7th Annual Biocontrol Industry Meeting (ABIM) in Lucerne, Switzerland 22th-24th October, 2012

At the seventh ABIM Conference in Lucerne, the prime international meeting of the biocontrol industry, novel and safe biological crop protection products have been presented and new trends in the global market were discussed.

The 7th Annual Biocontrol Industry Meeting (ABIM 2012) was held at the KKL Culture and Convention Center Lucerne, Switzerland on October 22th-24th 2012. The meeting is organised in cooperation by the International Biocontrol Manufacturers Association (IBMA) and the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL). ABIM provides an annual meeting place specifically adapted to the needs of the biocontrol industry

Plant protection with natural and biological systems allows for the sustainable production of healthy foods while refraining from the use of chemical pesticides. The biocontrol industry is based on many years of research and development.

During the three days of the last conference in 2012, over 540 delegates from 50 countries, representing more than 270 companies and organisations from all over the globe exchanged experience and obtained information on the latest products and developments on the world market. The vast majority of company representatives stated that they were highly satisfied with the outcome of the conference. In the scientific programme, 41 presentations covered the latest developments in market development, regulatory affairs and novel products for plant protection. In addition to the presentation, information was at display in stands in the exhibition hall. In the 8 professional group meetings (access exclusively to IBMA members) key issues of the industry were discussed and strategies common interest were developed.

Monday, 22th October, 2012

From - To	Programme
08.00 - 08.55 Clubroom 8	IBMA Executive Committee Meeting (IBMA EC members only)
09.00 - 09.55 Auditorium	IBMA Microbial Biocontrol Agents Professional Group Meeting
10.00 - 10.55 Clubrooms 6-7	IBMA Natural Products (Botanicals and Natural Products) Professional Group Meeting
11.00 - 11.55 Auditorium	IBMA Invertebrate Biocontrol Agents Professional Group Meeting
11.00 - 11.55 Clubrooms 6-7	IBMA RAAG Meeting (RAAG Members only)
12.00 - 13.25 Clubrooms 6-7	IBMA Regulatory Affairs Group Meeting
13.00 - 13.25 Auditorium	IBMA Semio-Chemicals (Pheromones) Professional Group Meeting
13.25 - 14.25 Auditorium	IBMA Pheromone Task Force Group Meeting (Task Force Members only)
15.00 -15.55 Clubrooms 6-7	IBMA Integrated Pest Management Group Meeting
16.00 - 17.15 Auditorium	AGM – IBMA members only and prospective members upon prior request to the General Secretariat as observers. Access to the auditorium from 15.40.
17.30 - 18.30 Auditorium	Welcome to ABIM 2012 Lucius Tamm (FiBL): Welcome on behalf of the organising committee. Owen Jones (President IBMA): Objectives of IBMA and ABIM 2012. Koppert Sponsored Pre-Aperitif Keynote Address Frank Uekötter (Rachel Carson Centre for Environment and Society, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich). Remarks on the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Publication of "Silent Spring".
18.30 - 20.30 Lucerne Hall	Aperitif sponsored by Koppert Biological Systems

