Eden Research’s Cedroz pesticide receives approval from Italian regulators

Eden Research plc, the AIM-quoted company focused on sustainable biopesticides and plastic-free formulation technology for use in global crop protection, animal health and consumer products industries, announces that its commercial collaborator, Eastman Chemical Company ("Eastman"), has received authorisation for the sale of Cedroz™ in Italy.

The approval in Italy covers tomato, eggplant, pepper, chili, pepino, cucumber, melon, courgette, pumpkin, and strawberries. The announcement follows the emergency authorisation of Cedroz™ in Italy in May 2020, to coincide with the growing season.

This is Eden's second product to be fully authorised in Italy with Eden's bio-fungicide Mevalone^® sold under the trade name 3LOGY^® by Sipcam since 2016. Both Cedroz and Mevalone are based on naturally-derived terpene active ingredients and encapsulated by Eden's patented Sustaine^® technology.

Italy is the second largest producer of fruit and vegetables in the EU, growing 10 million tonnes of fruit and around 7 million tonnes of vegetables annually. In addition, it boasts 1.9 million hectares of organic farming land in 2019, with demand for organic food continuing to increase, making it a key market for Eden. Cedroz has now been approved for use in four of the top five fruit producing markets in the European Union, including Spain, Portugal, Greece and now Italy.

Cedroz is a bio-nematicide which utilises Eden's terpene technology and controls root knot nematodes, a pest that causes severe damage to crops, both in open field and greenhouse situations, costing the global agriculture industry $80-100 billion each year.

Due to shifting consumer expectations and tighter regulation around traditional nematicides relied on by farmers across the European Union including in Italy, there is a growing opportunity for bio-nematicides, such as Cedroz, to take market share.Both active ingredients used in Cedroz, geraniol and thymol, are approved as organic inputs across the EU and are exempt from maximum residue limits. As a result, Cedroz addresses consumer demands for fewer synthetic chemical inputs and an absence of pesticide residues in food. Cedroz will provide growers in Italy with a more environmentally-friendly product and a much-needed alternative to traditional nematicides, with reliable efficacy.

Sean Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Eden, commented: "Today's authorisation represents an expansion of Eden's footprint inItaly, one of Europe's most significant agricultural markets. Last year's emergency authorisation of Cedroz in Italy highlighted the strong need for a sustainable alternative for growers in the Italian market and we are delighted that we have now gone one step further to full authorisation.

Cedroz has now been authorised in 9 countries and we look forward to continuing to work with our partners, including Eastman to further expand its footprint in this expanding gap in the market."

Guy Van Den Bossche, General Manager Crop Protection at Eastman, commented: "The registration of Cedroz in Italy will strengthen our Soil Care offer in one of the leading fruit and vegetable producing countries in the EU. It fits very well with the Integrated Pest Management approach that an increasing number of growers are adopting in response to consumer expectations for residue free crops."