In The Spotlight

The funding from the Walloon Region in particular will support the future development of BiocSol’s R&D platform. (Image source: David Plas BiocSol)
BiocSol secures million dollar funding to boost crop protection solutions
BiocSol, a UCLouvain spin-off specialised in sustainable crop protection solutions, announces that it has secured US$4.58mn in its latest funding round
This figure includes an equity investment from Dutch impact investment fund Pymwymic and non-dilutive financing from the Walloon Region via the Win4company programme. This financing follows on from the US$5.4mn in equity funding secured in November 2024 in a round led by Agri Investment Fund and VIVES partners.
The funding from the Walloon Region in particular will support the future development of BiocSol’s R&D platform. It will also help the start-up demonstrate proof of concept worldwide for its first two biofungicide products.
“With this new financing, we are on target with our US$10.2mn goal, the amount we need to really fast-track our development work. It also demonstrates, once again, that our commitment to providing farmers worldwide with access to sustainable and more effective biosolutions is the right one,” said Denis Payen, CEO of BiocSol. “We are thrilled to welcome Pymwymic as an investor in BiocSol. Its support will accelerate our growth and empower us to integrate impact into our everyday lives, ensuring that our path remains relevant and transformative. Thanks to our new chairman of the board, Pierre Ferrand, and our dedicated team, we now have everything in place to write the next chapter in the BiocSol story.”
“We wish to thank the Walloon Region for supporting our start-up from the very beginning. Likewise, we are grateful to the Laboratory of Plant Pathology (SAVE), led by Anne Legrève and Claude Bragard, and the Laboratory of Food and Environmental Microbiology (MIAE), headed up by Jacques Mahillon and Annika Gillis at UCLouvain; all have been instrumental in the creation and successful growth of BiocSol,” said Simon Caulier, CTO and founder of BiocSol.
“Given BiocSol’s strong biosolution pipeline and ability to develop microbial substances for a wide range of different crops, we believe that it has real potential to make a positive impact on the agricultural sector by providing farmers with alternative crop protection solutions at an affordable price,” said Pieter Vis, partner at Pymwymic. “We are proud to be part of a project with such great potential, well-respected co-investors and partners, and, of course, an expert team led by Denis Payen and Simon Caulier.”

The stainless stell lift provides an efficient and safe way to move raw materials and products within a hygienic production environment. (Image source: Dinnissen)
Dinnissen launches innovative stainless steel lift
This innovative stainless steel lift saves space, accelerates work processes, and minimises safety risks through automated, safe vertical movement of raw materials and goods
Designed to meet strict hygienic standards and made entirely of stainless steel, the lift guarantees full reliability. The idea for the stainless steel lift emerged during a project in the United States. Dinnissen built two mixing lines there for a major multinational in dietary supplements (collagen powder). During this project, Dinnissen specialists Frans Bakker and Melvin van Hilst noticed that the design was not sufficiently safe. Pallets with raw materials had to be placed on a platform at a height of 8 meters, which involved significant risks. Back in the Netherlands, they decided to develop a safer solution together: a lift to safely elevate the pallets with raw materials.
The idea was immediately well received by the client. They searched for a supplier capable of delivering fully stainless steel lifts without hydraulics, due to stringent hygienic requirements. However, the search brought no outcome. When it became clear that no suitable supplier could be found, Dinnissen decided to design and build the lifts themselves, fully tailored to the client’s needs.
The stainless steel lift for pallets, IBCs, and FIBCs provides an efficient and safe way to move raw materials and products within a hygienic production environment. This innovative system meets the strict hygiene standards of the food industry, saves space, ensures safety, and accelerates work processes.
The lift’s design is fully aligned with the highest safety and hygiene standards, with stainless steel as the primary material. Stainless steel is not only corrosion-resistant but also easy to clean, minimizing the risk of contamination. Moreover, the stainless steel lift is highly versatile: it can easily handle various product types, including pallets, drums, big bags, and sack goods.
Dinnissen has further enhanced the lift’s safety by opting for a mechanical belt drive instead of hydraulics. This not only improves hygiene but also makes the system more reliable and durable. Additionally, the lifts comply with safety standards, such as CE certification, thanks to collaboration with the Liftinstituut in The Netherlands. This partnership ensures compliance and safe operation in industrial environments. The fully stainless steel lift features its own control system, including LOTO provisions and fall protection, to ensure maximum safety. Everything is fully compliant with the EN 81-30:2010 regulations.
Dinnissen designs the stainless steel lift entirely according to the specific requirements of the customer. This includes considerations such as height, capacity, or the specific configuration of input and output routes. Dinnissen ensures that the lift seamlessly integrates into the production process. The lifts can be built in various heights and have a lifting capacity ranging from 500 to 2000 kg.
Dinnissen has already built several stainless steel lifts and is currently producing multiple units for various customers.

