Artículos de revistas sobre el tema "Fertilizer Industry Federation"

The production of mineral fertilizers is a priority direction for the development of the chemical industry of the Russian Federation. The importance of studying the state and prospects of mineral fertilizer producers for the development of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation is due to the high dependence of the economy of one of the northernmost regions of our country, the Murmansk Region, on the enterprises of this industry. In particular, the Kirov branch of JSC Apatit (PhosAgro company), Kovdorsky GOK (Eurochem Company) and JSC North-Western Phosphorus Company (a subsidiary of PJSC Akron) operate in the Murmansk Region. These enterprises make significant contributions to the regional budget of the Murmansk region as well as to the budgets of municipal formations, create jobs and make a significant contribution to the development of the towns of presence. Russian manufacturing companies in their activities are mainly focused on the external market, which is due to the excess of supply over demand and the lack of use of mineral fertilizers on 39 % of Russian sown areas. The main Russian producers of mineral fertilizers include PhosAgro, Akron, EuroChem, Uralchem and Uralkali. The only company claiming the priority of the domestic market is PhosAgro. Analysis of the annual reports of the largest Russian producers of mineral fertilizers indicates their desire to expand the geography of supplies. In the domestic market, there is a positive trend in the consumption of mineral fertilizers, which is associated with high prices for agricultural products, as well as the state policy of subsidizing agricultural enterprises, in addition, state regulation of prices in the domestic market leads to an increase in demand for fertilizers. For fertilizer producers, it is possible to use the three-level relational interaction model presented below. The article presents the results of testing the hypothesis of the need for the development of relational relations in the mineral fertilizers market. The assessment is based on the use of a three-level model of relational interaction of industrial market participants. The results of the analysis can be used in the development and implementation of relational cooperation in economic systems of various levels.

Relevance.Meeting the needs of the pharmaceutical industry with domestic medicinal raw materials is relevant. Methods.The aim of the study is to determine the effectiveness application by growth regulator, organomineral and microfertilizers on Sage (Salvia officinalis L.) and Greater Burdock (Arctium lappa L.) in conditions of Non-chernozem zone of the Russian Federation. The experimental part of the work was performed in Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in 2010-2011 and 2016-2017 by field experiments. On burdock we tested fertilizer Siliplant (0.5 l / ha): the first treatment was in the rosette phase, the second - after 20 days. On sage studied binary mixture of organomineral fertilizer EcoFys (1 l / ha) with fertilizer Zitovit (0.5 l / ha; applied in phase regrowth of plants) with following foliar application by complex microfertilizers Siliplant (0.5 l / ha) and growth regulator Zircon (40 ml / ha). The solution consumption is 300 l / ha.Results. The effectiveness of chelated form micro-fertilizers and organomineral fertilizers applied on various medicinal plants was shown. It has been established, that complex application by EcoFys+Zitovit (I treatment) and microfertilizer Siliplant with growth regulator Zircon (II treatment) can increase the productivity of Sage: yield of grass raised by 23%, roots by 40%. Similar results were obtained on the Greater Burdock culture – treatment of plants with microfertilizer Siliplant allowed to increase the yield of roots by 28%, leaves-by 24%.

Abstract The Russian Federation has a significant raw material, scientific, technical, production and consumer potential necessary for the development of the mineral fertilizer industry. The amount of fertilizers used to increase soil fertility is one of the factors that determine the solution to the problem of the country’s economic and food security. The purpose of this article is to develop a methodology for assessing the impact of the chemicalization process on the collection of major agricultural crops in the Russian Federation. To write it, methods such as: correlation and regression analysis, index analysis, calculation of the integral indicator, forecasting are used. The novelty of the conducted research lies in the following sequence of actions. Based on the statistics, we performed an index analysis of seven parameters; calculated an integral indicator that allows us to consider factors with a heterogeneous metric; assessed the impact of the chemicalization process on the collection of major crops. Further (using the Excel program), we developed a forecast for the development of chemicalization processes in agriculture until 2022 according to three scenarios: optimistic, probabilistic and pessimistic. Forecast quality indicators indicate that the optimistic and probabilistic scenarios are more likely to be realized. Thus, based on the obtained forecast data, it can be stated that it is necessary to adjust certain indicators that actively influence the rate of harvesting of the main agricultural crops, which is a mathematical justification for making managerial decisions in the development of strategies and programs for the chemicalization of agriculture in the Russian Federation, in order to develop it further.

In the Russian Federation a unique phenomenon of nature as the reserves of phosphate raw materials and reserves of associated components are Apatite-nepheline ores of the Khibiny Deposit, located in the Central part of the Kola Peninsula. The main consumer of this raw material are the plants basic chemistry, processing of Apatite in a wet-process phosphoric acid sulfuric acid decomposition (the city of Cherepovets, Balakovo, the resurrection, etc.). This gives a dihydrate or hemihydrate wet-process phosphoric acid, and piecework output of dry phosphogypsum is 4 to 6 t per 1 t Apatite, depending on the ratio therein of CaO/P2O5 and the method of obtaining. The problem of disposing of chemical wastes are illustrated by various examples. Provides a conclusion on the feasibility of processing into fertilizer of phosphate raw materials, and scarce Apatite – to obtain construction materials. First developed a fundamentally new, environmentally friendly technology to produce phosphoric and complex fertilizers on the basis of wet mechanical activation of the phosphate. Methods have been pilot tested in the experimental shop at Moscow Production Association «Phosphate» (Voskresensk) using (0.3 t/h) and industry – to Estimate povorotniki (Aksai) (1.0 t/h) on the basis of vibrating mills. The implementation of methods obtained new types of fertilizers: granular and suspended mechanically activated phosphates and ammophosphate. It is concluded that from the point of view of environmental safety and economic feasibility of fertilizer phosphate should be recycled raw materials, and scarce Apatite should be directed to the production of construction materials oncooking phosphate with the simultaneous extraction and recovery of rare earth elements.

The Russian Federation controls almost a quarter of potash fertilizer world market. Natural potassium salts serve as the main source for the fertilizer production. Mineral and raw materials base considers nine potash deposits to be on the state balance. However, potash mining in production quantities is currently executed only at the Perm region Verchnekamskoe deposit by four mines of the Uralkali Company and by the Usolskiy mine of EuroChem. During 2020 almost 52 million t were mined, which allowed to produce more than 14 million t of potash fertilizer. The main feature of salt deposit development is the necessity to protect the mines from fresh and brackish waters breakthrough. Experience of developing potash deposit throughout the world helped to formulate basic principles of mining operations. Protection of mine openings from underground and surface waters, that are corrosive to the rock salts, is secured by formation of a waterproof rock stratum, referred to as the waterproof pillar in mining practice, between the top of the upper mined layer and the bottom of the lowest aquifer. Usually, it is achieved through application of the room-and-pillar mining system that has to maintain the integrity of the waterproof pillar during the mine life until its liquidation and completion of the undermined rock mass deformation process. Despite the applied security measures, a significant number of mines were lost as a result of hazardous flooding. Three large-scale accidents took place at the Verchnekamskoe deposit. Mining and geological conditions that accompanied those hazardous situations are examined, and analysis of probable causes of water breakthrough into mine openings is carried out. Based on summarizing the experience of Verchnekamskoe potash deposit development it is demonstrated that the main factor that determines the efficiency of rock salt mining is provision of mining security and protection of mines from flooding. At the same time the approach to minimization of anthropogenic hazards should be based on applying justified engineering regulations at the mine planning stage and on the up-to-date information-based scientific support of the mining process, based on permanently functioning system of complex monitoring of the rock mass state.

Relevance. Meeting the needs of the pharmaceutical industry with essential oil raw materials and natural essential oils is relevant.Methods. The aim of the study is to determine the effectiveness the complex application by organomineral fertilizer EcoFys and the growth regulator Zircon on sage (Salvia officinalis L.) in conditions of Non-chernozem zone of the Russian Federation. The experimental part of the work was performed in Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in 2014-2015 by field experiments.Results. It has been established, that integrated application EcoFys and Zircon can increase yield of culture. In addition, it is shown that contain of essential oil in medicinal raw don’t increase and raising collection of essential oil provides only due to higher yield of herb.

