Disruptions to business give an opportunity to try something different, and so Agri-TechE is moving into virtual conferencing for its Pollinators; first up is de-risking weather in April followed by an online webinar on Cannabis as a trailer for our ‘Farmer to Pharma – and Beyond’ event which is being postponed.
The ‘From Farmer to Pharma – a Teaser of Things to Come’ webinar on 14th May aims to give attendees a heads-up on the benefits and issues involved with growing Cannabis – billed as the new Wonder-Crop by many.
Cannabis has many strengths. Its fibres can be used to create extremely resilient materials. Its seeds and fibres together are a nutritious basis for food products. And its buds or and leaves contain a highly profitable health supplement with potential medical significance, called CBD (canna-bi-diol).
However, the high potential of the Cannabis crop (Cannabis sativa L.) is not being realised in Europe, and certainly not in the UK, where one considerable hurdle stands in its way: misunderstanding.
Cannabis sativa is a single species of plant, known by many names, depending upon which parts of the plant are taken, and how they are used:
- Hemp is the term for a cannabis crop grown for its fibres, with very low levels of CBD and other extracts present.
- CBD is the name of the most abundant extract taken available from the leaves of the plant, touted for its health properties.
- THC (Tetra-Hydro-Cannabinol) is the name of an extract that has psychoactive properties and is illegal in the UK and heavily regulated in most EU member states.
The conflation of Hemp and CBD and THC is a misunderstanding that filters through the general public and has ended up being captured in UK and EU law. The effect is a legal landscape that is “confusing, contradictory and illogical,” which harms market stability, consumer confidence, and simply makes it harder to produce and process the crop.
Webinar with Hanway Associates
Navigating this landscape, and exchanging thoughts on Cannabis in general, is the focus of the upcoming webinar, ‘From Farmer to Pharma – a Teaser of Things to Come’, which will be hosted on Zoom and include speakers from strategic consultancy organisation Hanway Associates, which has recently announced Crop17 – a new initiative to support the develop medical cannabis facilities, in association with Savills.
“Growing cannabis legally in the UK is difficult, but far from impossible,” comments George McBride, CEO of Hanway Associates. “The Hanway team is very excited to connect with the members of Agri-TechE for this ‘From Farmer to Pharma’ webinar. Since the legalisation of medical cannabis in 2018, excitement has grown for this nascent sector. Now is the perfect time to take a look at how UK farmers can take advantage and make the most out of this new opportunity that growing hemp and cannabis offer.”
‘From Farmer to Pharma’ is back for 2021!
After the success of last year’s teaser event, we are back this year with even more speakers working in the hemp and medicinal cannabis sector.
Join us on 12th May to meet the key players across the value chain and learn more about what is involved in the broadacre and controlled environment production of hemp and cannabis, new variety development, processing solutions and needs, regulatory requirements and potential routes to market.
Members £50+VAT/Non-Members £85+VAT with 5 BASIS points on offer