The ‘Elefant’ can be equipped with a powerful turbo filler to ensure top suction performance. (Image source: Fliegl)
Fliegl launches new vacuum tank line
Fliegl presents the new 'Top Line Plus' vacuum tankline, a vehicle specially developed to meet the requirements of modern operations and sets new standards in efficiency and user-friendliness
Hyderabad, India

Velsinum will increase access to biological alternatives for vegetable and potato operations. (Image source: Bayer)
Distribution agreement inked to market new biological crop protection product
Bayer recently announced that the company has signed a new exclusive distribution agreement with UK-based Ecospray to market a biological liquid nematicide sourced from garlic
The product presents a biological alternative to traditional synthetic chemical nematicides in vegetable and potato crops, and will be marketed in the European Union under the new name Velsinum.
“Farmers in the EU are in desperate need of new, effective solutions against pests for their high-value vegetable crops,” said Jens Hartmann, regional head for Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) at Bayer’s Crop Science Division. “Velsinum will be a welcome addition into Bayer’s trusted portfolio of biological solutions and technologies supported by innovations like Velum, BioAct, Nematool and Terra MG.”
Nematodes cause over US$77.4bn worth of damage to crops globally each year with all crops facing at least one nematode pest threat. Velsinum will offer growers a new tool against nematode root damage with complementary benefits for both plant and soil health. Plants which can avoid root damage are better able to absorb available nutrients and also can withstand disease and pest pressure overall, all while safekeeping beneficial earthworm populations to maintain soil quality.
Ecospray’s knowledge and expertise of the naturally occurring bioactive compounds contained within garlic has allowed the company to develop effective plant protection products which take advantage of the natural nematicidal properties of garlic extract in order to create safe, effective and zero-residue solutions.
“We are excited to collaborate with Bayer on Velsinum, which is fully compatible with Bayer’s existing biological portfolio,” said Peter McDonald, CEO of Ecospray. “This partnership is a strong endorsement of Ecospray and its R&D capabilities developed over many years. We also greatly appreciate the ongoing support from our existing distributors in Europe Certis Belchim BV and CBC (Europe) SRL., who remain vital to our market development with our legacy product Nemguard.”
Bayer’s partnership with Ecospray continues Bayer’s work to bring new botanical and biological solutions from the open innovation ecosystem to growers, while encouraging diversity in modern agricultural practices and enabling additional regenerative agricultural practices. With Bayer’s trusted brand, global commercialisation capabilities, and unparalleled agricultural systems expertise Bayer helps to bring effective biological products to market more quickly.