Abstract. The purpose. To study the effectiveness of a complex multicomponent organomineral fertilizer of prolonged action based on local man-made waste from the metallurgical industry and poultry farming and extracted sources of mineral nutrition for plants. Methods. The article presents data on the study of the effect of a new organomineral fertilizer on the growth, development and yield of spring barley. Phenological and biometric observations were carried out, yields were taken into account, and quality indicators of grain were determined: weight of 1000 seeds, nature and protein content. Results. It has been established that the use of an innovative mixed multicomponent organomineral fertilizer improves the growth and development of barley plants. So at doses of 60 and 90 kg of AD per 1 ha of nitrogen and phosphorus, the length of the plant stem increased to 6.78–6.84 cm, the number of grains per ear increased from 0.39 to 1.08 pcs. and their weight increased by 0.13–0.15 ha. The highest yield was obtained with NP (60) – 4.91 t/ha, which is significantly higher than the control variant. When applying the fertilizer, the grain quality indicators improved: the weight of 1000 seeds, the nature of the grain and the protein content in the grain. It is noted that the use of a new organomineral fertilizer at a dose of NP (60) increases the productivity and quality of products and is optimal for the cultivation of barley in the Middle Urals. Scientific novelty. For the first time in the Middle Urals, a new innovative product was created and tested – a combined, mixed multicomponent fertilizer for growing crops, application for a patent of the Russian Federation No. of the task number 122032200206-4.

Currently, a large-scale food crisis is unfolding in the world, due to a number of exogenous and endogenous factors. Being an integral part of the emerging new socio-economic reality, this crisis is not only global, but also diversified, affecting many sectors not only of agriculture, but also of industry (food industry, fertilizer production, chemical industry, etc.), exerting its influence and on the state of food security of the Russian Federation. In this regard, an analysis of the causes, nature and possible consequences of this crisis is not only of considerable theoretical, but also quite practical interest. In this regard, the purpose of the study is to assess the nature, nature, dynamics, characteristics and consequences of the development of the global food crisis and its impact on the food security of the Russian Federation, as well as ways to prevent it. The main causes of the modern world food crisis are revealed. The difference between the current food crisis and other similar crises associated with the growing uneven socio-economic development of different regions of the world and the depletion of natural, primarily biological resources, has been identified and argued. The specificity of the food crisis is shown, due to a certain extent to the multiplicative effect of destructive processes in the production and distribution of food resources, miscalculations in the economic, environmental and social policies of individual states. The possible consequences of the food crisis are determined. Additional ways and mechanisms to prevent the food crisis in the territory of the Russian Federation are argued. The article substantiates the position that along with the quantitative aspects of food policy associated with increasing the volume of food production and import substitution, a special role in the conditions of macroeconomic instability and uncertainty is acquired by qualitative aspects, primarily the quality, nutritional value and safety of food itself, its economic accessibility, timeliness and completeness of food supply.

Corn is one of the most widespread and popular grain crops in the world, which is due to its widespread use in the food industry, forage production and for technical purposes. In the world, the largest acreage of corn is concentrated in the USA and China; in the Russian Federation – in the Krasnodar Territory, in which more than 500 thousand hectares are sown with corn annually. The problem of increasing corn production can be solved, first of all, by increasing its yield. Given the high responsiveness of corn plants to organomineral fertilizers, an increase in yield and gross grain yields can be achieved by optimizing the nutrition regime. The tested agrochemical AminoPlus brand: Amino Zn is an organomineral fertilizer, which provides systemic and dosed foliar fertilization of corn plants (in phases 4-6 and 8-10 leaves), optimally providing the plant with nutrients, enhanced plant growth, the process of formation of reproductive organs and, ultimately, corn yield. The maximum yield of corn in grain – 53.5 centners per hectare (in the control – 44.4 centners per hectare) was obtained during foliar fertilizing of corn plants with the agrochemical AminoPlus brand: Amino Zn at a dose of 2.0 l/ha; the consumption of the spray material – 300 l/ha.

Relevance. The effectiveness of fertilizers depends on the need of plants for nutrients and on the ability of the soil to meet this need. According to the Research Institute of Raw Materials of the Alcohol Industry, the responsiveness of chicory to individual substances changes dramatically during the growing season. In the first period of its development, chicory responds sharply positively only to phosphorus. In the future, the phosphorus efficiency remains stable for two months and by the end of the growing season, attenuation begins. The potash efficiency, on the contrary, is low in the first months, and by the end of the growing season, in contrast to the action of phosphorus, it gives a sharp rise. The efficiency of nitrogen during the growing season occupies an average position between the efficiency of phosphorus and potassium.Methodology. The aim of the research was to identify the most effective doses of macro- and microelements and methods of their application (basic and top dressing) to ensure maximum yields of root chicory root crops. The experiments were carried out in the Nonchernozem zone of the Russian Federation in the Rostov district of the Yaroslavl region on the experimental field of the Rostov experimental station for chicory¬ – a branch of the FSBSI FSVC.Results. As a result of the conducted studies, it was found that an increase in the dose of nitrogen nutrition against the background of phosphorus-potassium fertilizer increased the yield of root chicory root crops, fractional application of mineral fertilizers is more effective compared to the main application, the introduction of boron and cobalt increased the content of inulin and sugars in root crops. The inulin content increased as the dose of nitrogen fertilizers increased.

The main trends in agriculture over the past few years have been export orientation and digitalization. Since 2019, the departmental project “Digital Agriculture” has been implemented. In 2021, a draft order of the government of the Russian Federation “On the Strategic Direction in the Field of Digital Transformation of the Agro-Industrial and Fishery Complex of the Russian Federation until 2030” was developed, which provides for development of a national online platform for promoting the agricultural products and the launch of a modeling and forecasting system for the agro-industrial complex. Currently, the beneficiaries of digitalization are large agricultural holdings and the IT industry (manufacturers of sensors and software developers for machinery and equipment, software companies, fertilizer producers and telecom operators). In order for small and medium-sized farms that do not have sufficient resources for end-to-end digitalization of production and business processes to be able to join the innovation race, it is necessary to look for a format of interaction in which competition and cooperation are organically combined. The article discusses one of such forms of association – clusters; explores their potential role in development of platform network architectures; the similarities and differences of cluster and digital industrial systems are analyzed. It is concluded that the flexibility and openness of cluster structures allows actors to find their functional areas and niches and organically fit into the created digital ecosystem of the agro-industrial complex.

Sesame in the Russian Federation is a relatively new crop; it began to be grown in the conditions of the Krasnodar, Stavropol Territories, Astrakhan Region only in the 2000s on small areas [1, 2, 5]. In the Republic of Kalmykia, for the first time, they began to study the agroecological aspects of growing sesame in 2020 under the conditions of the UNPC "Agronomus" of KalmGU on a zonal light chestnut soil subtype. The purpose of the field study was to study the agro-ecological characteristics of sesame growth in the central zone of Kalmykia and to develop the main elements of agricultural technology (sowing method, seeding rate, fertilizer doses, irrigation regime). It was found that in the field experiment 2020-2021. with drip irrigation, it is possible to grow it successfully, and the largest yield of sesame seeds was obtained with wide-row sowing - 0.45m. with a sowing rate of 450 thousand/ha of plants and the application of fertilizers at a dose of N90P90, averaging 1.33 t/ha. At present, the Russian market of oilseeds is generally developing a favorable economic situation. Firstly, a stable price for raw materials is kept on the market, which compensates for the considerable costs of growing crops. Secondly, there is the possibility of sustainable sales of products, since there is a constant demand for oilseeds. However, there are also problems in the industry related to the process of monopolization of oilseeds processing. The average yield of oilseeds in Russia does not exceed 1.5 t/ha. To increase the gross harvest of valuable types of oil, it is necessary not only to increase the yield, but to expand the species composition, including through new, non-traditional crops.

