Scientists at a sustainable farming think tank have submitted a complaint to the BBC about alleged pro-organic farming bias.

Science for Sustainable Agriculture (SSA) has written to BBC director general Tim Davies to challenge “misleading and factually inaccurate assertions” in relation to farming in the BBC’s online Bitesize revision guides aimed at GCSE students in England and National 5 students in Scotland.

Throughout the guides, it is repeatedly stated that organic farming has a less harmful effect on the environment, is less polluting, and uses more “natural” methods than non-organic farming.

Where is the pork industry on its path to a PRRS-resistant pig? Matt Culbertson, chief operating officer at PIC, says the industry is entering the final chapter of the story before the opportunity to commercialize pig genetics that are resistant to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS). These pigs were developed utilizing non-transgenic gene editing to inactivate a specific gene, CD163, that exists in the pig and allows PRRS infection to occur.

“We are at the point of finalizing regulatory approval activities in multiple geographies around the globe that should allow the necessary framework for not only production in many key pork producing countries, like the U.S., but also for uninterrupted global movement of pork products,” Culbertson said during a presentation at the Carthage Swine Conference.

PIC is scaling up its own internal production of the PRRS-resistant populations to be ready for the potential launch.

In the face of growing food security concerns due to climate change, scientists in New Zealand are attempting to grow fruit tissue in labs.

While work on lab-grown meat has made headlines in recent years, similar work on fruit is less common. Scientists at Plant & Food Research in the southern city of Christchurch are aiming to change that by growing fruit tissue from plant cells that they hope will one day taste, smell and feel like real fruit.

Researchers hope that the program will help safeguard the country’s food security.

The UK is to rejoin the EU's flagship scientific research scheme, Horizon, the government has announced. UK-based scientists and institutions will be able to apply for money from the £81bn (€95bn) fund from today.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: "With a wealth of expertise and experience to bring to the global stage, we have delivered a deal that enables UK scientists to confidently take part in the world's largest research collaboration programme."

Tesco has announced an expansion of its trial of low-carbon fertilisers to drive a tenfold increase in the number of hectares being cultivated by them. It comes as conventional fertiliser costs have risen by as much as 140% last year, alongside the closure of the UK’s last remaining fertiliser plant.

During the first year of the trial, 1,300 hectares of land were cultivated using eight different low-carbon fertilisers. Six of them are manufactured in the UK from material including food waste, chicken litter, fire extinguisher waste and algae. According to the supermarket chain's initial results, they were just as effective as conventional fertilisers while slashing emissions by up to 50%.

Asda has become the first British retailer to stock salad grown in vertical farms in a move to 'improve sustainability'.

The supermarket chain announced today (6 September) it would stock a range of bagged salad nationally and online.

According to the retailer, the salad is grown using 90% less water than 'traditional farming', while powered by '100% renewable energy'.

A project to understand bone health in laying hens aims to support their health and welfare, and inform breeding selection as industry moves towards non-caged systems.

Outcomes from the US$3m international study will inform the selection of hens suited to egg production, whose breastbones are vulnerable to fractures, especially in non-caged birds.

The collaboration led by Roslin scientists aims to develop a process of directly assessing the health of a chicken’s keel bone, or sternum.

Bayer has invested EUR 220 million in regenerative agriculture research and development (R&D) at its Monheim site. This is the company's largest single investment in its Crop Protection business in Germany since the founding of the Monheim campus in 1979.

The new Product Safety complex with labs, offices, and a greenhouse area offers space for approximately 200 employees. Its principal focus will be on developing the next generation of chemicals for a sustainable future and enhancing the environmental and human safety of Crop Protection.

A return to regenerative agricultural practices can work in harmony with the use of agri-technology, according to 89 per cent of respondents to a recent survey. The survey, carried out by The Institute of Agricultural Management (IAgrM), also found 86 per cent of farmers and agricultural industry professionals believe cost is the biggest barrier to the use of technology on-farm.

The majority of respondents said they were already using regenerative practices, with 61 per cent using minimal or no-till, 48 per cent using diverse cropping rotations, 44 per cent integrating livestock into arable systems, and 29 per cent providing constant soil cover through the use of stubble or cover crops.

It was a similar picture for the uptake of technology, with 63 per cent using farm management planning and recording software, 45 per cent using telematics and GPS tracking, 42 per cent using livestock technology, and 41% using precision agronomic support systems.

China's farm ministry on Thursday said large trials of genetically modified corn and soybeans showed "outstanding" results and that application of the technology was completely safe.

The trials in 20 counties in the provinces of Yunnan, Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Jilin, and Sichuan showed "outstanding" insect resistance and herbicide resistance, said the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

The control of Lepidoptera pests such as Spodoptera frugiperda, also known as fall armyworm, was over 90%, it said, while 95% of weeds were prevented.
It also said the yields were up by between 5.6% and 11.6%.