Onderzoek en ontwikkeling (R&D) uit Europa

Belgian AI technology company Polysense has raised USD 10.7 million to expand its AI-powered quality control and process optimisation solutions, helping food manufacturers reduce waste, improve yield, and automate real-time production decisions.

Advanced post-harvest technologies are helping cut food waste, reduce carbon emissions, improve storage efficiency, and strengthen sustainable food supply chains through AI, IoT, precision sorting, renewable energy, and smart cold storage solutions.

Hutton Scientific Services launched a commercial potato virus testing service for the 2026 United Kingdom seed potato campaign. The new service offers PLRV and PVY testing following SASA's withdrawal, supporting crop health and market confidence.

GB Potatoes and Branston will host a low-carbon farming event in Lincolnshire on 28 July, while GB Potatoes joins Defra’s Expert Growers Group. The industry also awaits updates on UK-EU seed potato trade and the new Farming Roadmap.

Gobierno de Navarra y EROSKI firmaron un convenio hasta 2029 para fortalecer el sector agroalimentario local mediante mayor presencia de productos navarros, apoyo a pequeños productores, innovación, sostenibilidad y colaboración público-privada.

Europatat elected Peter Ton, COO of Royal HZPC Group, as President for 2026–2030 during its Brussels Congress. Members also reviewed strategy priorities, including trade, sustainability, water, nutrition, and potato research across Europe.

UK potato farmers face rising costs, weak prices, labour shortages and climate shocks after years of disruption. Profitability is under pressure, risking sector decline. Innovation, policy support and collaboration are key to future resilience.

Wageningen and the Dutch government are moving forward with a field trial of NTG-edited potatoes to strengthen resistance to late blight and reduce pesticide use, in a context of regulatory change in the European Union.

Royal HZPC Group CEO Hans Huistra joined Narendra Modi and top Dutch CEOs in The Hague to strengthen India–Netherlands cooperation, reinforcing HZPC’s growing strategic presence in India.

To combat the decline in the number of growers and in domestic production, the government is authorizing trials with GMO varieties, a disruptive move by European standards.

PotatoEurope 2026 will return to Germany on September 9-10, 2026, at the Rittergut Gestorf estate near Hanover, showcasing the latest technology and innovations in potato cultivation and processing.

KTH researchers developed peptide CS5 targeting Phytophthora infestans, cause of potato late blight. It blocks a key enzyme, stopping infection without harming crops and offering a sustainable alternative to chemical sprays as climate change spreads.

Wageningen University & Research starts new field trials with genetically modified potatoes. The potatoes tested in these field trials have been genetically modified by adding or switching off multiple genes.

New trials in Europe will evaluate genetically modified potatoes with enhanced resistance to diseases such as late blight, aiming to reduce pesticide use and provide evidence for the regulatory debate on new genomic techniques.

Clara Polzer moved from Munich to Friesland this summer for her new position as Head of Breeding Fresh Markets at HZPC Research. During the interview, the German thirty-something already speaks Dutch well.

Mycoverse, an agri-tech spin-out from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) developing biological crop protection using fungi, has raised EUR 2.4 million (USD 2.8 million) in pre-seed equity funding.

92% of farmers say their sustainability efforts go unrecognised, despite adopting an average of eight eco-friendly practices. While 85% would do more with financial support, low trust in government and policy confusion remain key barriers.

The UK has officially eradicated the Colorado Beetle following two years of intensive surveillance and biosecurity activity. The pest was detected in Kent in July 2023, with one further finding later that year.