Introduction. The problematic environmental situation in the industrialized territories requires precise management decisions to ensure the excellent quality of atmospheric air to protect public health. Information on the atmospheric air quality is based on data from various monitoring systems: socio- hygienic, environmental, production control, as well as the results of control measures carried out by Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor) and Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation (Rosprirodnadzor)). Materials and methods. The analysis of normative permissible emissions, sanitary protection zones projects, the results of socio-hygienic and environmental monitoring, production control, as well as carried out own laboratory and instrumental laboratory and instrumental studies of 130 samples of atmospheric air in the sanitary protection zone of the chemical industry enterprise and the nearest residential area. The research was based on the North-West Public Health Research Center and the chemical-analytical centre “Arbitrage” D.I. Mendeleev Research Institute for metrology. Results. According to various monitoring systems and the results of own research, on the territory of residential buildings, the concentrations of pollutants did not exceed the MAC, mainly corresponded to the design values. However, the ammonia content in the atmospheric air on the territory of the nearest building to the enterprise exceeded the calculated design values by three times. At the border of the industrial site of the enterprise for ammonia and diPhosphorpentaoxide, concentrations comparable to the MAC were recorded, while hydrochloric acid and gaseous fluorides were not detected either at the border of the industrial site or in the nearest residential development. Conclusions. The programs of air quality control monitoring are based on the research and analysis of the project documentation. The developed scheme for monitoring atmospheric air can be applied to assess atmospheric air quality in areas around mineral fertilizer production enterprises.

Introduction. The authors carried out a comparative analysis of Russian and foreign approaches to regulatory and legal regulation of technologies for industrial treatment of wastewater and its sediments concerning parasitic pathogens. The scientific and applied aspects of introducing domestic lime-containing reagents into disinvasion technology, which can be an alternative to energy-intensive and expensive water treatment methods, have been updated. For consideration by the R.F. Department of water and communal services, the work presents a comparative analysis of Russian and European regulatory and legal acts on the use of reagent compositions of slaked/quicklime in industrial technologies for decontamination and disinfection of sewage and their sediments. Standardization of processes and quality of wastewater disinvasion and its sediments with justification of measures to strengthen hygienic control in the world community of water treatment is updated. Materials and methods. applied methods of overview, comparative analysis to evaluate the regulatory and legal regulation of technological techniques that ensure parasitocidal efficiency of wastewater treatment and its sediments in industrial water treatment. Results. The data of full-scale studies of the waters of the surface reservoirs of the Moscow region and the quality of wastewater treatment at discharge points indicate the low efficiency of disinvestment of urban wastewater from centralized wastewater disposal, entering the hydraulic structures of the metropolis and their contribution to the total level of high parasitic pollution of surface water sources. Conclusion. The analysis of the regulatory regulation of the wastewater treatment and sediments industry showed no development of standardization of wastewater and sediments treatment sub-processes and their complete disinvasion according to parasitic safety criteria. A comparative analysis of measures to enhance hygienic assessment of the quality of cleaning and production of secondary products from formed waste and sediments also showed that preliminary work was done with best available technologies (BAT-5) (information technology support (ITS) 10-2015) on compliance with the sanitary legislation of the Russian Federation, including in terms of legal regulation of standard procedures for the production of by-product (biogas, organic fertilizer, soil, recultivant, etc.) or practically non-hazardous or low-hazard waste intended for placement in the environment.

In the work, the economic justification of the efficiency of export operations of LLC “Industrial Group “Phosphorite” was carried out. The enterprise under study is a part of EuroChem Group AG and sells products on the Russian market and also exports mineral fertilizers to foreign markets. The organization and features of export operations are investigated. The basic principles and methods of state regulation of foreign trade activity in the Russian Federation are considered. When considering the world and domestic market of mineral fertilizers, the analysis of volume indicators of chemical industry production was carried out, the main importing countries of Russian fertilizers and the main competitors of EuroChem Group AG were identified. The paper analyzes the foreign economic activity of EuroChem Group AG and its subsidiary LLC “Industrial Group “Phosphorite”. The main markets for products were identified and a comparative assessment of the effectiveness of two export transactions was carried out. Based on the effectiveness assessment, recommendations were made to increase the profitability of export transactions. The implementation of measures to increase the efficiency of export transactions will lead to an increase in the company’s profitability.

The authors assessed the change in prices on the domestic and world markets for the main commodity items of the chemical industry of the Russian Federation, such as mineral fertilizers, methanol, rubber, production of organic synthesis products, production of plastics in primary forms, plastic products, rubber products, paints, chemical fi bers and threads, products of household chemicals and synthetic detergents there are few means, tires, adhesives and sealants, resins, disinfectants, production products- and medium-tonnage chemical products, caustic and calcined soda. In all positions, except for only a few, the trend of price growth has intensifi ed.

The study identifies and examines the process of intensification in grain production as a potential and reserve for increasing the production of grain sub-sector products, prospects for the development of crop production along an intensive path, how the intensification process affects the efficiency of grain production. The main factors that significantly affect the production potential and prospects for the development of grain production in the country are highlighted and justified. The assessment and analysis of the main indicators of cereal crops production, such as: acreage, gross grain harvest, yield of cereals and legumes, are given. The article presents and analyzes promising directions for the development of the crop industry due to the intensification process: chemicalization of grain production by applying organic and mineral fertilizers, gypsum, liming and phosphorization of soils to increase the economic fertility of land. It is shown what role intensification plays in reducing the cost of grain and increasing the profitability of production.

Relevance. The determining value in modern melon production is to increase the yield and market yield of environmentally friendly products at minimum costs for the cultivation of melons. For the development of the melon industry in the agro-industrial complex of the Russian Federation, the scientific search for technological solutions aimed at creating conditions for increasing the yield and quality of melon products becomes urgent. Materials and methods. The object of research-melon, variety autumn. The types and doses of water-soluble fertilizers were studied: vegetable Aquarin, Novalon Foliar, and Hakafos. Fertilizers were used to treat plants during the growing season.Results.Studies have established a high effect of the use of water-soluble fertilizers on vegetating plants, which allow eliminating adverse environmental factors. The yield from the use of water-soluble fertilizers in melon cultivation technology for the years of studies is 31.3 86.7% higher compared to the control variant (without treatments). In more favorable climatic conditions of the year, the maximum yield was obtained in the variant with the use of Hakafos in a half dose, which had a more balanced content of nutrients compared to other studied water-soluble fertilizers –15.5 t/ha, which is 21.1% more compared to the minimum dose, 42.2% more compared to the treatment of plants with water and 1.8 times more compared to pure control. In the dry conditions of 2019 and lower air temperatures during the ripening period, a similar trend was noted. Comparative analysis of the biochemical composition of fruits showed that water-soluble fertilizers do not have a negative impact on the environmental purity of the product, the amount of nitrates for all years of research did not exceed the MPC (90 mg/kg). Studies have determined the positive effect of water-soluble fertilizers on improving the quality of fruits, the content of dry substances, one of the main indicators, in the study periods, exceeds this indicator in the control version (without treatments).

The study analyzed the development of container transportation in the face of financial instability, challenges and risks. We proposed the directions of interaction between economic entities at the international level, including in terms of logistics processes. We studied the impact of sanctions on the container / liner shipping market, the number of ships, and total capacity of container ships of companies included in the top 10 Alphaliner ratings. Russia imports ingredients for food and chemical industries, components for the automotive industry and other mechanical engineering, household appliances, consumer goods and exports products of the timber industry complex, fertilizers, non-ferrous metals, petrochemicals and other goods. The study revealed that the flow of sanctions affects not only the Russian econo­my, but also exports of products that are significant for the West. When building international supply chains, it is important to reorient the vector of interaction towards Chinese transport companies that are actively integrating into the Russian market. The study highlighted competitive advantages and disadvantages for each transport company. Based on the results of the study, we identified strategic guidelines for the development of the container transportation market of the Russian Federation considering the needs of economic entities. Provided that the new project will meet modern world requirements for the quality of services provided, the payback of significant capital investments is predicted in the shortest possible time.

