Stakeholder Board

Martin Wohlfarter is a passionate agriculturist with over 15 years of global experience in sustainable pest management. He currently serves as the Senior Global Regulatory Affairs Specialist at Koppert B.V., where he manages macrobial dossiers and registrations. His leadership roles include serving as the chair of the International Biocontrol Manufacturers Association (IBMA) Macro Professional Group and chairing the Working Group of Artemis in the Netherlands. His background includes an MBA and degrees in Agricultural Economics and Rural Development. Between 2005 and 2020, Martin Wohlfarter conducted primary research on mealybug parasitoids, managed a Sterile Insect Release project with the International Atomic Energy Agency, and worked as a regional Business Development Manager. He has also consulted on insect rearing and integrated pest management for organisations in South Africa and France.

With a background as a plant physiologist, Sara Tramontini has been part of EFSA since 2007, dedicating her expertise primarily to pest and environmental risk assessment. Over the years, she has contributed to the priority pests project during both mandates from DG SANTE, including the assessment of Spodoptera frugiperda. Since 2020, Sara has been a member of the Plant Health Monitoring Team within the EFSA PLANTS Unit, where she leads the horizon scanning project. This initiative harnesses the web scraping tool EIOS to detect signals of emerging threats online, which are then distilled into monthly newsletters and presented through an interactive dashboard, keeping stakeholders informed and engaged with the latest developments in plant health.

Lorenza Michelon is the Head of Technical Service at FuturAgri Srl, an agronomic consultancy that helps farms manage atmospheric risks and insurance practices. She leads a team of six specialized technicians and agronomists who focus on pest management in maize and grapevine. Her work includes territorial monitoring, integrated and organic control strategies, and the promotion of sustainable practices like conservation agriculture and cover crops. The team has more than 20 years of experience in corn pest management and has strongly focused its work on Diabrotica virgifera, European corn borer, and armyworm. In addition to the technical work, they collaborate on research projects with universities and organize field meetings and seminars to share knowledge with the farming community.

Ildebrando Bonacini is a dedicated agricultural expert with a career spanning over 40 years in the Italian livestock and farming sectors. A cum laude graduate of the University of Milan, he has held top leadership positions, including Director of the Breeders' Association of Cremona and the Farmers' Union of Milan and Lodi. His extensive experience covers technical, economic, and environmental management, having served as Deputy Director and Co-Director for the Free Farmers' Association of Cremona for nearly two decades. In his current role as a consultant and freelance journalist, Ildebrando works closely with the Italian Corn Growers Association and Confagricoltura Lombardia, representing these interests at international meetings in Paris. He is a frequent moderator at major livestock exhibitions and has served as editor-in-chief for numerous industry publications like L’Allevatore Cremonese and Rinascita Agraria. Beyond his consultancy, he shares his knowledge as an external lecturer at the Catholic University of Piacenza and serves as an auditor for various agricultural organisations.

Tiago Silva Pinto has been the Secretary-General of ANPROMIS since 2004. In this role, he is responsible for the technical and political coordination of the association.  For the last eight years, he has also overseen the trials developed at the António Teixeira Experimental Station in Coruche. This work involves the annual implementation of several trials focused on maize varieties and maize diseases, fertilisation levels, and crop protection.

Christos Arabatzis is an Agricultural Engineer and the Head of the Department of Phytosanitary Control at the Greek NPPO. With over twenty years of experience, he focuses on building biosecurity frameworks to protect agriculture and international trade. His work involves aligning national legislation with EU standards, coordinating border inspections, and designing surveillance programmes for quarantine pests. A former Phytosanitary Inspector, Christos now leads contingency planning and represents Greece at the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (IPPC/FAO). With a multidisciplinary background in Plant Pathology and Risk Management, he supports the One Health framework. He also serves as a national expert for European Commission audits and acts as a lead tutor for training new inspectors.