Tuesday, 23th October, 2012

From - To	Programme
08.30 - 10.00 Auditorium	Plenary session 1: (Chair: Denise Munday) Regulatory harmonisation Henriette Christensen (PAN Europe): The contributions of an NGO to the implementation of the SUD. Ulf Heilig (IBMA): EFSA Reviews. Jeroen Meeussen (DG-SANCO): OECD Harmonisation - Activities of the BPSG. Beatrice Grenier (OECD): OECD IPM Workshop Actions Arising.
10.30 - 12.00 Auditorium	Plenary session 2: (Chair: Owen Jones) Industry and farming community experiences Hubertus Kleeberg (Trifolio-M): An applicant’s experience. Luc Peeters (Copa-Cogeca): Financial issues in implementing the use of biocontrol techniques. Jean-Pierre Princen (IBMA-France): Lessons learned from a trade association. Viv Powell (Horticultural Development Company): Giving growers access to tested biocontrol tools through a member state programme SCEPTRE.
13.30- 14.30 Auditorium	Plenary session 3: (Chair: Willem Ravensberg) Biocontrol solutions for unusual crops, soil and seed applications, and as herbicides and nematicides Andy Brown (Becker Underwood): Cabbages to bananas: biocontrol in Africa. Janne Kerovuo (Agradis): Tapping into plant associated microbial diversity. Edith Ladurner (Intrachem): B NEMguard® (a.s. refined garlic extract) for effective and sustainable control of nematodes in horticultural crops. Birgit Mitter (Austrian Institute of Technology): Bacterial endophytic inoculants for sustainable and enhanced crop production. Pam Marrone (Marrone Bio Innovations): MB010 - a new broad spectrum herbicide. Pam Marrone (Marrone Bio Innovations): Opportune - a selective Bioherbicide.
14.30 - 15.30 Auditorium	Plenary session 4: (Chair: Sergio Franceschini) Biocontrol solutions for diseases Jijakli Haïssam (Lallemand): Efficacy of Prestop® against soil borne and foliar pathogens on European crops. Marisé Borja (Plant Response Biotech): Latest results from research activities. Larry Parker (Westbridge): Blossom Protect - An effective alternative to antibiotics in controlling fireblight in the USA. Hubert Galy (Anadiag): Effect of Trichoderma spp. treatments reducing pathogens of grapevine cankers in grapevine nurseries. Jiří Uher (Biopreparáty): Pythium oligandrum control against ear fusarioses in cereal crops. Ibrahim Aksu (Ihsan Organik): The effect of some biological preparations against pathogens of tomato and turf and nematode pests of tomatoes.
16.30 - 18.00 Auditorium	Plenary session 5: (Chair: Bent Shack Iversen) Biocontrol solutions for insects, scale and mites Ignacio de Alfonso (Ecologia y Proteccion Agricola): A new product for the mating disruption of California Red Scale. Brahim Chermiti (Higher Agronomic Institute of Chott-Meriem): Frankliniella occidentalis sex trapping in protected peppers in Tunisia. Manuele Ricci (Bayer CropScience Biologics): Sustainable crop solutions for resistance management and lower residues. Rao Tolety (Active IPM): Pheromone developments in India including development of biodegradable traps. Carlo Duso (DAFNAE, University of Padua): Laboratory and semi-field studies on the efficacy of Beauveria bassiana (strain ATCC 74040) against Frankliniella occidentalis. Clare Storm (Exosect): Success with a mycoinsecticide formulation for grain storage treatment. Jarrod Leland (Novozymes Biologicals): Development of Metarhizium anisopliae strain F52 in North America and Europe. Ketan Mehta (Ecosense Labs): Microbial control of mealybugs in grapevines. Glen Slade (Oxitec): Engineered insects for species-specific biological pest control. Clive Newitt (Eden Research): The Use of Yeast Cell Walls as an Encapsulation Platform for Delivering Terpene Oils in Crop Protection Applications.
Lucerne Hall and Exhibition Foyer	Concurrent exhibition and 1-to-1 networking event.
18.00 - 18.30 Auditorium	Plenary session 6: (Chair: David Bernad) Bayer CropScience Biologics Sponsored Pre-Aperitif Keynote Address John McDougall (Phillips McDougall): Understanding R&D trends in agrochemical development for biocontrol companies.
18.30 - 19.30 Lucerne Hall	Aperitif sponsored by Bayer CropScience Biologics

Wednesday, 24th October, 2012

From - To	Programme
09.00 - 10.30 Auditorium	Plenary Session 7: (Chair: Vittorio Veronelli) Biocontrol as a business The business experiences of 4 companies through the eyes of their MD’s or Board Members. Paul Koppert (Koppert B.V.) Peter Innes (Becker Underwood Ltd) Christophe Maquin (De Sangosse S.A.S.) Peter Lüth (PROPHYTA Biologischer Pflanzenschutz GmbH)
11.00 – 12.30 Auditorium	Plenary Session 7 continued Lucius Tamm (FiBL): The organic market. Rob Wylie (Wheb Partners): Making yourself interesting to a 'Cleantec' investor. Marcus Meadows-Smith (Bayer CropScience Biologics): Experiences of a company during an acquisition by a multinational Agchem company. Chaired panel question time.
12.30 – 13.30	Lunch break
13.30 - 15.00 Auditorium	Plenary Session 8: (Chair: David Cary) Perspectives of biocontrol Matthias Bickel (GIZ): ASEAN Initiative. Roma Gwynn (Rationale Biopesticides Strategists): IBMA / BPIA Toolbox. Sarah Reiter (Bayer CropScience Biologics): Food Value Chain Outreach. Vittorio Veronelli (CBC): The future of the biocontrol industry.
Lucerne Hall and Exhibition Foyer	Concurrent exhibition and 1-to-1 networking event
15.00 Auditorium	Closing remarks and end of conference