Press release

Opening the meeting, Christian Huyghe of the French National Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE), described genetic resources as “the lifeline between the past and the future”.

This thought was echoed by Jože Podgoršek, Minister in the Slovenian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, in his welcome message on behalf of the Slovenian presidency of the EU.

Shelagh Kell, of the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, introduced the overarching Genetic Resources Strategy for Europe, stressing the importance of genetic resources for climate change adaptation, sustainable agriculture and forestry, food and nutrition security, meeting consumer demands for quality, diverse and ethical produce, and for supporting the European bioeconomy.

“Like other components of biodiversity, genetic resources are threatened and being lost” she said, “and despite their enormous value, they remain of low visibility in the European policy landscape”.

“A coherent policy and legal framework is necessary to secure these vital resources” she said, “which will require increased awareness of the important provisioning ecosystem services values of genetic resources, and a step change in the infrastructure and funding dedicated to their conservation and sustainable use.”

Implementation of the actions called for by the strategies was the subject of a subsequent panel discussion.

Frank Begemann, of the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food, Germany, said he hoped the strategies would act as a model for the EU and for member countries. However, he warned that in his view the need for “a step change, a change in thinking” had not been properly understood.

“Instead of proposing national activities,” Begemann said, “we need to move to thinking in European terms.”

Annette Schneegans, from DG Agri, welcomed the incredibly valuable input to research and innovation provided by the strategies. “It gives us a roadmap for what needs to be done in investment in research,” she said, while stopping short of agreeing to adopt the recommendations in full.

Summarizing the outcomes of the panel discussion and launch event, Nigel Maxted, of the University of Birmingham, emphasized the “huge progress” that the three European genetic resources networks had made by working together. He also reiterated the urgent need to implement the priority actions specified in the Genetic Resources Strategy for Europe, which have been carefully formulated by the full range of stakeholders in the plant, animal and forest genetic resources domains, who were involved in the development of the Strategy.

“If we don’t take action, we are not going to make it through climate change” , Maxted said. “Young people are going to wonder why Europe understood the challenge but failed to instigate real effective change.”

Bruno Ferreira, Director General for Food in the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food, closed the meeting, reminding participants that “France, with its exceptional animal, plant and forest heritage, is sensitive to the issue of erosion of cultivated biodiversity.” France assumes the EU Presidency in January 2022. Mr Ferreira declared that “France supports the networks and considers that their role in coordinating actions and implementing the general and three sector-respective strategies is fundamental and must also be supported by the European Commission.”