For the Russian Federation, pea is a traditional cultivated agricultural crop, demanded both in the food industry for its excellent taste and in livestock for a high content of forage units and balanced protein (up to 90% of the protein are of easily soluble albumin and globulins), which contribute to lower costs for animal feeding. The current paper has presented the working results of the laboratory of row crop cultivation technology (FSBSI “Agricultural Research Center “Donskoy”) for 2015–2016, which studied the impact of growth stimulants (“Etikhol”, “Gumistim”), bioorganic fertilizers “Intermag Profi”, and biological product “Rizotorfin” on the productivity of the middle-ripening pea variety “Aksaysky usaty 7”. The soil of the experimental plot is favorable for peas growing, as the humus content in the arable layer is 3.36%, pH is 7.0, P2 O5 is 24.4; K2 O is 360 mg per one kg of soil. The studied preparations had an impact on the elements of the yield structure and grain productivity. Productivity has significantly improved due to application of most fertilizers. The largest productivity increase on 0.57 t/ha or 26.4% to the control was observed with the use of “Intermag Profi”. This experiment had also better energetic and economic indicators compared to other variants. The increase of net energy income compared to control was 9.48 GJ/ha, the decrease in energy intensity was on 1.14 GJ/t, the increase of energetic efficiency was on 0.59 units. The increase of net income was on 6507 rubles/ha, the cost of production reduced on 1232 rubles/ton and profitability increased on 27%.

Abstract The problems of crop production management and support for managerial decision-making are still relevant today [4]. Crop production is of strategic importance and is the basis of our country food security. The use of information technology in agriculture was limited to the use of computers and software, mainly for managing financial transactions and maintaining accounting and operational records. It should be noted that the measures taken to increase labor productivity and automate technological processes in the agro-industrial complex did not have a comprehensive nature, therefore, they did not significantly affect the industry efficiency and, as the result, the products competitiveness. Therefore, the computer decision support system development and implementation in the management of crop production technological processes, based on mathematical models for analyzing and assessing the economic efficiency of technologies for cultivating crops, models for rationalizing crop rotation, models for analyzing data from the crop rotation fields history book, models for the optimal selection of plant protection products and fertilizers acquired very topical. This research project can be considered a priority and highly demanded, as contributing to the fulfillment of one of the requirements of the State Program for the Agriculture Development and Agricultural Products, Raw Materials and Foods Markets Regulation of the Russian Federation for 2013-2020. The goal of the project is to improve mathematical models and methods for managing technological processes at agricultural enterprises by developing and implementing an integrated automated information system for crop management. The article is devoted to the theoretical substantiation and feasibility of the software module practical implementation for solving the problem of planning and calculating the organic and mineral fertilizers dosages in farms’ field crop rotations in the Krasnodar Territory, which is part of the developed integrated automated information system for crop management at agricultural enterprises.

Представлен анализ законодательных государственных и ведомственных актов, связанных с селекцией и семеноводством овощных культур с 1918 по 2023 годы, дана оценка их влияния на развитие селекции и семеноводства овощных культур. Опираясь на имеющуюся законодательную базу за 100 лет и фактическое состояние в отрасли, сделаны выводы и предложения, определяющие вектор развития отечественной отрасли селекции и семеноводства овощных культур в сложившихся экономических условиях. На январь 2024 года товарное овощеводстве страны только на 25% обеспечено семенами отечественной селекции, а отечественная отрасль семеноводства овощных культур находится еще в более тяжелом состоянии. Деградация подотрасли развивалась под влиянием политико-экономических реформ начала девяностых годов прошлого века. Сегодня отечественные семеноводческие компании занимают незначительную нишу. В рыночных условиях они решают задачи развития собственного бизнеса, а не отрасли в целом. Из-за чрезмерного административного давления на территории РФ и в меньшей степени на территориях стран СНГ, отсутствия государственной поддержки и стратегического управления, семеноводство овощных культур ведется за пределами Российской Федерации. Только единичные отечественные селекционно-семеноводческие компании вкладывают средства в селекцию, но в силу экономических условий, размножают свои сорта и гибриды все равно за границей. Для того, чтобы селекция, а, следовательно, и семеноводство в нашей стране развивались необходимо два условия: финансирование селекционных проектов с выводом достижений на уровень лучших мировых гибридов; последующее размножение и продвижение. Учитывая тот факт, что рынок семян овощных в России сравнительно небольшой, то необходимо распространение достижений в страны СНГ и далее. Организовать это можно с учетом западноевропейского и американского опыта – создание корпораций совместно с компаниями, производящими пестициды и удобрения, и имеющими выходы на мировые рынки. The analysis of legislative state and departmental acts related to the selection and seed production of vegetable crops from 1918 to 2023 is presented, and their impact on the development of selection and seed production of vegetable crops is assessed. Based on the existing legislative framework for 100 years and the actual state of the industry, conclusions and proposals have been made that determine the vector of development of the domestic industry of vegetable breeding and seed production in the prevailing economic conditions. As of January 2024, the country's commercial vegetable production is only 25% provided with seeds of domestic breeding, and the domestic vegetable seed industry is in an even more difficult state. The degradation of the sub-sector developed under the influence of political and economic reforms in the early nineties of the last century. Today, domestic seed companies occupy an insignificant niche. In market conditions, they solve the tasks of developing their own business, and not the industry as a whole. Due to excessive administrative pressure on the territory of the Russian Federation and to a lesser extent on the territories of the CIS countries, the lack of state support and strategic management, vegetable seed production is conducted outside the Russian Federation. Only a few domestic seed breeding companies invest in breeding, but due to economic conditions, they propagate their varieties and hybrids abroad anyway. In order for breeding, and, consequently, seed production in our country, to develop, two conditions are necessary: financing of breeding projects with the release of achievements at the level of the best world hybrids; subsequent reproduction and promotion, since the market for vegetable seeds in Russia is relatively small, it is necessary to spread achievements to the CIS countries and beyond. This can be organized taking into account the Western European and American experience – the creation of corporations together with companies producing pesticides and fertilizers and having access to world markets.

In the Russian Federation, solving problems of land use, land relations, and land policy leave the basis for social, environmental, economic, and overall political stability of the state. The area of the Belgorod region is 2713.4 thousand hectares, including arable land - 1654.4 thousand hectares (61 %), pastures - 347.6 thousand hectares (12.8 %), hayfield - 68.1 thousand hectares (2.5 %), forests and other lands - 316.5 thousand hectares (22.7 %). The area of eroded soils is 53.6 % of the entire territory of the region. They include: slightly washed out soils - about 35 %, moderate washed out soils - about 13 %, strongly washed out soils - 5.6 %, and flushed - about 1 %. According to Belgorod agrarian scientific center of the RAS area of eroded lands in the Belgorod region has increased in the Western natural-agricultural zone - by 5.1 %, in the Central - by 8.4 % and in the South-East - by 9.1 % over the last 3040 years. Currently, the concept of adaptive landscape farming has been developed, which provides for comprehensive measures to prevent soil degradation and create environmentally sustainable agricultural landscapes. Adaptive landscape soil protection system of agriculture provides for expansion of perennial grasses up to 25 %, introduction of leguminous crops and annual grasses in crop rotations. With a reduction in the use of mineral and organic fertilizers in modern economic conditions, it is impossible to achieve a balance of humus acceptable for sustainable development of the studied agricultural landscape. System of agriculture adapted to local landscapes provides for introduction of the whole complex of soil conservation measures which can stop land degradation caused by soil erosion. Introduction of adaptive landscape system of agriculture in the pilot farm of the Belgorod agricultural research center allowed to minimize erosion processes, stabilize soil fertility, and significantly improve economic indicators and energy efficiency of agriculture in the economy. The area of arable land was slightly reduced, and the area of forest belts and soil protection crop rotations increased. The average yield of grain crops and sugar beets increased greatly, the use of organic and mineral fertilizers increased significantly, their payback improved, and the crop industry became profitable and cost-effective. Only through adaptive landscape agriculture it is possible to stop water erosion, create conditions for stabilizing and increasing soil fertility, ensure the biologization of agriculture and increase its economic efficiency. Ultimately, this will increase production of domestic agricultural products and increase Russias food security.

