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Marcel Bruins

@marcelbruins.bsky.social

Founder & CEO of Bruins Seed Consultancy. Also Editorial Director of Seed World Europe. Former Secretary-General of the International Seed Federation (ISF). Ph.D. in Plant Breeding & Plant Pathology.

432 Followers  |  1,598 Following  |  52 Posts  |  Joined: 04.02.2025
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Posts by Marcel Bruins (@marcelbruins.bsky.social)

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EU–UK SPS Chapter Negotiations: The Seed Trade Reset We Can’t Afford to Botch After years of post-Brexit disruption, EU–UK SPS negotiations offer a critical chance to simplify seed trade. Reduced border delays, regulatory alignment, and greater predictability could cut costs an...

www.seedworld.com/europe/2026/...

23.02.2026 21:37 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Europe Can’t Afford to Fall Behind: Jessica PolfjΓ€rd on the EU’s NGT Turning Point Europe’s new agreement on New Genomic Techniques marks a turning point for plant breeding and seed innovation. Led by MEP Jessica PolfjΓ€rd, the NGT dossier balanced science, politics, and national int...

EU agreement on NGTs marks a key step for plant breeding & innovation.
As rapporteur, MEP Jessica PolfjΓ€rd led a complex file, balancing science, patents & food security.
In our interview, she explains why modernising EU rules matters for farmers, competitiveness & climate resilience.
bit.ly/4sfm8Hk

27.02.2026 13:02 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Selling Abundance in a World Addicted to Scarcity Part 2 explores Hidde Boersma’s techno-optimistic vision for sustainable agriculture, highlighting WePlanet, ecomodernism, CRISPR, land sparing and high-yield farming. It examines how storytelling, fi...

Sustainability can be a story of abundance, not restraint.

Hidde Boersma talks about WePlanet, land sparing, & why high-yield agriculture and the seed sector need a confident place in the sustainability debate.

#Sustainability #FoodSystems #AgInnovation #SeedSector

bit.ly/4aKghDT

02.03.2026 10:43 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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Check out our Starter Pack!

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03.03.2026 11:47 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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The Agricultural Crop Licensing Platform Extends to Ornamental and Fruit Crops After three years, the Agricultural Crop Licensing Platform (ACLP) has expanded to include ornamental, fruit, and forest crops, strengthening access to patented traits across Europe. The platform now ...

ACLP expands to ornamental, fruit & forest crops, broadening access to patented traits across Europe. With ~95% of patented ag traits covered and transparent disclosure via PINTO, the platform continues to strengthen fair, secure plant breeding licensing.

bit.ly/4b15Pa6

03.03.2026 11:25 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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a blue sky with a butterfly and the word bluesky on it ALT: a blue sky with a butterfly and the word bluesky on it

We are now on Bluesky.

Same focus: business-critical updates, in-depth storytelling, and forward-looking insight for the global seed sector. We’re here for informed, constructive dialogue.

Follow us today!

26.02.2026 11:00 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Beware Misinformation at School: Who’s Speaking to Our Kids? Recently, I was shocked to learn that the school of my children had invited Vandana Shiva as a guest speaker. For those of you who are unfamiliar with

www.seedworld.com/europe/2025/...

23.02.2026 21:43 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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30 Years of Safeguarding Innovation in a Changing World Amid climate change and resource pressures, the EU breeding sector relies on the Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO) to drive innovation and develop resilient, high-performing plant varieties.

www.seedworld.com/europe/2025/...

23.02.2026 21:41 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Fun Facts on Grasses You may think grass doesn’t affect your daily life too much, but grass actually affects a lot of things in your life, from air to alcohol. Here atΒ Seed World Europe, we thought you’d enjoy reading som...

www.seedworld.com/europe/2025/...

23.02.2026 21:40 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Rooted in Progress: Reinventing the Carrot for a Changing World Carrot breeding is evolving to meet modern challenges β€” from climate resilience and disease resistance to colour diversity and consumer appeal. Today’s breeders combine advanced genetics, grower colla...

www.seedworld.com/europe/2025/...

23.02.2026 21:38 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Filmmaker Hidde Boersma: Why High-Yield Innovation Belongs at the Centre of Sustainability This two-part interview with Dutch science journalist and filmmaker Dr. Hidde Boersma examines how a 1970s β€œharmony with nature” narrative came to define sustainability by promoting less growth and le...

www.seedworld.com/europe/2026/...

23.02.2026 21:37 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Seeds of Change, Part II – Breeding, Footprints and Future Pathways In Part 2 of Seed World Europe’s Seeds of Change series, leaders from Bayer, Semillas FitΓ³, RiceTec and Syngenta explain how sustainability in the seed sector goes beyond field traits to include opera...

www.seedworld.com/europe/2026/...

23.02.2026 21:37 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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EU–UK SPS Chapter Negotiations: The Seed Trade Reset We Can’t Afford to Botch After years of post-Brexit disruption, EU–UK SPS negotiations offer a critical chance to simplify seed trade. Reduced border delays, regulatory alignment, and greater predictability could cut costs an...

www.seedworld.com/europe/2026/...

23.02.2026 21:37 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Watermelon in the Lab and the Field: Breeding the Perfect Bite Modern watermelon breeding has evolved from boosting yield and sweetness to optimizing the entire value chain. Driven by seedless demand, fresh-cut growth, and quality-focused European markets, breede...

www.seedworld.com/europe/2026/...

