The proceedings from this inaugural congress held in Glasgow, UK include all four keynote presentations plus all the platform and poster paper presentations.The programme was designed around three major themes:Crop protection - all aspects of crop protection in both temperate and tropical climates were addressed. This included weed science and pest & disease issues. Advances in spray application technology and precision crop management were also covered;Crop production and the food chain - this theme addressed topics such as minimising the risk of pesticide residues in food, crop performance with reduced input systems and biotechnology approaches to optimise crop development and quality. Farmland biodiversity and the impact of an enlarged EU community also featured;Environment & regulation - the environmental impact of GM crops remains a contentious issue, so the costs , benefits , safety aspects and regulation a decade after their commercialisation provided much debate.