I would like to extend a warm welcome to all of you participating in the Euro Agriculture Food and safety meeting over the next few days.  At this time the importance of agricultural and food safety is becoming increasingly critical. For instance, there is growing concern related to environmental disruptions caused by current crop production methods, in addition the effects of climate change may result in increasing food scarcity, resulting in consumption of lower quality food materials and, in some settings, less consumption of food.  For EUROAGRI2024 we have attempted to gather the world’s foremost specific expertise and general knowledge for discussion and conceptual development.  The meeting will include a forum of plenary, keynote, and invited lectures, plus other and oral/ poster presentations, through which we will bring the most current understanding of all aspects of aagriculture food and safety together for discussion and integrated consideration.  We do thank all of those involved for their contributions and involvement, including speakers, sponsors, and the broad range of attendees.  For my part, I hope to acquire a very up-to-date and big-picture understanding of the present thinking around plant-microbe interactions and their role in secure and high quality crop and food production.  This conference comes at a critical time, as agriculture and other aspects of crop production attempt to maintain or enhance global food production in the face of the challenges posed by climate change.  It is my hope that the meeting’s attendees with take away a very clear understanding of these challenges and the set of potential solutions; solutions that require investigation and systematic research. I welcome you all and wish you intellectually challenging, informing and rewarding time.