INDUSTRIAL CROPS AND PRODUCTS AND EUROPEAN-UNION RESEARCH POLICY

Industrial crops and products have gained momentum in the past years f or political, environmental and technological reasons. The reform of t he Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) allows for a number of new industr ial crops to be grown on set aside land with full hectare premium. Bio technology has led to significant quantitative and qualitative improve ments in breeding, primary production and processing. Specific technol ogical properties of biological raw materials and an increasing consum er awareness of environmental issues have driven industry to show grea ter interest in the market opportunities for 'green' products based on renewables. The European Commission is supporting research on industr ial crops and products since 1988 under different specific programmes (ECLAIR, AIR, FAIR) with steadily increasing budgets. Projects funded under the ongoing FAIR programme aim at the development of new markets , products and processes for the raw materials coming from agriculture , forestry and fisheries, leading to environmentally friendly products and meeting the demands of the end user and consumer. Integrated, mul tidisciplinary projects and networks bring together producers and user s of biological raw materials in co-operation with academics and indus try. Traditional and modern biotechnological methods are employed in a n effort to improve the quality and develop a better understanding of the function of biological materials with a view to their subsequent u tilisation. Integrated systems and models are developed that improve t he homogeneity and security of supply and use in the chemical, energy and forest products industries, and to achieve cost-efficient and envi ronmentally sound processing technologies. The purpose of this paper i s to give an overview of the different scientific, technological and s ocio-economic aspects of industrial crops and products and will descri be how European research programmes and policies have so far contribut ed to the development of this sector. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.