Introduction

When the Common Agricultural Policy was implemented and the respective series of Common Market Organisations were introduced from the beginning of the early 1960s, also seeds of agricultural and horticultural species became regulated by a number of seed marketing Directives. At the same time, the seed industry, which historically always had been a highly regulated and controlled business also at the level of regions and nation states as well as by intra-industry agreements, felt the need to organise structures that would match the new powers and provisions of the European Community.

So in 1961 COSEMCO (Seed Trade), in 1964 ASSOPOMAC (Potato Breeders), in 1970 AMUFOC (Forage Seed Production) and in 1977 COMASSO (Plant Breeders) were founded, each representing important parts of the plant breeding, seed production and marketing chain.

In 1998, the organisational structure of the European Seed Associations was created as a common roof of the still existing four European Associations as well as representing already a number of individual vegetable seed companies. It was soon felt that in view of the changing political and administrative environment and the multitude of common tasks and interests, an even closer integration would be needed in order to keep up with the increasing pace of legislative developments at the EU as well as the international level.

The new ESA European Seed Association was founded in November 2000 and merges the former members, i.e. associations as well as individual companies into one single EU wide organisation representing the totality of the European seed industry active in research, breeding, production and marketing of seeds.

June 2000.

History:

• 1961: COSEMCO
• 1964: ASSOPOMAC
• 1970: AMUFOC
• 1977: COMASSO
• 1998: European Seed  Associations
• 2000: ESA European Seed  Association