The company's egg flow control systems offer a comprehensive and groundbreaking approach to smart egg collection. (Image source: Hotraco Agri)
Next gen solutions presented at IPPE 2025
Global leader in innovation farm automation, Hotraco Agri recently announced its participation in the 2025 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) scheduled to take place from 28-30 January in Atlanta, Georgia
Hotraco Agri will present three next-generation products and systems developed to optimise every aspect of farm management, setting new industry standards in egg flow control. These groundbreaking solutions are designed to boost efficiency and profit, enhance animal welfare, and simplify operations.
The company's egg flow control systems offer a comprehensive and groundbreaking approach to smart egg collection, setting new standards for optimising processes at both barn and farm levels. At the barn level, the new Antares Egg controller ensures smooth egg flow by synchronising belt speeds, reducing shell damage, and minimising labour requirements. Equipped with a user-friendly 7-inch touchscreen, it provides real-time insights into egg production with 99.5% accuracy, making it easy to monitor and adjust operations as needed.
For organisations with multiple barns, the Fortica MAX - centralised egg collection (CEC) solution elevates egg flow management by coordinating outputs across barns. This system adjusts for production fluctuations, ensuring a consistent flow to centralised processing points. The result is reduced downtime, less egg breakage, and more efficient packing and grading. Both integrate seamlessly into new or existing farm setups and operations and offers specialised solutions for barn and farm-level egg flow control.
Attendees can feel free to meet experts available at Booth B18042 to provide demonstrations and discuss tailored solutions for farming operations.

Monarch MK-V tractor demonstrating V2G through Borg Warner DCFC and Gridtractor CMS. (Image source: Gridtractor)
Monarch Tractor leads V2G revolution in agriculture
Gridtractor, Monarch Tractor, and Borg Warner have achieved a significant milestone by successfully demonstrating Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) capabilities utilising a Monarch MK-V tractor, a Borg Warner 60 kW DC fast charger, and Gridtractor’s cloud-based charge management system employing the Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP)

These awards recognise the most innovative designs in engineering products or systems for the food and agriculture industries. (Image source: New Holland)
New Holland awarded three prestigious AE50 Awards
New Holland Agriculture recently announced that it has been honored with three prestigious AE50 Awards from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE)
These awards recognise the most innovative designs in engineering products or systems for the food and agriculture industries. New Holland's IntelliSense Bale Automation, CropSpeed Monitoring System, and UltraFeed Pickup have each been acknowledged for their groundbreaking contributions to agricultural technology.
IntelliSense Bale Automation: Revolutionising Baling Efficiency
The IntelliSense Bale Automation system has set a new standard in the large square baler industry. This cutting-edge technology for New Holland’s BigBaler range offers the potential for greater productivity, bale quality, fuel efficiency and operator comfort by automating key baler and tractor functions. It integrates SmartSteer swath guidance and IntelliCruise II speed control, utilising LiDAR (light detection and ranging) technology to provide precise navigation and real-time adjustments. Farmers have underlined the system's ability to automate feedrate and swath guidance, which significantly reduces operator fatigue and increases efficiency.
CropSpeed Monitoring System: Enhancing Crop Management
The CropSpeed Monitoring System featured on the FR Forage Cruiser self-propelled forage harvesters is the first system of its kind in the industry, and it’s based around a spout-mounted radar sensor that monitors the crop flow leaving the machine, detecting any change in its rate in relation to the forage harvester’s forward speed. Operators using the system have the potential to reduce blockage likelihood and make dense blockage far less likely to occur in the machine, with the cleanout and work resumption being far faster. This system also helps less-experienced operators operate with more confidence to ensure they can maximize the output of the FR Forage Cruiser with minimum operator training before getting in the seat.
UltraFeed Pickup: Maximising Forage Harvester Productivity
The UltraFeed Pickup head is designed to enhance the performance of New Holland's FR Forage Cruiser self-propelled forage harvesters. Presented in 3.0 m, 3.5 m and 4.0 m working widths, the UltraFeed Pickup efficiently handles larger windrows and improves crop flow through the harvester. Its robust belt-driven driveline and innovative auger design ensure increased capacity, uptime, and service life. The UltraFeed Pickup also features a large roller windguard and optional auto greasing system, further optimising productivity and reducing maintenance. The AE50 Awards will be presented at the Agricultural Equipment Technology Conference (AETC), which is scheduled to take place from 9-12 February 2025, in Louisville. This event will celebrate the most innovative designs in agricultural engineering, including New Holland's award-winning technologies.