Helena Tavernier

Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO) researches the entire food chain, from primary food production to food processing and also the social and economic aspects of agriculture and fisheries. ILVO is an independent governmental research institute, part of the Government of Flanders’ Agriculture and Fisheries Policy Area in Belgium. ILVO’s mission is to perform and coordinate policy-supportive scientific research and the associated public service with the goal of creating sustainable agriculture and fisheries from an economic, ecological and social perspective. ILVO research and its related services span the range from fundamental and applied crop and animal sciences to agricultural engineering, marine and fisheries research, food science, social science research and economics. Using research, ILVO strives to improve products and production methods, monitor and safeguard the quality and safety of end products, and to improve policy instruments with the aim of developing policy related to agriculture, rural areas, and fisheries. ILVO continually informs policymakers, the relevant industries, and the public about its research findings.