В статье представлены результаты многолетнего полевого опыта по исследованию агроэкологической пластичности, устойчивости, урожайности и качества зерна интенсивных сортов зерновых культур отечественной и зарубежной селекции в почвенно-климатических условиях Смоленской области. В лабораторных и производственных условиях проводилась оценка пригодности различных сортов для продовольственных и технологических целей. Оценка результатов за период 2010-2020 гг. позволила автору выделить приоритетные сорта озимой и яровой пшеницы, озимой тритикале и ячменя отечественной и зарубежной селекции, характеризующиеся максимальной пластичностью, устойчивостью и урожайностью. За период исследования отмечалось снижение урожайности всех культур и сортов в засушливые и влажные годы - от 25 до 42 %, при этом точное выполнение отдельных технологических операций позволяет не только сохранить генетический потенциал сортов, но и поддерживать высокий уровень параметров пластичности и устойчивости, что свидетельствует о хорошей отзывчивости сортов на применение интенсивных и инновационных технологий возделывания зерновых культур. Результаты многолетнего полевого опыта убедительно доказывают, что в условиях Нечерноземной зоны ячмень более чувствителен к засушливым условиям. Исследования автора показали, что дробное внесение минеральных удобрений по схеме N50-70 кг д. в./га в предпосевную обработку почвы, N30-40 кг/га в фазу кущения и в фазу колошения 20-30 кг/га на фоне Р110-120 К110-120 кг/га обеспечивает получение урожайности на 40 % больше по сравнению с традиционными технологиями. Автор установил, что в природно-климатических условиях Смоленской области, типичных для Нечерноземной зоны в целом, озимые зерновые показывают высокий потенциал продуктивности и формирования экологически чистого сырья для хлебопекарной промышленности. При этом они обладают большим диапазоном регулирования в период их роста и развития с помощью агротехнологических приемов возделывания. Генотипические особенности сортов зерновых культур необходимо учитывать при адаптивном размещении культур в севооборотах в соответствии со специализацией аграрных предприятий и перерабатывающей промышленности АПК. The article presents the results of many years of field experience in the study of agroecological plasticity, stability, yield and grain quality of intensive varieties of grain crops of domestic and foreign breeding in the soil and climatic conditions of the Smolensk region. The suitability of various varieties for food and technological purposes was evaluated in laboratory and production conditions. Evaluation of the results for the period 2010-2020 allowed the author to identify priority varieties of winter and spring wheat, winter triticale and barley of domestic and foreign breeding, characterized by maximum plasticity, stability and yield. During the study period, a decrease in the yield of all crops and varieties in dry and wet years was from 25 to 42 %, while the precise execution of individual technological operations allows not only to preserve the genetic potential of varieties, but also to maintain a high level of plasticity and stability parameters, which it testifies to the good responsiveness of varieties to the use of intensive and innovative technologies for cultivating grain crops. The results of many years of field experience convincingly prove that in the conditions of the Non-Chernozem zone, barley is more sensitive to arid conditions. The author's research has shown that the fractional application of mineral fertilizers according to the scheme N50-70 kg d.v./ha in the pre-sowing tillage, N30-40 kg/ha in the tillering and earing phases 20-30 kg/ha against the background of P110-120 K110-120 kg/ha provides a yield of 40 % compared to traditional technologies. The author has established that in the natural and climatic conditions of the Smolensk region, typical for the Non-Chernozem zone as a whole, winter cereals show a high potential for productivity and the formation of environmentally friendly raw materials for the baking industry. At the same time, they have a large range of regulation during their growth and development with the help of agrotechnological methods of cultivation. Genotypic features of varieties grain crops should be taken into account when adaptive placement of crops in crop rotations in accordance with the specialization of agricultural enterprises and the processing industry of the agro-industrial complex.

Statistics show negative forecasts of the demographic indicators of the Russian population including their size and health. The human habitat which has been deteriorating in recent decades causes cardinal changes in the assortment and variety of food and significantly contributes to the reduction of their biological value. The depletion of food products (FP) of vegetable and animal origin in vital mineral elements, vitamins and other physiologically active components represents a serious long-term threat to human health and the national security. Industrial methods of enriching FP have certain limitations: a narrow set of micronutrients, their interaction among themselves and accessibility for not all groups of the population. One way to reduce the negative consequences is through the introduction and breeding of new for Russia species and varieties of agricultural plants and organize a mass production of functional foods (FF) that contribute to the prevention and/or suspension of the development of dangerous diseases and slowing down the aging process. The solution of this multifaceted problem lies in changing the consumption structure of foods and their chemical composition conditioned by both the assortment of grown plant species and cultivars of food plants, as well as the composition and quality of soils, fertilizers and the conditions for crop cultivation. Taking into account the prevailing demographic situation in the Russian Federation, it is necessary to create a comprehensive national program for the allocation of new high-content sources of FF ingredients based on traditional and underutilized crops, cultivars and forms of cereal, vegetable and fruit crops and their inclusion in agricultural production as well as existing and newly created technological processes in food industry. The advantages of creating and developing a national system of the functional food in Russia will be: the improvement of public health and life expectancy, the reduction of the Federal Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund expenditures and the development of business structures involved in the production of the FF.

The aim of the article is to identify the role of the state, the European Union, and international organizations in the processes of legal support for reimbursement of the financial losses experienced by Ukrainian agricultural producers because of hostilities and aggression of the Russian federation against Ukraine, and to outline prospects by analyzing the current situation, regulatory, scientific and other sources. The conducted research confirms important position of the state in providing legal support for financial loss compensation, however, proves its mainly advisory and assisting character. The government has shaped the minimum necessary legal basis regulating the order of documenting losses caused by Russian aggression to citizens and business entities. The state has also initiated the process of exemption from taxes on the property and lands which are temporary occupied, located in the zones of active hostilities, are mined or poisoned, etc. It is confirmed that the EU member-states are objectively interested in effective work of Ukraine’s AIC enterprises, because otherwise there is a hazard of migration crisis from the poorest countries of Africa and Asia. These EU states have launched a program of humanitarian mine clearance and specific aid for some regions and business entities on their area. Thus, entities of Ukraine’s AIC receive support for purchasing and repairing agricultural machinery, fuel and lubricants, seeding material, fertilizers, etc. Significant support is also provided by international organizations. The amount of aid which is provided by the government, the EU member-states and international organizations and which is intended to compensate financial losses for Ukrainian agricultural producers can be increased by the state performing as a guarantor under agreements of loan, rent, leasing, as well as by proper informing other countries and international organizations about Ukrainian AIC entities which are potential recipients of the aid. It is proposed to delegate such liabilities to local territorial communities and chambers of commerce and industry. Key words: agro-industrial complex, farmers, losses, movable and immovable property, land, military invasion, EU member-states, international organizations, humanitarian mine clearance, taxation, deoccupied area, food safety.

Данные современной статистики показывают увеличение площадей, занятых под органическими виноградниками, которые составляют 8% от площади мирового органического производства. Вступивший в силу в 2020 г. в РФ закон «Об органической продукции…» позволит развивать отечественное органическое виноградарство, в том числе в Крыму, где исторически складываются благоприятные условия для винодельческой отрасли. На Южном берегу Крыма (ЮБК) 11,5% площади составляют сельскохозяйственные земли, большая часть которых занята виноградниками (до 4 тыс. га). Органическое виноградарство, предполагающее отказ от применения пестицидов и минеральных удобрений, актуально на ЮБК, в рекреационной зоне Крыма. По результатам исследований 2016-2018 гг. разработана, апробирована и в 2019 г. внедрена в производство региональная система защиты органической продукции виноградарства на фоне отсутствия в отечественной практике производственных комплексных схем защиты органического винограда от патогенов и вредных организмов. Разработанная органическая система защиты ориентирована на подавление развития наиболее вредоносного на виноградниках ЮБК патогена - оиудима и контролирование численности садового паутинного клеща и гроздевой листовертки, включает комплексное применение биопрепаратов Экстрасол, Псевдобактерин-2, СЛОКС-эко, BioSleep BW и коллоидной серы Тиовит Джет, ВДГ. Биологическая эффективность органической системы защиты от оидиума составила 78,3%, что всего на 7,9% ниже, по сравнению с эффективностью традиционной системы защиты с применением пестицидов. По результатам эколого-фаунистической оценки биоразнообразия отмечено существенно больший показатель индекса видового разнообразия Шеннона (Н) в комплексе клещей и насекомых на фоне органической системы защиты, чем на фоне традиционной системы, при высоком коэффициенте видового сходства комплексов (Кj=0,53). Modern statistics show the increase in the land area occupied by organic vineyards, accounting 8% of the global organic production area. The law "On organic products ...", entered into force in 2020 in the Russian Federation, will allow to develop local organic viticulture, including historically favorable for winemaking industry region of Crimea. Agricultural lands consist of 11.5% of the total land area of the South Coast of Crimea (SCC). Most of the land is occupied by vineyards (up to 4 thousand hectares). Organic viticulture, which assumes the rejection of use of pesticides and mineral fertilizers, is relevant for SCC as a recreational zone of Crimea. Based on the research results of 2016-2018, a regional organic viticulture products protection system was developed, tested and introduced into production in 2019 on the background of lacking in local practice the industrial complex schemes for protecting organic grapes from pathogens and harmful organisms. The developed organic protection system is focused on suppressing the development of the oiudim as the most harmful pathogen in SCC, and controlling the population of garden spider mite and European grape moth. The system includes complex application of biopreparations Extrasol, Pseudobacterin-2, SLOX-eco, BioSleep BW and colloidal sulfur Tiovit Jet, WDG. Biological effectiveness of the organic protection system against oidium amounted to 78.3%, which is only 7.9% lower than the effectiveness of traditional protection system using pesticides. According to the results of ecological and faunistic assessment of biodiversity, a significantly higher indicator of Shannon’s biodiversity index (H) was registered in the complex of mites and insects against the background of the organic protection system rather than the traditional system, with a high coefficient of species similarity of complexes (Kj = 0.53).

