The cluster has established 4 strategic aims for its development policy:

• the Creation of new varieties and Varietal Innovation
• improving the health of seeds and plant
• Vegetables and Health
• the Countryside and Horticulture

Attributes

The Pays-de-la Loire area has a well-earned reputation and a history of expertise in the field of Specialist Vegetable Growing.

Activities associated with Specialist vegetable growing
Jobs and companies
25,000 jobs
4,000 companies
  
Research   
300 researchers and research-focussed academics   

Training
25 higher education establishments and
2,500 students

World’s leading producer of Champignon de Paris

France’s biggest producer of:
•    Pot plants, bedding plants, bulbs, seedlings
•    Flower and vegetable seeds
•    Medicinal plants
•    Spring leeks and lambs lettuce
•    Apples and blackcurrants

3rd biggest wine producer in France

Members

Over 200 members

Businesses:
•    French companies: Ernest Turc, Minier, Terrena, Detriche, Vilmorin, Syngenta, Clause, Limagrain Verneuil Holding, Davodeau Ligonière, Ackerman, Noveal, France Champignon, Crédit Agricole de l’Anjou et du Maine… 
•    International companies: Enza Zaden (Spain), Rijk Zwaan (Netherlands), etc.
 
Research or training facilities
Over 30, including Valinov (Centre d’innovation et de technologie du Végétal specialise – centre specialising in new plant technology), Angers Technopole, Station Nationale des Essais de Semences (SNES), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), l’Institut National Horticole (INH), Ecole Supérieure d’Agriculture (ESA), Université Catholique de l’Ouest (UCO), Office Communautaire des Variétés Végétales (OCVV), Université d’Angers, 4 Institut de Recherche mixte (UMR) including INRA,  Angers University and the INH), Ecole Supérieure des Sciences Commerciales d’Angers (ESSCA)…
 
Other organisations are also members including the Maine-et-Loire district council, the Région des Pays-de-la-Loire, the Angers Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Chambre Régionale d’Agriculture des Pays-de-la-Loire, Union Horticole de l’Anjou, Groupements Interprofessionnels des Semences et des Plants (GNIS), Fédération Régionale des Producteurs de Fruits (FRPF)…

Current R&D collaboration

14 projects earmarked and funded since December 2005 (cf. appendix)

Public funding for the above R&D projects via the Fonds Unique Interministériel (FUI) (single interministerial fund) , the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) and OSEO amounts to over 6 million Euros.

International collaboration

Current
•    Contacts with other Clusters abroad (Spain and Canada) at the Plant International Meeting, Angers
•    Leading international trade fairs
- Salon du Végétal (Vegetable trade fair)
- SIVAL (Salon des matériels et techniques viticoles, horticoles, arboricoles et légumier – Trade fair for equipment and techniques in viticulture, horticulture, arboriculture and vegetable crops)
- Salon des Vins de Loire
•    Trade missions to: China, Quebec, etc.

Examples of R&D projects

Read more