United Kingdom
April 23, 2020
RAGT's oilseed rape royalty scheme aims to reduce the financial risk associated with the crop.
Our unique oilseed rape royalty payment scheme designed to reduce the economic risk of establishing the crop will be available again this coming season following a successful pilot last autumn.
Many growers in the UK have been questioning the viability of growing oilseed rape following the loss of neonicotinoid seed treatments and greatly increased flea beetle pressure.
Under the scheme, oilseed rape growers who are forced to rip up failed crops will not be charged royalties on those areas, saving about £30/ha, around a third of the overall seed cost.
Two of our most recent varieties, RGT Nizza CL® and RGT Azzurite, are eligible for the scheme. They have been selected for their vigour to help growers stand the best chance of establishing an oilseed rape crop.
The scheme is the result of an agreement between RAGT Seeds and BIPO Ltd (Breeders’ Intellectual Property Office), which runs the well-established Royalty Area Collection scheme.
Growers simply declare the area of oilseed rape established by 1 November, on which they will pay royalty. Failed areas will be exempt, resulting in welcome savings that farmers can put towards re-establishing a replacement crop.
Last autumn, about 900ha of the crop was sold through the scheme. Overall, growers claimed on about 40% of the area, mainly due to tricky establishment conditions and very high flea beetle pressure in the affected areas. This triggered a significant reduction in their overall seed costs.
We understand that oilseed rape is a crop currently in crisis, and we want to do what we can to help mitigate the financial risk associated with the crop. This system allows us to do that from an establishment point of view, demonstrating RAGT Seeds’ continued support for UK agriculture.
How it works:
- Grower orders oilseed rape from usual source.
- Royalty only due once crop is established, based on established area.
- The grower must have a signed RAC (Royalty Area Collection) agreement and RAC number, or create one online (www.bipo.org.uk/create-new-rac-grower-agreement)
- Growers must declare area established by 1 November by completing a BIPO form sent out earlier. Any area left growing on or after that date will be subject to RAC
- Growers will need to return the form to BIPO by 30 November.
RGT Nizza
Newly promoted to the RL, RGT Nizza CL® is RAGT’s first offering of a Clearfield® variety, offering exceptional control of problem cruciferous weeds through the Clearfield® system
RGT Nizza is the highest yielding Clearfield® variety available. It is very vigorous in both autumn and spring and has good stem canker resistance.
RGT Azurite
RGT Azurite is a powerful performer, combining high biomass and outstanding disease resistance. It also exhibits exceptional autumn and spring vigour plus very good straw strength.
It has very strong phoma resistance coupled with good light leaf spot resistance, plus the added benefit of tolerance to turnip yellows virus.
Would you like to find out more? Get in touch with Tom Dummett, our Cereals and OSR product manager.
Species