23.02.2026 21:36 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Europe Can’t Afford to Fall Behind: Jessica PolfjΓ€rd on the EU’s NGT Turning Point Europe’s new agreement on New Genomic Techniques marks a turning point for plant breeding and seed innovation. Led by MEP Jessica PolfjΓ€rd, the NGT dossier balanced science, politics, and national int...

www.seedworld.com/europe/2026/...

23.02.2026 21:36 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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COβ‚‚ and Crops: The Yield Driver EU Policy Rarely Talks About Satellite data reveal rising COβ‚‚ has significantly boosted crop yields, especially wheat, more than many EU climate models acknowledge. An NBER study links real-world COβ‚‚ variation to higher maize, so...

www.seedworld.com/europe/2026/...

23.02.2026 21:35 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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#linkedin | Marcel Bruins | 12 comments For years I have been trying to build a space where professionals in plant breeding and plant science, seeds, agriculture, horticulture, farming and related fields can find each other more easily, and...

www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

23.02.2026 14:09 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Stop Penalizing Breeders for Their Own Success In a number of UPOV member countries, outdated interpretations of the novelty requirement mean that commercializing a hybrid variety may invalidate novelty for its parent lines β€” even if those lines w...

www.seedworld.com/europe/2025/...

23.02.2026 13:26 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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What The Selfish Gene Can Teach the Seed Sector Over the holidays, I finished re-reading Richard Dawkins’ The Selfish Gene, a book that reshaped our understanding of evolution. Nearly 50 years after its 1976 publication, its insights remain relevan...

www.seedworld.com/europe/2025/...

23.02.2026 13:26 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Plant Breeders: The Unsung Heroes in the Battle Against Misinformation At the European UC Davis Plant Breeding Academy in the Netherlands, I highlighted the importance of communication in plant breeding, emphasizing that while breeders drive food security and sustainabil...

www.seedworld.com/europe/2025/...

23.02.2026 13:25 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Why Facts Must Prevail Over Political Convenience Seed World Europe Editorial Director Marcel Bruins just finished reading De plantenjager uit Leningrad (The Plant Hunter from Leningrad) by Louise O. Fresco, and it left me unsettled β€” in the best pos...

www.seedworld.com/europe/2025/...

23.02.2026 13:25 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Thirty Years of the TRIPS Agreement In 2025, the TRIPS Agreement turns 30 β€” a key moment for the seed sector. Over the past three decades, it has shaped how new plant varieties are developed, protected, and traded. Article 27.3(b), in p...

www.seedworld.com/europe/2025/...

23.02.2026 13:24 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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From Multilateralism to Plurilateralism: What’s at Stake for the Global Seed Sector? The global trade and regulatory landscape is shifting from broad multilateralism to plurilateral agreements among select countries. This trend is especially clear in the seed sector, where harmonized ...

www.seedworld.com/europe/2025/...

23.02.2026 13:24 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Is Multilateralism Dead? The Lima Breakdown and the Future of Global Seed Cooperation GB11 of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources (ITPGRFA) ended without an agreement in Lima (24–29 Nov 2025), exposing deep fractures in global seed cooperation. Talks collapsed over Mult...

www.seedworld.com/europe/2025/...

23.02.2026 13:23 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Europe’s New NGT Agreement: What the Trilogue Deal Means for Plant Breeding Europe is finally reviving EU plant-breeding innovation. After the 2018 court decision pushed NGTs into outdated GMO rules, the new 2025 NGT regulation creates a two-category system that better matche...

www.seedworld.com/europe/2025/...

23.02.2026 12:36 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Locked Genes, Lost Opportunities? The shift from viewing seeds as a common heritage to recognizing national sovereignty over genetic resourcesβ€”formalized by the CBD (1993) and ITPGRFA (2004)β€”aimed to ensure fairness and prevent biopir...

www.seedworld.com/europe/2025/...

23.02.2026 12:35 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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When Red Tape Chokes Green Progress Europe’s slow approval process for crop protection products β€” often 8–12 years β€” delays sustainable innovation and limits farmers’ tools. This slows adoption of greener practices, reduces resilience, ...

www.seedworld.com/europe/2025/...

23.02.2026 12:35 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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ISF Papers Outline a Roadmap for Climate-Resilient, High-Yield Agriculture Sustainability in agriculture starts with seed, argue Ben Rivoire and Khaoula Belhaj-Fragnière of the International Seed Federation. New ISF papers highlight how plant breeding innovation boosts yield...

www.seedworld.com/europe/2026/...

23.02.2026 12:34 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Top 10 Best Read Stories on Seed World Europe in 2025 Discover Seed World Europe’s most-read seed sector stories of 2025. After a year of coverage on innovation, policy shifts, industry debate and the people driving change, these articles rose above the ...

www.seedworld.com/europe/2026/...

23.02.2026 12:33 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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The World Got a New Pair of Scissors! - Seed World Introducing the world's first pair of scissors made from recycled plastic: the perfect tool for eco-friendly crafting! Learn more about this innovative product.

Flash back to 2020, when the world got a new pair of scissors and the Nobel prize went to Crispr: www.seedworld.com/europe/2020/... #crispr #gene-editing #plantbreeding #seed #nobel #nobelprize

23.02.2025 13:55 β€” πŸ‘ 7    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0