ECPA Director General Schmider Retires

Posted by David Frabotta|18 April 2014

Industry leaders bid farewell to longtime industry stalwart Dr. Friedhelm Schmider, retiring director general of the European Crop Protection Association, at a retirement gala on February 17 at the historic Bibliotheque Solvay in Leopold Park, Brussels, Belgium.

1 of 12

1 of 12

“There has been a huge decline of public trust, not only in agriculture. We need to be able to see the opportunity and the responsibility, visualize the failure and the success,” said retiring ECPA Director General Dr. Friedhelm Schmider.
2 of 12

“Whenever I hear certain NGOs criticizing our industry, I am affronted, mainly because it ignores the passion and dedication of people like Friedhelm for both nature and conservation, something which he has of course practiced in our industry for more than 25 years,” said ECPA President John Parr in a farewell speech.
3 of 12

Former ECPA President Vincent Gros addressed Schmider in a farewell speech, “With your excellent understanding of environmental and regulatory topics, your very open mindset and your excellent, well-established network to all relevant stakeholders, specifically to the European Commission, you played an important role in shaping the regulatory and political environment for our industry in Europe.”
4 of 12

Schmider, left, and Gros, seated, attend a farewell gala for Schmider alongside industry professionals.
5 of 12

Attendees gather in the library’s central reading room to hear parting words of wisdom from Schmider as he discusses the philosophy underlying his approach to the position in the past and what he foresees in the organization’s future.
6 of 12

Attendees snack on hors d’oeuvres at a farewell gala for former Schmider.
7 of 12

Many industry professionals turned out to wish Schmider a fond farewell.
8 of 12

From left, Gros, Schmider and Parr pose together at a farewell function for Schmider.
9 of 12

From left, new ECPA Director General Jean-Charles Bocquet, CropLife America CEO Jay Vroom and Schmider pose next to a photo of Schmider and his dog.
10 of 12

A chef prepares a selection of olives, meats, breads, and hors d’oeuvres at the farewell gala.
11 of 12

The Basement Apes play rock, soul and R&B for the crowd that turned out to say goodbye.
12 of 12

A photo of former Schmider and his dog surrounded by the autographs of colleagues will serve as a memento upon his retirement. His plans for the future include restoring a farmhouse and a vineyard.

Schmider served as Director General from May 1, 2002 to November 5, 2013.

“It is a position that he has worked in tirelessly and with great commitment for more than 10 years. Whether it has been in managing the various regulatory challenges or promoting our stewardship and safe use initiatives, Friedhelm has represented all that is good about our industry and has always underlined its proud contribution to the sustainable intensification of agriculture in Europe,” said ECPA President John Parr in a speech at the gala.

During his tenure, he navigated regulatory challenges, market forces and trends in legislation and policy. He enabled the organization to adapt to European Regulation (EC) No. 396/2005 of 2005 which set maximum residue level limits. He guided the organization through changes brought on by Regulation (EC) No. 1107/2009 of 2009 which amended previous crop protection product legislation contained in Directive 91/414/EEC.

He developed a reputation for mediating discussions between private stakeholders.

Top Articles

Argentina Crop Protection Market: Export and Import Tax Update

“Friedhelm’s great skill was in managing the differences of opinion between the companies, and more often than not, helping us to reach a consensus and agreement,” said Parr.

“We have to have a common purpose, to grow Europe, and we need to bring together stakeholders who have an interest in the future,” Schmider said in parting remarks at the event.

He stressed the importance of outreach and innovation in the organization’s message of promoting safe use initiatives and environmental stewardship throughout Europe. He was influential in structuring the T2C, Time to Change industry effort which aims to educate the public about perceptions of how farm chemicals and industry practices affect clean water, human health and biodiversity.

“I believe that it is in everyone’s interest that we recognize there is a need to stimulate a business environment which promotes and enables increased investment and innovation in new technologies – and looks for resources for knowledge sharing – as this will be key to creating jobs for the younger generation, the future of Europe, our future,” Schmider said at the event.

“It has been my pleasure to work on behalf of the crop protection industry – in Brussels and around the world,” Schmider said in a press release. “We have accomplished a lot in showing how vital our industry is to the future of sustainable and productive farming, and how integral it is to our very way of life in Europe. There is still a lot to do to ensure that policy in Europe better supports R&D and innovation, crucial to job creation in Europe, as well as maintaining a competitive, sustainable agriculture. I am confident that [new Director General] Jean-Charles Bocquet and the ECPA team will continue this important work in the years to come.”

Schmider earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Biology in 1979 and his Ph.D. in Crop Production and Environment in 1985 from the Department of Soil Science of the University of Hohenheim, Germany. His further academic background is in biology, agriculture, and forestry. His career in crop protection began in 1985 when he joined BASF as a biologist researching pesticides. He was promoted four years later to Group Leader for Field Studies and Residue Project Management. Two years after that he became Group Leader for Environmental Fate, and in 1995 was promoted to Director of Registration and Environmental Fate. In 1998 he became Director of Regional Marketing Crop Protection for the Asia Pacific region and worked in Tokyo and Hong Kong. In 2000 he became Director of Global Regulatory affairs. He served in this position until 2002 when he joined ECPA as Director General.

He plans to spend his time restoring a farmhouse and a vineyard.

Jean-Charles Bocquet has assumed the post of Director General. Bocquet was the Director General of the Union des Industries de la Protection des Plantes (UIPP) and an executive at DuPont and Roussel Uclaf. He holds a degree in Plant Protection and Environment from the Ecole Nationale Superieure Agronomique in Rennes, France.

See the June issue of Farm Chemicals International for more on new ECPA Director General Jean-Charles Bocquet and regulatory challenges the organization is working on in 2014 and beyond.