Agricultural industry leaders join forces to promote closed transfer system technology

ADAMA, BASF, Corteva Agriscience, Nufarm and Syngenta join forces to further improve the way crop protection products are handled in Europe by promoting the use of closed transfer system (CTS) technology. The companies are now each piloting the CTS ‘easyconnect’ in selected countries to benefit operators, farmers and the environment.

The easyconnect system consists of two components: a unique screw cap – pre-fitted on the containers – and a coupler, which together establish the CTS. By 2021/2022, a broad range of containers (IS 63 industry standard) is planned to be equipped with the standardized pre-mounted screw cap and offered to farmers in Denmark, Germany, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, with other countries likely to follow.

“A CTS, such as easyconnect, allows crop protection products to be directly transferred from their original container to the spray tank and to accurately measure the volume of the chemical being transferred. This significantly reduces operator exposure and environmental risks from splashing or spilling,” explained Livio Tedeschi, Senior Vice President Agricultural Solutions EMEA and CIS, BASF SE.

“The introduction of a CTS on a broad range of products will have real benefits for the environment by significantly reducing the risk of spills during handling products. Further advantages are seen in the integrated rinsing system, which makes it easier to clean and rinse packaging,” said Xavier Leprince, Head of Business Sustainability EAME at Syngenta.

“Today, there is a lot of interest in efficiency on farm. To maximize the time spent in the field on good spraying days, spray operators wish to reduce their loading time without reducing safety. CTS, and in particular easyconnect, help with that. We are convinced farmers will find it beneficial,” said Louise Brinkworth, Product Stewardship Manager Northern Europe, Corteva Agriscience.

Bertrand Lombard, Vice President, ADAMA South Europe, added: “It is a significant benefit for the farmer when the CTS is simple to use; the easyconnect technology reduces the lifting of cans and thereby minimizes the handling of products.”

“We would be delighted to see farmers adopting CTS. That is why five of the biggest industry players are now taking a further step to independently test the easyconnect system more broadly and to continually improve the way crop protection products are handled,” said Karina von Detten, Head of Portfolio Solutions EuMEA at Nufarm.

Developed by BASF in collaboration with third-party equipment manufacturers, easyconnect has been extensively tested on-farm in selected countries since 2015. Based on farmers’ feedback, the system has been steadily improved in terms of handling and speed, making the filling faster than via the commonly used induction hopper.

Further industry players in the agrochemical sector, equipment manufacturers or any other parties interested in joining the launch of easyconnect in the countries mentioned above are welcome to contact any of the five companies for more information.