48 I EUROPEAN SEED I EUROPEAN-SEED.COM P lant breeding is a highly technological activity of great eco- nomic importance, based on the research and development of new plant varieties. The plant breeders respond to end consumer demand and allow the economic, environmental, and social sustainability of the entire food chain, as well as the chain of consumption related to industrial crops. Between the 1960’s and the year 2000, there were spectacu- lar increases in all crops, which grew between one and three per cent annually. About 40 per cent of this increase in productiv- ity corresponds to the improvement of plant varieties (Source: Responding to the challenges of a changing world: the role of new plant varieties and high quality seed in agriculture. Second World Seed Conference. FAO. 2009). PLANT REPRODUCTIVE MATERIALS The start of the food chain and other chains of consumption is the seed. Traditionally, seed tends to be forgotten and people start to talk about the plant and the product obtained, but before that there is an indispensable phase that involves the seed, the only indispensable input for the sustenance of the chain of con- sumption as we understand it, secure and diverse. The seed has value that is still not given enough significance, not only for farmers, but especially for consumers and for society in general. WHAT IS ANOVE? The National Association of Plant Breeders (ANOVE) is a private non-profit association, founded in 2006, which brings together companies and public centres dedicated to the generation of added value in the food sector through research and develop- ment in and the use of new varieties of plants. ANOVE is an instrument necessary for contributing to solv- ing the challenges facing Spanish agriculture, collaborating with government authorities and with organisations representing the different stakeholders and sectors of agricultural production. Its members are responsible for putting over 95 per cent of the varieties used in main crops on the market: vegetables, sweet fruits, berries, maize, cereals, sunflower, sugar beet and cotton. COMPOSITION OF ANOVE ANOVE is made up of 53 entities, of which 51 are private com- panies and two are public research centres. The associated companies play a fundamental role in the agricultural sector, as researchers and suppliers of a technology that is essential to agricultural development: the new plant varieties. The 53 entities that belong to ANOVE have a turnover of over €1 billion a year, of which around €650 million correspond to the seed business. More than 2,500 people work in these com- panies, most of them highly qualified personnel. Eighty one per cent of these organisations have R&D departments that gives work to 30-35 per cent of the staff. Due to the high technologi- cal qualification of the workers, the production ratio per worker comes to 230,000 €/worker per year. Furthermore, ANOVE is a member of the European Seed Association (ESA), the International Seed Federation (ISF) and the International Community of Breeders of Asexually Reproduced Ornamental and Fruit Varieties (CIOPORA). The Spanish Association of Plant Breeders contributes to voicing the interests of the seed industry in EU politics and at the interna- tional level. As member of ESA, ANOVE fully supports the European Seed Treatment Assurance Scheme (ESTA) and has been an ESTA Agent since 2014. ESTA is the European quality assurance scheme for the application of plant protection products to seed treatment, handling and use of treated seed. WHAT IS ANOVE’S MISSION? ANOVE’s mission is to represent the plant breeding sector pro- moting the knowledge and recognition of its work, and at the same time defending the interests of consumers, farmers, and rural regions. ANOVE contributes to the development of the sector through collaboration with public administrations, organ- isations representing different stakeholders and sectors of agri- cultural production and consumers. ANOVE works for agriculture that is innovative, competitive, and sustainable, one which values and has full access to plant improvement, thus contributing to food safety and the economic development of society. ANOVE is an instrument necessary for contributing to solv- ing the challenges facing Spanish agriculture, collaborating with government authorities and with organisations representing the different sectors of agricultural production. To do so, it pursues the following aims, classified by interest groups or stakeholders: 1. Government a.  DIALOGUE, as a representative of the plant breeding industry, with public administrations, especially regard- ing Research & Development plus Innovation (R&D+I) policy. b.  REPRESENTATION AND COORDINATION of the breed- ing sector present in Spain before national and interna- tional bodies and associations, particularly regarding technological aspects. 2. Associates a.  The PROTECTION of the intellectual property rights of plant breeders. b.  To create a FORUM for plant breeder analysis, study, eval- uation, and activity regarding legislation and regulation related to the sector and new plant varieties. c.  SUPPORT TO THE PLANT BREEDING SECTOR regard- ing technological aspects of the treatment and processing of seeds and plants. Technology allows the entire chain of value to be improved, from growth until the transforma- tion of the final product. 3. Society a.  COLLABORATION with public research centres and uni- A CLOSER LOOK AT THE SPANISH ASSOCIATION OF PLANT BREEDERS (ANOVE). WORKING ON AN AGRICULTURE THAT IS INNOVATIVE, COMPETITIVE, AND SUSTAINABLE SPOTLIGHT: THE SPANISH ASSOCIATION OF PLANT BREEDERS (ANOVE) ANOVE SECRETARY- GENERAL ANTONIO VILLAROEL