b'20MOST innovative breedersin the european seed sectorDear readers of European Seed tributions and hopefully their organizations give them their due. ,With each meal you eat and with each snack you take, you areHowever, some individuals jump out as having a bigger impact, enjoying the work of plant breeders. They are the ones that come upand those are the breeders who caught our eye. And this list of the with new plant varieties day after day, year after year. They develop20 most innovative breeders in the European seed sector in 2019, new plant varieties that have a higher yield, more resistance againstwere trying to put the spotlight on exactly those creative minds.pests and diseases, better drought tolerance, more proteins, higherAs in previous years, you will again find a few lines of text per levels of beneficial compounds such as vitamins, or just make itinnovative plant breeder, explaining in a nutshell what their key easier for the farmer to harvest the crops. And these are just a few ofcontribution(s) have been in the past year(s), and why that person the breeding goals that plant breeders work on. If we only look atshould be on the list. And of course, there will always be breeders Europe, in 2019, a little over 3,500 new plant varieties were appliedwho you think should have been on the list, and perhaps question at the Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO). That is almost 10 newwhy others did actually make it on there. We very much welcome plant varieties per day!! that are added to the plate for farmers toand look forward to any feedback you wish to share. You have grow and for consumers to enjoy. standing invitation to share your feedback as to who you think In order to shine some light on our Europeans plant breeders,should have been on the list, and why. we asked all national seed associations in Europe, and many otherAnd the next time you enjoy a healthy meal, not only thank the peers in the European seed sector to send us their lists of who infarmers, but also thank the plant breeders. their eyes were the most innovative breeders of last year.We hope you enjoy the list (in alphabetical order) and look I am sure there are many names that come top-of-mind andforward to your feedback.rightly so, as many breeders should be recognized for their con- Marcel Bruins EUROPEAN-SEED.COMIEUROPEAN SEED I 13'