Introduction. The architectural and construction discourse, which has become widespread today, states that even though there develops the informational networking type of interaction among the participants of the socio-cultural exchange, the architecture will still get its rightful place because it is the most important component of the living environment of a community.Despite the rapid and successful development of applied areas of the Architectural Science caused by the dynamics of mass construction (or construction of single buildings and structures, but those, which are originally clearly meant to meet the mass requirements of the society, its stereotyped ideas about the look of a modern urban metropolis) and changes in construction technologies, design and engineering methods, forms and production resources, there is no clear understanding of what does the architecture implicate, not merely in the frame of scientific achievements, but also in the frame of the technical, technological and material progress of civilization.The problem set by the latest dynamics in the architectural and construction field (industry) is increasing the durability of wall building materials, mainly the ceramic bricks. The method of increasing the frost resistance of ceramic bricks made of Kushchevsky deposit clay raw material by adding a structuring additive into the clay mass, which ensures the required properties of the material’s pore structure, is presented in this scientific article.Materials and Methods. The present scientific work builds up on the results of the research on the effect of the proposed additive on the frost resistance of a ceramic crock made of Kushchevsky clay raw material by plastic molding. The results of the chemical analyses of the clay raw material of Kushchevsky deposit and the modifying additive are shown. As an additive there is used the waste (a calcium-bearing by-product) which is released during manufacture of the phosphate mineral fertilisers and has the form of spherical granules of 30–100 microns in diameter.In addition to determining the physical and mechanical characteristics of the burnt samples modified with a mineral additive, the porous characteristics of a ceramic crock were studied using the mercury porosimeter. With the help of the device, which is made on the basis of a quartz dilatometer and a freezer, the dilatometric measurements were carried out by freezing the water-saturated samples at the temperature of up to –20°C.Results. The carried-out experiments showed the increase in the frost resistance of the plastic-molded ceramic crock made of the clay rock of the Kushchevsky deposit when adding the carbonate-bearing mineral additive due to formation of the optimal porous structure. During numerous successive periods of freezing and thawing there was recorded good resistance of the modified samples to tensile stresses arising in the crock. The implementation of this method (of adding the proposed additive into the clay mass) in the brick factories is guaranteed to provide the manufacture of the ceramic building products with increased frost resistance.Discussion and Conclusions. Deformation curves of pores calibrating graduation in samples with and without a mineral additive are presented, along with the study results of the samples’ deformation during freezing.In conclusion, a matrix with the results of the climatic annual parameters of the Russian Federation is presented, confirming the need for the building materials to comply with the improved performance characteristics. The implementation of this method in ceramic brick manufacturing lines will foster the production of products with increased frost resistance.

Reduction of sown area in Russia by the end of the 2020s by 32.35%, including 63.82% of fodder crops, 26.52% of cereals and legumes, 14.85% of vegetables compared to 1990, had a negative impact on the volume of crop production in the country. In addition, the crop industry continues to be very costly, especially with irrigation, its technical equipment has more than halved, and the volume of fertilizer application is 2.6-2.9 times lower than in the European Union and the United States. Under these conditions, in order to increase food production and ensure the food security of the country, it is necessary to further increase the yield of agricultural crops without the use of costly technologies. Therefore, the purpose of our research was to substantiate the possibility of using chelated fertilizers in the cultivation of agricultural crops as a technological complex based on maximum resource and energy saving, environmental safety, and obtaining competitive products to solve the identified problem. The main research method was analytical. The analysis of the results of the study in numerous short-term experiments of about 30 types of chelate fertilizers with different properties, produced mainly by leading domestic firms, was carried out. The article provides an overview of the results of field experiments carried out in various natural and climatic zones of the European part of the Russian Federation - the regions of the Non-Black Earth Region, the forest-steppe, the dry steppe, in the Krasnodar Territory and the Crimea, in which the effect on the yield and quality of grain, fodder, industrial and vegetable crops was established. chelated fertilizers, revealed the mechanism of action and developed rational technologies for their application. It has been proven that the use of chelated fertilizers can increase crop yields, improve the quality of crop production without increasing the cost of the industry.

Cooperation between the Russian Federation and the European Union is due to the potential of economic ties and the high complementarity of economies in the field of energy exchange, telecommunication systems for mineral fertilizers, however, in the crisis conditions (2008) and the sanctions regime (2014 and at present), trade cooperation is undergoing some changes. It is important to note that the above crisis points had an impact on the trade and economic relations of partners, but did not destroy the definitive supply chains of energy resources from Russia to the countries of the European Union and light industry goods and food products from the European Union to Russia. It is also worth paying attention to the deep mutual partnership between Russia and the countries of the European Union in the field of investment cooperation. Direct foreign investments from Russia to the countries of the European Union account for about 93 % of the total volume of direct foreign investments directed from Russia, and from the European Union to Russia — 70 %. At first glance, the current sanctions regime should have significantly weakened trade and economic relations between Russia and the European Union, however, today, Germany and Italy are the suppliers with the greatest potential for exporting all products to Russia along with China (largely due to high demand on the Russian market). Despite the high elaboration of the problem, this topic is relevant, because, firstly, the Russian Federation and the European Union are in close partnership, and secondly, the foreign economic cooperation of the partner countries is complicated by political and economic factors that are relevant to the world community. Thus, the study of these problems and the search for solutions are the most relevant in modern conditions.

The intensive development of the industrial sector, intensification of the agro-industrial complex, associated with the use of various fertilizers, active use of modern household chemicals lead to the constant increase in xenobiotics in the environment in both rural and urban agglomerations. There are settlements and farms within the industrial areas, therefore, the issue of accumulation of ecotoxicants in the organs and tissues of an animal, as well as the impact on the state of its health, is of particular importance. In the regions with tough environmental situation associated with anthropogenic contamination, xenobiotics of anthropogenic origin can directly or indirectly modify the activity of various body systems. The integral characteristic that reflects adaptive modifications of biota is the morphological and functional status of organs and tissues of an animal, including the state of muscle tissue. An analysis of the regenerative plastic potential of muscle tissue allows finding innovative approaches to assessing the effects of environmental impacts on animals. Up to the present day, the morphological and functional characteristics of muscle tissue in young animals and adult cattle have not been sufficiently studied in the conditions of the tough environmental situation of the Central Federal District of the Russian Federation. The issue of ecological pathologies of organs in productive animals is quite urgent for the territory of the Central Federal District with its developed agro-industrial complex and industry. The study of animals from the agglomeration of the large chemical plant showed that cattle react differently to pollutants. The animals demonstrated changes not only in hematological and biochemical parameters, but also in the morphological and functional status of muscle tissue.

