Congress Programme
| MONDAY 3 NOVEMBER 2025 | ||
| 18.00 – 19.00 | Pre-congress drinks reception and presentation of BCPC Awards The Imaginarium Suite, Cedar Court Hotel |
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| DAY 1 – TUESDAY 4 NOVEMBER 2025 | ||
| 08.00 – 09.15 | Registration and refreshments | |
| 09.15 – 09.25 | Welcome and introduction Julian Westaway (General Manager, British Crop Production Council, BCPC) |
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| Morning session: From global outlook to local action: The future of food production and supply | ||
| 09.25 – 09.30 | Chair: David Bell (Chair, Voluntary Initiative) | |
| 09.30 – 10.00 | Keynote speaker: Thriving in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world Allan Wilkinson (Head of Agrifoods, HSBC UK Bank plc) |
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| 10.00 – 10.30 | European Commission’s vision for agriculture and food, and the implications for food security Corrado Finardi (Director of Regulatory Affairs, CropLife Europe) |
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| Morning break: exhibition & networking 10.30 – 11.00 | ||
| 11.00 – 11.30 | AHDB’s assessment on UK food production, security and supply policy and pressures on UK agriculture Sarah Woolford (Cereal and Oilseeds Director, Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB)) |
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| 11.30 – 12.00 | The opportunities for UK production and the backdrop of global patterns of trade Robert Sheasby (Chief Executive, Agricultural Industries Confederation) |
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| 12.00 – 12.30 | Q&A session Chair and all speakers |
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| Lunch 12.30 – 13.25 | ||
| Afternoon session: Trade, regulations and the future of food security | ||
| 13.25 – 13.30 | Chair: Tony Pexton (Farmer) | |
| 13.30 – 14.00 | Global grain markets Cecilia Pryce (Head of Compliance, Shipping and Research, Openfield) |
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| 14.00 – 14.30 | Matching food supply with availability and cost Rob Parker (G’s Growers Nurseries Ltd, Managing Director) |
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| Afternoon break: exhibition & networking 14.30 – 15.00 | ||
| 15.00 – 15.30 | Our Smart Farm: Building crop production resilience through field-scale monitoring and modelling Mike Rivington (Scientist, James Hutton Institute) |
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| 15.30 – 16.00 | Global outlook on the future of IPM and pesticides Dick Shaw (Senior Regional Director (Europe & The Americas), CABI) |
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| 16.00 – 16.30 | The impact of climate change on pest and disease risk in the UK Prof Dan Bebber (Professor of Ecology, Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter) |
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| 16.30 – 17.00 | Q&A session Chair and all speakers |
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| 17.00 | Close of day 1 | |
| 17.00 – 18.30 | Drinks reception with guest speaker, to be announced The Imaginarium Suite, Cedar Court Hotel |
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| DAY 2 – WEDNESDAY 5 NOVEMBER 2025 | ||
| 08.00 – 09.00 | Registration and refreshments | |
| Morning session: Issues influencing future of crop protection and use of PPPs | ||
| 09.00 – 09.10 | Chair: Hazel Doonan (Head of Crop Protection and Agronomy Sector, Agricultural Industries Confederation) | |
| 09.10 – 10.25 | BCPC Expert Groups: Current and future strategies for crop protection
Presentations followed by Q&A session |
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| Morning break: exhibition & networking 10.25 – 10.55 | ||
| 10.55 – 11.25 | How policy can drive plant breeding innovation Anthony Hopkins (Head of Policy, British Society of Plant Breeders) |
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| 11.25 – 12.25 | Next generation of plant protection products
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| 12.25- 12.45 | Q&A session Chair and all speakers |
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| Lunch 12.45 – 13.40 | ||
| PPPs usage and regulation | ||
| 13.40 – 13.50 | Chair: Chris Hartfield (Senior Regulatory Affairs Adviser, NFU) | |
| 13.50 – 14.20 | Sixty years of pesticide usage surveys – changes in arable crops over time Tracey Chantry (Pesticide Usage Surveyor, Fera) |
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| 14.20 – 14.50 | An update on UK Pesticides Policy in 2025 Helena Busby (Deputy Director, Defra) |
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| 14.50 – 15.20 | Latest regulatory updates from HSE: Responding and adapting to change Matthew Penrose (Head of Unit, Health and Safety Executive, Chemicals Regulation Division) |
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| 15.20- 16.20 | Q&A session Chair and all speakers |
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| 16.20 – 16.30 | Close of Congress Julian Westaway (General Manager, BCPC) |
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Programme subject to change
