Eden Research product granted temporary approval in Greece

Sustainable biopesticide developer Eden Research announced on Monday that its Cedroz product has been granted temporary approval in Greece for the 2024 growing season.

The AIM-traded firm said the approval, in accordance with EU Regulation 1107/2009, allowed Cedroz to be used on potatoes to combat wireworms.

Cedroz, distributed in Greece by Eastman Chemical - Eden's commercial partner in several countries - would provide farmers with a new tool to protect potato crops from wireworms.

The pests, which are the larvae of click beetles, cause significant damage to potatoes by creating holes and tunnels, leading to reduced crop quality and yield.

Eden said the increasing prevalence of wireworms had left farmers with limited options, most of which rely on synthetic insecticides.

With an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 hectares of potato fields in Greece affected by wireworms, it said Cedroz presented a substantial commercial opportunity beyond its established role as a nematicide in horticultural crops.

“The granting of this temporary approval indicates that there are no other commercially available, viable alternatives to Cedroz for this particular use,” said chief executive officer Sean Smith.

“We have seen in previous trials, and even under a previously granted temporary approval in Italy on wireworms, that the product works well and, as such, we are confident that there is a strong business case for this use.”

At 1147 BST, shares in Eden Research were up 6.1% at 4.35p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.