A same-but-different dichotomy has recently been encapsulated within the US Food and Drug Administration’s ill-defined concept of “substantial equivalence” (USFDA, FDA). By invoking this concept the genetically modified organism (GMO) industry has escaped the rigors of safety testing that might otherwise apply. The curious concept of “substantial equivalence” grants a presumption of safety to GMO food. This presumption has yet to be earned, and has been used to constrain labelling of both GMO and non-GMO food. It is an idea that well serves corporatism. It enables the claim of difference to secure patent protection, while upholding the contrary claim of sameness to avoid labelling and safety scrutiny. It offers the best of both worlds for corporate food entrepreneurs, and delivers the worst of both worlds to consumers. The term “substantial equivalence” has established its currency within the GMO discourse. As the opportunities for patenting food technologies expand, the GMO recruitment of this concept will likely be a dress rehearsal for the developing debates on the labelling and testing of other techno-foods – including nano-foods and clone-foods. “Substantial Equivalence” “Are the Seven Commandments the same as they used to be, Benjamin?” asks Clover in George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”. By way of response, Benjamin “read out to her what was written on the wall. There was nothing there now except a single Commandment. It ran: ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS”. After this reductionist revelation, further novel and curious events at Manor Farm, “did not seem strange” (Orwell, ch. X). Equality is a concept at the very core of mathematics, but beyond the domain of logic, equality becomes a hotly contested notion – and the domain of food is no exception. A novel food has a regulatory advantage if it can claim to be the same as an established food – a food that has proven its worth over centuries, perhaps even millennia – and thus does not trigger new, perhaps costly and onerous, testing, compliance, and even new and burdensome regulations. On the other hand, such a novel food has an intellectual property (IP) advantage only in terms of its difference. And thus there is an entrenched dissonance for newly technologised foods, between claiming sameness, and claiming difference. The same/different dilemma is erased, so some would have it, by appeal to the curious new dualist doctrine of “substantial equivalence” whereby sameness and difference are claimed simultaneously, thereby creating a win/win for corporatism, and a loss/loss for consumerism. This ground has been pioneered, and to some extent conquered, by the GMO industry. The conquest has ramifications for other cryptic food technologies, that is technologies that are invisible to the consumer and that are not evident to the consumer other than via labelling. Cryptic technologies pertaining to food include GMOs, pesticides, hormone treatments, irradiation and, most recently, manufactured nano-particles introduced into the food production and delivery stream. Genetic modification of plants was reported as early as 1984 by Horsch et al. The case of Diamond v. Chakrabarty resulted in a US Supreme Court decision that upheld the prior decision of the US Court of Customs and Patent Appeal that “the fact that micro-organisms are alive is without legal significance for purposes of the patent law”, and ruled that the “respondent’s micro-organism plainly qualifies as patentable subject matter”. This was a majority decision of nine judges, with four judges dissenting (Burger). It was this Chakrabarty judgement that has seriously opened the Pandora’s box of GMOs because patenting rights makes GMOs an attractive corporate proposition by offering potentially unique monopoly rights over food. The rear guard action against GMOs has most often focussed on health repercussions (Smith, Genetic), food security issues, and also the potential for corporate malfeasance to hide behind a cloak of secrecy citing commercial confidentiality (Smith, Seeds). Others have tilted at the foundational plank on which the economics of the GMO industry sits: “I suggest that the main concern is that we do not want a single molecule of anything we eat to contribute to, or be patented and owned by, a reckless, ruthless chemical organisation” (Grist 22). The GMO industry exhibits bipolar behaviour, invoking the concept of “substantial difference” to claim patent rights by way of “novelty”, and then claiming “substantial equivalence” when dealing with other regulatory authorities including food, drug and pesticide agencies; a case of “having their cake and eating it too” (Engdahl 8). This is a clever slight-of-rhetoric, laying claim to the best of both worlds for corporations, and the worst of both worlds for consumers. Corporations achieve patent protection and no concomitant specific regulatory oversight; while consumers pay the cost of patent monopolization, and are not necessarily apprised, by way of labelling or otherwise, that they are purchasing and eating GMOs, and thereby financing the GMO industry. The lemma of “substantial equivalence” does not bear close scrutiny. It is a fuzzy concept that lacks a tight testable definition. It is exactly this fuzziness that allows lots of wriggle room to keep GMOs out of rigorous testing regimes. Millstone et al. argue that “substantial equivalence is a pseudo-scientific concept because it is a commercial and political judgement masquerading as if it is scientific. It is moreover, inherently anti-scientific because it was created primarily to provide an excuse for not requiring biochemical or toxicological tests. It therefore serves to discourage and inhibit informative scientific research” (526). “Substantial equivalence” grants GMOs the benefit of the doubt regarding safety, and thereby leaves unexamined the ramifications for human consumer health, for farm labourer and food-processor health, for the welfare of farm animals fed a diet of GMO grain, and for the well-being of the ecosystem, both in general and in its particularities. “Substantial equivalence” was introduced into the food discourse by an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report: “safety evaluation of foods derived by modern biotechnology: concepts and principles”. It is from this document that the ongoing mantra of assumed safety of GMOs derives: “modern biotechnology … does not inherently lead to foods that are less safe … . Therefore evaluation of foods and food components obtained from organisms developed by the application of the newer techniques does not necessitate a fundamental change in established principles, nor does it require a different standard of safety” (OECD, “Safety” 10). This was at the time, and remains, an act of faith, a pro-corporatist and a post-cautionary approach. The OECD motto reveals where their priorities lean: “for a better world economy” (OECD, “Better”). The term “substantial equivalence” was preceded by the 1992 USFDA concept of “substantial similarity” (Levidow, Murphy and Carr) and was adopted from a prior usage by the US Food and Drug Agency (USFDA) where it was used pertaining to medical devices (Miller). Even GMO proponents accept that “Substantial equivalence is not intended to be a scientific formulation; it is a conceptual tool for food producers and government regulators” (Miller 1043). And there’s the rub – there is no scientific definition of “substantial equivalence”, no scientific test of proof of concept, and nor is there likely to be, since this is a ‘spinmeister’ term. And yet this is the cornerstone on which rests the presumption of safety of GMOs. Absence of evidence is taken to be evidence of absence. History suggests that this is a fraught presumption. By way of contrast, the patenting of GMOs depends on the antithesis of assumed ‘sameness’. Patenting rests on proven, scrutinised, challengeable and robust tests of difference and novelty. Lightfoot et al. report that transgenic plants exhibit “unexpected changes [that] challenge the usual assumptions of GMO equivalence and suggest genomic, proteomic and metanomic characterization of transgenics is advisable” (1). GMO Milk and Contested Labelling Pesticide company Monsanto markets the genetically engineered hormone rBST (recombinant Bovine Somatotropin; also known as: rbST; rBGH, recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone; and the brand name Prosilac) to dairy farmers who inject it into their cows to increase milk production. This product is not approved for use in many jurisdictions, including Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Japan. Even Monsanto accepts that rBST leads to mastitis (inflammation and pus in the udder) and other “cow health problems”, however, it maintains that “these problems did not occur at rates that would prohibit the use of Prosilac” (Monsanto). A European Union study identified an extensive list of health concerns of rBST use (European Commission). The US Dairy Export Council however entertain no doubt. In their background document they ask “is milk from cows treated with rBST safe?” and answer “Absolutely” (USDEC). Meanwhile, Monsanto’s website raises and answers the question: “Is the milk from cows treated with rbST any different from milk from untreated cows? No” (Monsanto). Injecting cows with genetically modified hormones to boost their milk production remains a contested practice, banned in many countries. It is the claimed equivalence that has kept consumers of US dairy products in the dark, shielded rBST dairy farmers from having to declare that their milk production is GMO-enhanced, and has inhibited non-GMO producers from declaring their milk as non-GMO, non rBST, or not hormone enhanced. This is a battle that has simmered, and sometimes raged, for a decade in the US. Finally there is a modest victory for consumers: the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) requires all labels used on milk products to be approved in advance by the department. The standard issued in October 2007 (PDA, “Standards”) signalled to producers that any milk labels claiming rBST-free status would be rejected. This advice was rescinded in January 2008 with new, specific, department-approved textual constructions allowed, and ensuring that any “no rBST” style claim was paired with a PDA-prescribed disclaimer (PDA, “Revised Standards”). However, parsimonious labelling is prohibited: No labeling may contain references such as ‘No Hormones’, ‘Hormone Free’, ‘Free