organic
For more than 15 years, Lidea has been supporting farmers and agricultural sectors in developing new practices. With an extensive multi-crops offer and more than 60 varieties among over 9 crops, Lidea is in a position to anticipate and support organic farming development to meet current and future requirements. To meet the expectations of different countries, Lidea offers a wide range of organic and untreated crop seeds.
To supply seeds to the organic agriculture market, seed companies must meet regulatory specifications and European standards. The regulations are based on the European Union Plant variety database and seed control and certification.
Certified organic products are those which have been produced, stored, processed, handled and marketed in accordance with precise technical standards and certified as “organic” by an accreditation body. Lidea’s seed growing and processing activities are certified as organic by Ecocert, an independent certification and inspection body applying official organic regulations. This guarantees quality and avoids the risk of contamination by conventional seeds and phytosanitary products.
Lidea has more than 15 years of experience in organic seed production, investing every year to increase production capacity and to obtain ever more efficient equipment.
Lidea’s factory in Caussade, France, has a dedicated organic production line as well as specific storage facilities to manage the insect risk. The crops undergo rigorous controls at every stage of the process from harvesting to shipping:
- conformity to a specific quality charter
- packaging line adapted to organic seeds
- quality control throughout reception, drying, seed sizing, bagging
- densimetric and optical sorting.
Expertise to support conversion
Organic farming represents 4% of Lidea’s overall production. For the past three years, Lidea has grown its organic production by 20% annually, and by 2025 it aims to reach 12-15%.
This production is mainly focused on corn, sunflower, soybean, sorghum and cereals. Production sites are located in France, Austria, and Spain.
Technical managers accompany farmers throughout the cultivation cycle. This expertise allows them to better understand the genetic behaviour of Lidea’s products under the environmental characteristics of the particular plot.
Lidea’s teams can provide support to all conversions to organic seeds farming. The diversity of zones and climatic conditions of organic production enables Lidea to meet a wide range of needs for the coming years.
Lidea is a subcontractor and a recognised partner in seed production all over Europe.
Lidea’s Fresh Ideas and product offer
Lidea proposes a multi-crop offer allowing organic farmers to manage a complete rotation for their fields, adding complementary crops to prevent soil diseases, insect pests, weed problems, and to improve soil quality.
In addition to field crops (сorn, sunflower, rapeseed, forage, sorghum, soybean), Lidea develops a plant cover crop offer to introduce maximum diversity beyond the harvested crops. For example, plant cover crops produce biomass which is returned to soil and maintains soil fertility. They also limit soil erosion and improve soil structure and can contribute to nitrogen autonomy.