Running for the second year, the KWS Oilseed Establishment Partnership (OEP) sees growers pay for only half of seed costs, should the crop fail to establish.

Now, to support customers even further, Agrovista will pay for the remaining half, meaning that the grower will pay nothing, should establishment fail.

Head of Seed at Agrovista, Tom Nickerson said: “It’s becoming increasingly difficult to successfully establish a crop of oilseed rape in the UK thanks to a range of factors, mainly pest and disease pressure and lack of crop protection products.

“But if successful, the crop contributes considerably to the diversity and flexibility of arable rotations, as well as providing a fantastic habitat for wildlife and pollinators.

“We want to demonstrate customer support through meaningful action, not just words. If your crop fails and you’ve signed up to the OEP, Agrovista will pay the remaining sum for you because we work in partnership with our customers.”

The support is available for Codex – a conventional variety with strong autumn growth as well as good spring vigour. It is also high yielding with an all-region gross output of 101%, comparable to leading variety Campus.

Once signed up to the KWS OEP, growers purchase Codex seed. Payments are then deferred until November and are calculated based on the hectares of established crop, with failed areas completely exempt from charge.

Mr Nickerson added: “Codex is a variety with excellent traits, including an 8.0 resistance to lodging rating and the highest rating possible for resistance to stem canker.

“We want growers to have the best chance possible of a standing crop of oilseed rape, so a quality variety combined with this unique 100% support scheme should provide an excellent grounding for success.”