Crop protection product distributors Terrachem are to take on Alltech Crop Science’s Irish biostimulant and nutrient portfolio this spring.

Alltech Crop Science has been a major driver in microbial fermentation and nutri-genomic research in Ireland and have a developed a range of natural-based products specifically for the crop sector aimed at improving crop health and reducing stress in improving yields.

Alltech have invested heavily in their crop research programme in Ireland.

Terrachem will exclusively distribute the product range for potato and field crops in the Irish market both north and south.

Biostimulants in the EU

The use of biostimulants in crop production has been a growing area across Europe due to in part to their organic nature and a growing awareness of the products among farmers.

In 2018, the European market for crop biostimulant products was valued at €810.32m. By 2023 this is expected to rise to €1.35bn.

In June 2019, the European Union published its new Fertilising Products Regulation (FPR) (EU) 2019/1009 which recognised plant biostimulants as a distinct category of agricultural inputs. From 16 July 2022, biostimulants will bear the “CE” mark, which will allow free market access to all EU member states.

The EU has provided a clear definition of a plant biostimulant as a product composed of substances, micro-organisms, and/or other materials able to stimulate nutrition processes independently of its nutrient content, either in the plant or its surrounding growing environment, that improve the plant’s nutrition use efficiency, to tolerance to abiotic stress, and/or the crop quality.

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