Positive results for the Phosmet Phase-Out Plan

The key findings of the Phosmet Phase-out Plan were presented at a closing symposium on March 24 in Paris. Beyond the collective momentum generated by this initial work, the Plan has identified several levers for action that will serve as new resources to safeguard future rapeseed crops, secure farmers’ margins, and, more broadly, ensure France’s protein sovereignty.

With a budget of 6 million euros, the Phosmet Phase-Out Plan is primarily funded by Casdar funds from the Ministry of Agriculture, Agri-Food, and Food Sovereignty, by Terres Inovia and Sofiprotéol through interprofessional contributions (CVO) from the vegetable oils and proteins sector, by INRAE, and by contributions from companies and seed producers (excluding salaries for public sector employees).

The 11 research projects under the Phosmet Phase-out Plan, led by stakeholders in agricultural research and development, have helped to build knowledge and identify complementary approaches. The common goal was to develop and implement effective, sustainable, and practical alternative strategies to reduce the impact of fall pests on rapeseed. This collective strategy was based on improving knowledge of pests and beneficial insects, identifying solutions at the plant, field, and landscape levels, and transferring the identified solutions to farmers.

The Phosmet Phase-Out Plan also highlighted the potential of new approaches, the development of which will continue as part of future research programs:
 

• The use of chemical mediators to divert pests
  Compounds derived from Brassicaceae with properties that attract and repel the flea beetle have been identified and deemed promising. Their formulation still needs to be optimized and evaluated in the field. The characterization of key olfactory receptors in the large flea beetle should also significantly enhance the ability to identify new active compounds for use in biocontrol.
   
• Progress in plant breeding is emerging. In
  the short term, elite genotypes with good pest resistance are paving the way for new varieties based on this criterion. In the longer term, partial resistances identified among rapeseed parent species will enable the creation of varieties with improved performance.
   
• Identification of two promising biocontrol products to limit damage from the winter flea beetle, though the conditions favorable to their effectiveness still need to be better understood.
  The advances achieved under the Phosmet Phase-out Plan provide valuable insights for continuing research activities aimed at enhancing rapeseed competitiveness. Research into rapeseed pest management strategies continues, primarily within Parsada, the Strategic Action Plan for anticipating the potential European withdrawal of active ingredients and the development of alternative techniques for crop protection. Sofiprotéol, through the Strategic Action Fund for Oilseeds and Protein Crops (FASO), will also launch a call for projects dedicated to biocontrol in 2026.

The Phosmet Phase-Out Plan includes 330 plots for monitoring fall pests, 420 trials to evaluate agronomic strategies, 50 regions to test the strategy of diverting large flea beetles using trap crops, 109 advisors trained in the robust rapeseed approach, and 34 demonstration sites to promote combinations of agronomic strategies.
The unprecedented collective effort surrounding this Plan has not only enabled rapid action to produce benchmarks but has also significantly enhanced knowledge transfer capacity over three years. The Phosmet Phase-Out Plan has thus helped to strengthen farmers’ confidence in rapeseed cultivation and the expansion of rapeseed acreage, reaching 1.3 million hectares by 2025 with significant growth in certain regions most affected by production declines (980,000 hectares by 2022).