Author: pr-moritz
Last saved by: Roland Birkhoff
Company: Bayer
Document comments: V-2024-03-05

Bayer and Ecospray Reach Distribution Agreement for New Garlic-Sourced Biological Crop Protection Product
•	Bayer to distribute Ecospray’s new liquid nematicide with their exclusive brand, Velsinum™, across Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Africa starting in 2026
•	Velsinum will increase access to biological alternatives for vegetable and potato operations in the European Union

Monheim / Bury St. Edmunds, United Kingdom, January 23, 2025 – Bayer today 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 75 billion euros 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 commercialization capabilities, and unparalleled agricultural systems expertise Bayer helps to bring effective biological products to market more quickly.

About Bayer
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. In line with its mission, “Health for all, Hunger for none,” the company’s products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to driving sustainable development and generating a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2023, the Group employed around 100,000 people and had sales of 47.6 billion euros. R&D expenses before special items amounted to 5.8 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.

About Ecospray
Ecospray Limited, a UK-based biopesticide company, specializes in creating garlic extract-based solutions with global registrations. Known for its residue-free products, it is a preferred choice among growers. With the tagline “Nature Defined, Technically Refined,” Ecospray is dedicated to advancing naturally derived crop protection technologies through ongoing research and development.
The company offers growers reliable, effective, and eco-friendly tools for managing pest and crop health challenges, while ensuring high crop quality and promoting sustainable farming practices. Ecospray’s commitment to innovation ensures its solutions meet the evolving needs of farmers around the world. For more information, visit www.ecospray.com.

Bayer contact for media inquiries:
Alexander Gutmann, +49 174 730 6349
Email: alexander.gutmann@bayer.com

Ecospray contact for media inquiries:
Peter McDonald, +44 7398 012285
Email: peter@ecospray.com

Find more information at www.bayer.com.

agu	(2025-016E)

Forward-Looking Statements 
This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer’s public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.