Nov 21, 2008

European Young Plant Companies Unite Under Fleuroselect UmbrellaSource: Fleuroselect

During the second European Ornamental YPP Convention, 65 participants representing 40 young plant companies agreed to unite as a European group under the Fleuroselect umbrella.

According to Frank Hüdepohl of Bruno Nebelung, a member of the steering group, the conclusion was clear: “There is a definite need for a platform for companies in this sector at [the] European level. At [the] national level organizations exist, but an arena to network, share experiences and develop strategies at a European level is missing.”

Fleuroselect was founded 40 years ago by proprietary seed breeders to protect their rights. It has developed to encompass production and distribution companies and breeders of vegetatively propagated material and is an independent, non-political, international organization.

The reasons to unite under the Fleuroselect are many, said the steering committee:

“Fleuroselect has a long tradition as a highly successful meeting platform, and the relationship with the Fleuroselect breeders, the suppliers of the genetic material, is crucial. This is also a cost-effective solution for us. We do not want to waste resources on unnecessary overheads, and Fleuroselect is a non-profit organization with an established secretariat. It has a solid financial base and maintains a no-frills, ethical approach which suits our sector.”

At the meeting in Düsseldorf an initial three-year membership package was offered and accepted by the young plant companies. They will become full voting members of Fleuroselect, as members of the Business Unit “Production & Distribution” and be represented at Board level by two members (currently Herman Hamer of Florensis and Josef Clodius of Syngenta). In addition permanent working groups will be set up to cover intellectual property and regulation, production issues and commercial issues. These will steer discussions and prepare topics for presentation on issues relevant to the sector. All business unit activities including future meetings will be funded from the membership fees.

For more information, visit www.fleuroselect.com.