2012
- Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
2013 - Athens, Greece
2014 - Beijing, China
2015 - Poland
2016 - Uruguay
2017 - Hungary
ISF videos
ISF has released
another video, called ‘Agriculture is under
Pressure’. The video underlines the message that the
plant breeding and seed industry are an important
stakeholder in meeting the challenges that we’re
faced with on this planet such as overpopulation,
changing diet, climate change, water and fuel
shortage.
There was never a
better time to be in Belfast for around 1250 delegates,
exhibitors and guests from 61 countries who participated
in the ISF World Seed Congress in 2011. With the release
of an influential report by the Government Office for
Science in London the seed industry was in the
spotlight, as genetic gain and productivity were
recognized to be at the heart of a strategy to address
the challenges of global food security and climate
change. The Congress in Belfast provided an excellent
venue for seedsmen and seedswomen to converse, learn,
network and do deals.
At
the opening ceremony Truels Damsgaard, President of ISF
spoke of growing food shortages around the world and of
ISF’s mission: to be the voice for the seed industry and
act as an intelligence network for the profession. In
his keynote address Chris Leaver, Emeritus Professor in
the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of
Oxford pointed to the challenges facing the seed
industry and how it could meet them.
The technical meetings during the Congress were an
opportunity for the industry to promote and share best
practices; they acted as a forum for debate. The first
edition of the ISF rules for trading seed
internationally entered into force in 1929. Regular
updates are undertaken to keep them relevant to the
needs of the seed industry, and at the meeting of the
Trade and Arbitration Rules Committee delegates were
informed of the revisions currently being undertaken.
The Vegetable and Ornamental Crop Section Meeting saw a
report on activities, many of which were undertaken in a
spirit of collaboration as problems with moving seed
were not limited to a few companies or countries and
affected all members of ISF.
As pastoral farming and arable crops such as wheat and
barley are key to UK agriculture, the Forage and Turf,
and Field Crop Section Meetings featured numerous
UK-specific presentations such as variety testing and
registration of forage and turf crops, the market for
cereal and forage crops and the management of
intellectual property. A study made by a working group
in ISF of royalty collection in wheat had shown that the
UK scored very highly on the Remuneration Index, a
measure of the efficacy of the royalty collection system
in place that took into account the quantity of
certified and farm-saved seed; the efficiency and cost
of royalty collection. Delegates were given an insight
into how royalty collection was organized in the
country.
Given ISF’s function as champions for the seed trade,
delegates were informed of developments in the
international arena – the Nagoya Protocol, the
International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food
and Agriculture, and the International Plant Protection
Convention – that had a potential impact on the seed
industry, and where ISF had contributed to shaping them.
The
Trading Floor was abuzz with activity in the historic St
George’s Market, an attestation to the importance of
seed in international trade. Fun and games found their
usual place before and during the Congress. Driving rain
didn’t dampen the spirits of the golfers at the 18-hole
Hilton Templepatrick course. The welcome party and gala
dinner gave every one, including the 140 accompanying
persons, reason to let down his/her hair and to
cultivate the spirit of fellowship that is the hallmark
of every successful institution.
The next Congress will take place in Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil in May 2012.
At
the opening ceremony Truels Damsgaard, President of ISF
spoke of growing food shortages around the world and of
ISF’s mission: to be the voice for the seed industry and
act as an intelligence network for the profession. In
his keynote address Chris Leaver, Emeritus Professor in
the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of
Oxford pointed to the challenges facing the seed
industry and how it could meet them.
The
Trading Floor was abuzz with activity in the historic St
George’s Market, an attestation to the importance of
seed in international trade. Fun and games found their
usual place before and during the Congress. Driving rain
didn’t dampen the spirits of the golfers at the 18-hole
Hilton Templepatrick course. The welcome party and gala
dinner gave every one, including the 140 accompanying
persons, reason to let down his/her hair and to
cultivate the spirit of fellowship that is the hallmark
of every successful institution.