Biocontrol: for competitive and sustainable agriculture

Faced with the triple disaster (on biodiversity, on human health, and recently, financially) caused by the use of synthetic chemical pesticides in all agricultural sectors, biocontrol offers tools adapted to modern, competitive and sustainable agriculture. Biocontrol encompasses biological control and integrated crop protection, based on the use of micro-organisms, macro-organisms, natural chemical solutions and environmentally-friendly mineral substances. Worldwide, the market for biocontrol products is growing at an annual rate of 40% in North America, 20% in Europe and Oceania, 10% in Latin and South America and 6% in Asia. Economists predict that the biopesticide market will continue to grow annually by around 10% as synthetic pesticides reach their peak and begin to decline in 15 years' time. Sales of plant protection products currently stand at 50 billion euros, of which only 10% are for biocontrol products, and will reach 90 billion euros by mid-century, with a 50% split between synthetic and biocontrol products. Biocontrol targets all sectors, providing the agronomist with four tools available on the market: biofertilizers, biostimulants, biopesticides and natural substances.

France ranks first in Europe in terms of usable agricultural land: 28.72 million hectares, ahead of Spain (23.65 million hectares) and Germany (16.70 million hectares). Agricultural land is devoted in particular to cereals, sugar beet, oilseeds and potatoes, but also to market gardening and perennial crops such as vines and fruit trees. France's agricultural production is the highest in Europe, amounting to 71 billion euros (including 40.4 billion euros for the vegetable sector, i.e. 19% of European production).

In terms of the quantities of active substances in PPP plant protection products, or phytosanitary products sold in 2017, France ranked second in Europe with 72,035 t, after Spain (76,940 t) and ahead of Italy (59,963 t) . However, in 2018, there was a notable increase in sales of PPP products (up to 85,876 t).

To combat the massive use of plant protection products, which are inevitably harmful to the environment, various government plans have been put in place in France. Firstly, the Ecophyto plan, initiated in 2008 and regularly updated to incorporate the action plan on PPPs and for agriculture less dependent on pesticides of April 25, 2018, as well as the glyphosate phase-out plan announced on June 22, 2018. Secondly, the establishment of the Biocontrol consortium,...