In a press release, the group seeks President Macron's support to a
major initiative to reduce EU dependence on synthetic pesticides, during
the next presidency of the EU Council of Ministers beginning January 1,
2022. The AFBV points out that this goal can only be achieved if there
are alternatives with the same efficiency characteristics. Among these,
AFBV highlights the value of creating plant varieties that are
genetically resistant to diseases or predators and which require fewer
pesticides to be protected.

The AFBV believes that European agriculture will lose technological and
political sovereignty if regulatory conditions that will allow
researchers to use gene editingwill not be in place. Furthermore, the
group views plant biotechnologies as an opportunity to limit the
agricultural decline forecasted by the "Farm to work" strategy. "It is
our country's responsibility to communicate loud and clear this message
of hope to our European partners," they said in the press release.

AFBV - Association Fran?§aise des Biotechnologies V??g??tales
(biotechnologies-vegetales.com) [www.biotechnologies-vegetales.com]