of Hormones’, ‘No BST’, ‘Free of BST’, ‘BST Free’,’No added BST’, or any statement which indicates, implies or could be construed to mean that no natural bovine somatotropin (BST) or synthetic bovine somatotropin (rBST) are contained in or added to the product. (PDA, “Revised Standards” 3) Difference claims are prohibited: In no instance shall any label state or imply that milk from cows not treated with recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST, rbST, RBST or rbst) differs in composition from milk or products made with milk from treated cows, or that rBST is not contained in or added to the product. If a product is represented as, or intended to be represented to consumers as, containing or produced from milk from cows not treated with rBST any labeling information must convey only a difference in farming practices or dairy herd management methods. (PDA, “Revised Standards” 3) The PDA-approved labelling text for non-GMO dairy farmers is specified as follows: ‘From cows not treated with rBST. No significant difference has been shown between milk derived from rBST-treated and non-rBST-treated cows’ or a substantial equivalent. Hereinafter, the first sentence shall be referred to as the ‘Claim’, and the second sentence shall be referred to as the ‘Disclaimer’. (PDA, “Revised Standards” 4) It is onto the non-GMO dairy farmer alone, that the costs of compliance fall. These costs include label preparation and approval, proving non-usage of GMOs, and of creating and maintaining an audit trail. In nearby Ohio a similar consumer versus corporatist pantomime is playing out. This time with the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) calling the shots, and again serving the GMO industry. The ODA prescribed text allowed to non-GMO dairy farmers is “from cows not supplemented with rbST” and this is to be conjoined with the mandatory disclaimer “no significant difference has been shown between milk derived from rbST-supplemented and non-rbST supplemented cows” (Curet). These are “emergency rules”: they apply for 90 days, and are proposed as permanent. Once again, the onus is on the non-GMO dairy farmers to document and prove their claims. GMO dairy farmers face no such governmental requirements, including no disclosure requirement, and thus an asymmetric regulatory impost is placed on the non-GMO farmer which opens up new opportunities for administrative demands and technocratic harassment. Levidow et al. argue, somewhat Eurocentrically, that from its 1990s adoption “as the basis for a harmonized science-based approach to risk assessment” (26) the concept of “substantial equivalence” has “been recast in at least three ways” (58). It is true that the GMO debate has evolved differently in the US and Europe, and with other jurisdictions usually adopting intermediate positions, yet the concept persists. Levidow et al. nominate their three recastings as: firstly an “implicit redefinition” by the appending of “extra phrases in official documents”; secondly, “it has been reinterpreted, as risk assessment processes have … required more evidence of safety than before, especially in Europe”; and thirdly, “it has been demoted in the European Union regulatory procedures so that it can no longer be used to justify the claim that a risk assessment is unnecessary” (58). Romeis et al. have proposed a decision tree approach to GMO risks based on cascading tiers of risk assessment. However what remains is that the defects of the concept of “substantial equivalence” persist. Schauzu identified that: such decisions are a matter of “opinion”; that there is “no clear definition of the term ‘substantial’”; that because genetic modification “is aimed at introducing new traits into organisms, the result will always be a different combination of genes and proteins”; and that “there is no general checklist that could be followed by those who are responsible for allowing a product to be placed on the market” (2). Benchmark for Further Food Novelties? The discourse, contestation, and debate about “substantial equivalence” have largely focussed on the introduction of GMOs into food production processes. GM can best be regarded as the test case, and proof of concept, for establishing “substantial equivalence” as a benchmark for evaluating new and forthcoming food technologies. This is of concern, because the concept of “substantial equivalence” is scientific hokum, and yet its persistence, even entrenchment, within regulatory agencies may be a harbinger of forthcoming same-but-different debates for nanotechnology and other future bioengineering. The appeal of “substantial equivalence” has been a brake on the creation of GMO-specific regulations and on rigorous GMO testing. The food nanotechnology industry can be expected to look to the precedent of the GMO debate to head off specific nano-regulations and nano-testing. As cloning becomes economically viable, then this may be another wave of food innovation that muddies the regulatory waters with the confused – and ultimately self-contradictory – concept of “substantial equivalence”. Nanotechnology engineers particles in the size range 1 to 100 nanometres – a nanometre is one billionth of a metre. This is interesting for manufacturers because at this size chemicals behave differently, or as the Australian Office of Nanotechnology expresses it, “new functionalities are obtained” (AON). Globally, government expenditure on nanotechnology research reached US$4.6 billion in 2006 (Roco 3.12). While there are now many patents (ETC Group; Roco), regulation specific to nanoparticles is lacking (Bowman and Hodge; Miller and Senjen). The USFDA advises that nano-manufacturers “must show a reasonable assurance of safety … or substantial equivalence” (FDA). A recent inventory of nano-products already on the market identified 580 products. Of these 11.4% were categorised as “Food and Beverage” (WWICS). This is at a time when public confidence in regulatory bodies is declining (HRA). In an Australian consumer survey on nanotechnology, 65% of respondents indicated they were concerned about “unknown and long term side effects”, and 71% agreed that it is important “to know if products are made with nanotechnology” (MARS 22). Cloned animals are currently more expensive to produce than traditional animal progeny. In the course of 678 pages, the USFDA Animal Cloning: A Draft Risk Assessment has not a single mention of “substantial equivalence”. However the Federation of Animal Science Societies (FASS) in its single page “Statement in Support of USFDA’s Risk Assessment Conclusion That Food from Cloned Animals Is Safe for Human Consumption” states that “FASS endorses the use of this comparative evaluation process as the foundation of establishing substantial equivalence of any food being evaluated. It must be emphasized that it is the food product itself that should be the focus of the evaluation rather than the technology used to generate cloned animals” (FASS 1). Contrary to the FASS derogation of the importance of process in food production, for consumers both the process and provenance of production is an important and integral aspect of a food product’s value and identity. Some consumers will legitimately insist that their Kalamata olives are from Greece, or their balsamic vinegar is from Modena. It was the British public’s growing awareness that their sugar was being produced by slave labour that enabled the boycotting of the product, and ultimately the outlawing of slavery (Hochschild). When consumers boycott Nestle, because of past or present marketing practices, or boycott produce of USA because of, for example, US foreign policy or animal welfare concerns, they are distinguishing the food based on the narrative of the food, the production process and/or production context which are a part of the identity of the food. Consumers attribute value to food based on production process and provenance information (Paull). Products produced by slave labour, by child labour, by political prisoners, by means of torture, theft, immoral, unethical or unsustainable practices are different from their alternatives. The process of production is a part of the identity of a product and consumers are increasingly interested in food narrative. It requires vigilance to ensure that these narratives are delivered with the product to the consumer, and are neither lost nor suppressed. Throughout the GM debate, the organic sector has successfully skirted the “substantial equivalence” debate by excluding GMOs from the certified organic food production process. This GMO-exclusion from the organic food stream is the one reprieve available to consumers worldwide who are keen to avoid GMOs in their diet. The organic industry carries the expectation of providing food produced without artificial pesticides and fertilizers, and by extension, without GMOs. Most recently, the Soil Association, the leading organic certifier in the UK, claims to be the first organisation in the world to exclude manufactured nonoparticles from their products (Soil Association). There has been the call that engineered nanoparticles be excluded from organic standards worldwide, given that there is no mandatory safety testing and no compulsory labelling in place (Paull and Lyons). The twisted rhetoric of oxymorons does not make the ideal foundation for policy. Setting food policy on the shifting sands of “substantial equivalence” seems foolhardy when we consider the potentially profound ramifications of globally mass marketing a dysfunctional food. If there is a 2×2 matrix of terms – “substantial equivalence”, substantial difference, insubstantial equivalence, insubstantial difference – while only one corner of this matrix is engaged for food policy, and while the elements remain matters of opinion rather than being testable by science, or by some other regime, then the public is the dupe, and potentially the victim. “Substantial equivalence” has served the GMO corporates well and the public poorly, and this asymmetry is slated to escalate if nano-food and clone-food are also folded into the “substantial equivalence” paradigm. Only in Orwellian Newspeak is war peace, or is same different. It is time to jettison the pseudo-scientific doctrine of “substantial equivalence”, as a convenient oxymoron, and embrace full disclosure of provenance, process and difference, so that consumers are not collateral in a continuing asymmetric knowledge war. References Australian Office of Nanotechnology (AON). 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