b'WEATHERING thePERFECT STORMHOW THE BSPB IS COPING WITH EXTREME WEATHER, LOSING NEONICS, COVID-19 AND BREXIT. BY: SAMANTHA BROOKE, BSPBB efore her appointment as chief exec-utive, Samantha (Sam) Brooke was Vice-Chair of the British Society of Plant Breeders (BSPB), having served on the BSPB Board since October 2015. In these first of two articles focusing on BSPB and the UK market Sam reflects on her first few months in charge, and the combined challenges of COVID-19, extreme weather, Brexit preparations and the prospect of a UK Government consultation on future gene editing rules. A second article for European Seed, pro-viding a more strategic view of BSPB for the future, will follow next year.Over the past year, extreme weather has again disrupted the UK arable farm-ing sector, with the 2019 winter wheat area alone down by almost 20% due to the difficult planting conditions. The impact of losing neonicotinoid seed treatments was also felt more keenly than ever, with the UK oilseed rape area falling below 500,000 ha for the first time in 15 years, and the sugar beet sector bracing itself for major yield losses due to virus yellows infestation.In any normal year, these would be our main talking points, not only in terms of physical seed supply and demand but also how these issues highlight the importance of plant breeding innovation to develop improved crop varieties with more durable pest and disease resist-ance, and greater resilience to climate extremes. But set in the context of the dev-astating coronavirus pandemic and theSamantha Brookeremaining lack of clarity over a Brexit deal with the EU, these catastrophic farm-level impacts seem almost inconse- to collect seed royalties on behalf of plantsector research institutes. quential.breeders. Today, BSPB combines royaltyBSPBs head offices are based in Put simply, the past few monthscollection with a broader role in industrythe east of England at Ely, around 15km have been one of the most challengingrepresentation and the co-ordination ofnorth of Cambridge. The Societys opera-and uncertain periods in the history ofofficially licensed variety trials.tions are carried out by an executive team BSPB and its membersand certainly aThe Societys current membershipof 14 full-time members of staff. baptism of fire for me as incoming chiefof 72 companies and organisations is theThis work programme is overseen executive! highest on record, comprising virtuallyby a Board of Directors elected by the 100% of public and private sector plantmembership and supported by a network BSPB breeding activity in the UK. Membersof Crop Groups comprised of member BSPBs predecessor body, the Plantrange from multinational agribusinessescompany representatives with relevant Royalty Bureau, was established in 1966to independently owned SMEs and publictechnical expertise. 22IEUROPEAN SEEDIEUROPEAN-SEED.COM'