In the news release, Novo Holdings and DLG Group join forces to
advance sustainable crop production, issued 27-Jun-2024 by Novo Holdings over PR Newswire, we
are advised by the company that the 6th paragraph, last sentence,
should read "we hope that a more innovation-friendly regulatory
environment in Europe will be
capable of embracing new discoveries," rather than as originally
issued inadvertently. The complete, corrected release follows:
Novo Holdings and DLG Group join forces to advance sustainable crop
production
COPEHAGEN, Denmark, June 27,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Novo Holdings and DLG Group
today announced a strategic partnership to advance sustainable
agriculture and food systems. The initial phase includes Novo
Holdings acquiring 25% of the shares in Sejet Plant Breeding
(Sejet), a leader in agricultural innovation owned by DLG
Group.
Since 1947, Sejet has been a leading contributor to agricultural
innovation, developing and delivering essential genetics of field
crops such as wheat and barley that enable farmers to produce
greater output with fewer resources. Sejet is one of Europe's most advanced plant breeding
companies and employs some of the most talented plant breeders in
the region.
Utilising the newest breeding technologies, the mission of Sejet
is to breed novel and improved crop varieties that adapts to
current and future growing conditions. The goal is to create crop
varieties that combine robustness with productivity, thereby
reducing the CO2 footprint of the arable land. Plant
breeding also plays a crucial role in enhancing disease resistance,
improving nutrient and water efficiency, and increasing the quality
of crops for both animal feed and human consumption.
The initial aim of the partnership between Novo Holdings and DLG
Group is to scale up Sejet's existing business and invest in new
technologies that can accelerate crop variety development.
Secondarily, the partnership aims to increase Sejet's market share
in Europe.
Plant breeding to support the green transition
On average, plant breeding enhances agricultural yields by
about one percent annually*[1] and facilitates the development of
future climate-resilient plants, capable of nourishing the world's
expanding population. New genomic techniques, such as CRISPR, can
very effectively speed up the breeding process and enable the
introduction of new traits beneficial for both cultivation,
quality, and climate.
Plant breeding has become a significant topic on the political
agenda and within the agribusiness, as it contributes to more
sustainable crop production worldwide, ultimately supporting the
green transition in the agricultural sector, and ensuring local
food supply. The use of new genomic techniques is currently limited
by EU regulations but we hope that a more innovation-friendly
regulatory environment in Europe
will be capable of embracing new discoveries.
Jesper Pagh, Group COO, DLG
Group, said: "Joining forces with a world-leading life science
investor such as Novo Holdings is a great opportunity and an
important step for our company and farmer owners. We have a shared
ambition of advancing sustainable agriculture and food systems to
feed the growing population globally, while also considering
biodiversity, people, and the planet. Inviting Novo Holdings into
Sejet is an obvious first step in what we anticipate will become a
successful and long-term partnership comprising complementary
skills and a shared commitment to create a more sustainable future
for agriculture."
Aleks Engel, Partner,
Planetary Health Investments, Novo Holdings, said: "We are
thrilled to announce our partnership with DLG Group, a company that
has been at the forefront of agricultural innovation for more than
a century. Sejet's proven track record of innovation and
profitability, coupled with its robust customer contracts, aligns
perfectly with our strategic goals. The anticipated deregulation in
European plant breeding presents a unique opportunity to leverage
Sejet's expertise as an innovation platform. This partnership
signifies our commitment to advancing agricultural technologies to
feed the world sustainably."
About Novo Holdings A/S
Novo Holdings is a holding and investment company that is
responsible for managing the assets and the wealth of the Novo
Nordisk Foundation. The purpose of Novo Holdings is to improve
people's health and the sustainability of society and the planet by
generating attractive long-term returns on the assets of the Novo
Nordisk Foundation. Wholly owned by the Novo Nordisk Foundation,
Novo Holdings is the controlling shareholder of Novo Nordisk A/S
and Novonesis A/S (Novozymes A/S) and manages an investment
portfolio with a long-term return perspective. In addition to
managing a broad portfolio of equities, bonds, real estate,
infrastructure and private equity assets, Novo Holdings is a
world-leading life sciences investor. Through its Seeds, Venture,
Growth, Asia, Planetary Health
Investments and Principal Investments teams, Novo Holdings invests
in life science companies at all stages of development. As of
year-end 2023, Novo Holdings had total assets of EUR 149 billion. www.novoholdings.dk
About the Novo Nordisk Foundation
Established in Denmark in 1924,
the Novo Nordisk Foundation is an enterprise foundation with
philanthropic objectives. The vision of the Foundation is to
improve people's health and the sustainability of society and the
planet. The Foundation's mission is to progress research and
innovation in the prevention and treatment of cardiometabolic and
infectious diseases as well as to advance knowledge and solutions
to support a green transformation of society.
www.novonordiskfonden.dk/en
About DLG Group and Sejet
DLG Group is a leading European company operating within Food,
Energy and Housing, fulfilling some of the most basic needs of
people and society. The company is cooperatively owned by 25,000
Danish farmers. Although our roots are Danish, we have a global
outlook. From previously operating exclusively in Denmark, DLG Group has grown significantly
over the past 20 years, with operations in 18 countries and sales
to 70 countries across the world.
Driven by our desire to enable a better future for future
generations, we develop and deliver solutions and products that can
help our customers and owners transition to a greener future, while
transforming our own operations.
Sejet is a company within the DLG Group. Since 1947, Sejet has
developed new and improved crop varieties which are adapted to
today's requirements, to the benefit of agriculture and plant
breeders. It is today one of Europe's leading and most modern plant
breeding companies with its own breeding program and a large
representation program abroad.
[1]
https://www.wri.org/research/crop-breeding-renewing-global-commitment
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SOURCE Novo Holdings