Medinbio
This company is aimed at agri-food players who want to significantly reduce their chemical pesticide footprint. As accelerators of the agro-ecological transition, their ‘supply chain’ approach is highly innovative. For example, Medinbio has teamed up directly with a major supermarket chain to produce more environmentally-friendly strawberries. “In response to the many challenges facing the world of agriculture, which has to manage agronomic issues with fewer and fewer inputs while at the same time meeting environmental and social expectations, Medinbio offers a simple model based on the systems approach pioneered by MEDINBIO,” explains Thierry Picaud, CEO.
Artechno
Since 1999, Artechno has specialised in microbial solutions developed from the fermentation of bacteria, yeast and fungi. Backed by science, they offer their eco-responsible solutions to their partners to meet the challenges of healthy eating. The ingredients are intended for biosolution products. “The complexity of international regulations in a world that desperately needs innovation to produce enough, while reducing environmental impact, is a sizeable challenge. Educating farmers about the effectiveness and profitability of organic solutions is another,” explains Louise Poncelet, Sales Manager.
