BioWorks appoints José Carvalho as Regulatory Director to accelerate biological innovation in Europe
BioWorks Europe welcomes José Carvalho to its team as Regulatory Director, supporting the faster introduction of innovative biological crop solutions across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
José Carvalho joins BioWorks at a crucial time: demand for biological solutions continues to grow, while long and complex registration procedures make Europe miss the innovation window for biological solutions.
Strengthening regulatory expertise
José Carvalho brings more than 20 years of experience in the agricultural industry. Throughout his career, he has held various roles across the industry and has been actively involved in regulatory and industry initiatives related to biopesticides and microbial solutions, including the IBMA Microbial Professional Group and the OECD Expert Group on Biopesticides (EGBP).
“What attracted me to BioWorks was the combination of a highly innovative portfolio, strong company values and the ambition to bring Brazilian biological innovation to Europe,” says José Carvalho. “The products exist, the products work and growers are already using them successfully in other markets. European growers should have fair access to these same innovations that support both sustainable production and farm profitability.”
The challenge: Europe’s time-to-market
According to Carvalho, one of the biggest challenges for the biological industry in Europe is not the technology itself, but the time needed to bring innovation to market. While biological products in Brazil can reach the market within a year, European registration timelines can extend from six to ten years, or longer.
Faster innovation cycles and strong market competition in Brazil have helped create one of the world’s most dynamic biological agriculture markets, driving continuous development of next-generation biological products.
The solution: introducing proven innovation from Brazil to Europe
BioWorks Europe and BIOTROP in Brazil are both part of BioFirst Group, one of the world’s largest pure biological players in agriculture. This gives BioWorks direct access to biological innovations proven under large-scale commercial farming conditions in Brazil.
“Europe is the most complex region in the world for registering biopesticides, while growers urgently need new tools as conventional solutions continue to disappear from the market,” says Lara Ramaekers, Vice-President at BioWorks. “Our mission is to make sure innovative products, already proven in Brazil, also become available to European growers as well. Increased use of biosolutions can help Europe reduce its dependence on global supply networks and strengthen the resilience of local food production.”
BioWorks sees José Carvalho’s appointment as an important step in strengthening its regulatory capabilities and supporting strong growth across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. This growth will contribute to BioFirst Group’s ambitious long-term vision of becoming one of the world’s top 10 agchem companies with a 100% pure biosolutions portfolio.
