Europatat Congress 2024: “Agri-food Businesses Should Embrace New Technologies”
The European potato community convened in Brussels, Belgium, on May 23 and 24, 2024, for the Europatat Congress. This year’s event, which drew more than 100 people from more than 15 different European and non-European nations, featured two days of events: a public conference titled “European Potato Trade in 2030: a sector in transition” and internal sessions for Europatat members.
The Europatat Congress, which took place on the eve of the European elections, gave attendees the chance to talk with fellow participants and European lawmakers about how the potato trade should change in the coming decade.
During the meetings of its five Commissions (consumer potatoes, seed potatoes, sustainability, technical and regulatory concerns, and RUCIP) on May 23, Europatat members reviewed the many activities of the association. The most recent information on important subjects, such as plant health and food safety, corporate sustainability reporting, packaging, market conditions, and trends, among many other issues, was given by outside speakers, including members of the EC.
While important subjects like trade, plant health, and food safety will continue to be at the forefront of Europatat’s goals for the upcoming year, other dossiers like nutrition, sustainability reporting and measurement, and research on potatoes are also becoming more and more significant in the organization’s operations.
Declaring Vlastimil Rasocha as the association’s new vice-president, Tigran Richter, president of Europatat, formally started the meeting. A keynote address on how to continue to be relevant for individuals and society tomorrow and the day after tomorrow was then delivered by writer and business philosopher Rik Vera. To “surf the waves of change,” he says, agri-food businesses should embrace new technologies like artificial intelligence and use the 5Cs (critical thinking, cooperation, compassion, creativity, and curiosity).
Director for Markets and acting Deputy Director-General at DG Agri of the European Commission, Pierre Bascou, opened the afternoon focus session by highlighting the significance of potatoes as a “food staple worldwide and also in the EU” and their contribution “not only to EU agricultural sector but also to the EU economy.” With an eye toward the future, Bascou declared that the EC has already begun drafting the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) after 2027, taking into consideration the recommendations made during this winter’s Strategic Dialogue on the Future of Agriculture in the EU, which was initiated by EU President Ursula von der Leyen.
The Secretary General of Europatat, Berta Redondo Benito, stated at the end of the Europatat Congress 2024 that “we shouldn’t be afraid of the change as we have an exceptional product and engaged sector to work with,” even though these are tough and challenging times for the industry. She believes that cooperation, trust, and creativity are things that Europatat and potato dealers already do and should be further enhanced. In closing, Redondo introduced the digital campaign “7 days, 7 potato facts,” which was created by Europatat in honor of the inaugural International Day of Potato.
“We love and believe in potatoes, this is a great opportunity to go public and highlight their great environmental, nutritional and social aspects!”, Redondo Benito concluded.
