Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 6828 I EUROPEAN SEED I EUROPEAN-SEED.COM ccording to the United Nations, the world population is currently estimated to be around 7.3 billion people and it is expected to be 9.7 billion by 2050. What we can expect to see is an increased demand for food, water and energy. Current production is capable of meeting the global demand for food, feed, energy and resources, but in some regions of the world the situation may be different due to problems connected with the availability of resources, political priorities, insufficient infrastructure, market failures or lack of possibility to buy food. According to the FAO, by 2050 we will need to increase our agricultural production by 70 to 80 per cent. The agrifood sector plays a crucial role in terms of our diet, which has an impact on our health. Agriculture influences the natural environment, plays a role in protecting landscapes and biodiversity under the condition that proper agricultural rules are followed, for example in terms of fertilisers or plant protection. One cannot speak about a proper progress and development of agricultural production without raising the issue of good-quality reproductive material. It is especially important if we consider the already- mentioned dynamic increase in world population and the increasing demand for food that follows. The European and global seed industry would very much like to see the GMO legislation set in order. An intelligent compromise is needed here that would take both social concerns connected with food from GMO and guarantee a harmonious and uninterrupted trade and use of seeds. Industry concerns regarding the issue of patenting and biotechnological varieties with the use of biological processes are also understandable. Certain actions could disrupt the seed market and damage the access to good-quality material. A significant challenge for the seed industry, but also the European, American and global agriculture business is, of course, the currently negotiated TTIP agreement between the EU and the U.S. There is a difficult task ahead of us to find a balanced compromise between concerns and needs of farmers and consumers, as well as the expectations of the seed industry on both continents. The European model of agriculture that we are so proud of has been shaped in the course of over 50 years since the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) was created. Basic goals of the CAP have been included in the Treaty of Rome and envision a common availability of food products at affordable prices as well as a decent level of income for the farmers. EU AGRICULTURE FACING A PLETHORA OF CHALLENGES The European Parliament’s Czesław Siekierski talks about food security and the challenges it poses for the industry. Czesław Siekierski is chairman of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development in the European Parliament.