Commitment N° 4: To control and share progress in plant improvement

Everywhere in the world, Limagrain's research programs are conducted in the strictest understanding and control, respecting regulations in force. Progress in science is transforming certain aspects in the profession of plant improvement, but the underlying aims are invariably the same: to identify parent plants, cross them and breed from their offspring the plant(s) which meet the objectives fixed.

The tools used for this breeding today have become much more technical, for example molecular marking which is a complement to the breeder's well-trusted eye. Using other tools such as transgenesis, it is possible to acquire new knowledge to understand how living organisms function, and in particular the links between a gene and its function. Research based on transgenesis can therefore result in conventional varieties with a better understanding of their nature, or indeed can result in transgenic varieties.

Limagrain's researchers preserve, maintain and enrich biodiversity passionately. They extend the work of Man who has been observing and combining the qualities of the best plants for 10,000 years. The best offspring for each new cross are identified, selected and kept preciously as the source of new progress. Limagrain knows that the dissemination and exchange of genetic resources have always been the foundation stone of plant innovation. Access to commercial varieties to carry out research to find other improvements, while respecting the property rights of the creators of these varieties, has played an important role in agricultural progress. Breeders conserve plant collections in order to have a wide range of traits to meet the present and future needs of users and consumers.

Preserving a culture of sharing means making a stand for the right balance between the protection of biotechnological inventions and the dissemination of knowledge.

On principle, Limagrain is against the protection of plant varieties by patent. Right from the start, Limagrain has supported the UPOV (International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants), which was set up in 1961. The Proprietary Variety Protection Certificate (PVPC) allows the breeder to use protected varieties to create new ones. These new varieties can be sold freely on condition they are different enough from the original variety. Its motto: “Protecting without confiscating”.

Limagrain contributes to a better understanding of the stakes involved in agriculture through dialogue and informat-ion aimed at the general public and the media. To this aim, the Group publishes a collection of documents called “A propos”, which provide information on topics concerned by its activity such as ‘Genetically Modified Organisms” (GMOs). It also organizes meetings such as “Rallye Semences”.