Imports of parallel plant protection products (PPPs) from the EU came to an end today (June 30), with farmers warning their loss could threaten the growing of key crops such as maize, oats and milling wheat.

Matt Culley, NFU combinable crops board chair, warned of the consequences of the loss. He said: "We have estimated that the direct cost of the loss of these actives would be £10 million, but the real losses might be much greater."

Without access to products such as maize seed treatments, winter oat herbicides and late treatment fungicides in milling wheat, some growers may take the decision not to grow these crops, he added. Some of the biggest impacts may be on dairy farmers who grow forage maize.

Brussels plans to lift controls on some genetically modified crops to help farmers cope with climate change in a move likely to reignite a Europe-wide debate about the controversial techniques.

A draft EU regulation seen by the Financial Times proposes that many modified plants should be approved as conventional rather than go through the bloc’s existing GMO regime, which is laborious and expensive.

The proposal sets out different regulatory options but favours a light-touch regime for most new plant varieties — which would be “treated similarly to conventional plants and would not require authorisation, risk assessment, traceability and labelling as GMOs”. A transparency register would be established for these plants, according to the draft.

'Green’ farming policies may accelerate global biodiversity loss, two leading academics have warned.

Rewilding, organic farming and the ‘nature friendly farming’ measures included in some UK government conservation policies risk worsening the global biodiversity crisis by reducing how much food is produced in a region, driving up food imports and increasing environmental damage overseas.

In an article published today in the journal Nature, Professor Ian Bateman of the University of Exeter and Professor Andrew Balmford of the University of Cambridge urge policy-makers to consider a bolder approach known as ‘land sparing’, which they argue is cheaper, more effective, and avoids the displacement of food production and worsening the loss of wildlife habitats overseas.

Many genetically modified foods could in future be sold unlabelled on European supermarket shelves, according to an unpublished legislative proposal by the European Commission.

A draft commission regulation, not yet published but seen by dpa, would exempt certain genetically-modified plants from the EU’s strict ruled on genetic engineering. The proposal is expected to be officially presented in July.

The planned rule changes meant that processes such as CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing would not be subject to EU genetic engineering rules.

Scottish farm leaders have called for the 'urgent approval' of the herbicide Asulox for use to control bracken this year due to the lack of alternatives.

NFU Scotland, Scottish Land & Estates and Bracken Control Group have urged the Scottish government to reauthorise Asulox (asulam) to control bracken.

An aggressive and invasive weed, there are reports that it is growing frantically throughout the hillsides of Scotland. Where bracken grows, the land is unproductive, and it is also a risk to livestock health due to the abundance of ticks.

Farmers are being urged to displace imported soya with home-grown bean crops due to the environmental and agronomic benefits they bring.

The Nitrogen Efficient Plants for Climate Smart Arable Cropping Systems (NCS) project has a goal of instigating a reduction of 1.5Mt CO2e per annum. NCS is a consortium of UK companies, research institutes and farmer networks, led by the Processors and Growers Research Organisation (PGRO).

They are working together to bring about the reduction, which is calculated as 54% of the maximum potential for UK agriculture. To do this, the four-year £5.9m research project will work to increase pulse cropping in arable rotations to 20% across the UK - currently 5% - and develop and test new feed rations. This will help livestock farmers to substitute up to 50% of imported soya meal used in feed with more climate-friendly home-grown pulses and legumes.

The UK pig sector has achieved a remarkable milestone after reducing total antibiotic use by 75% over an eight year period, new figures show.

Last year alone, there was a 20% decline in antibiotic usage for treating pigs on farms, according to data collected by AHDB using the electronic Medicine Book (eMB).

Antibiotic use in 2022 stood at 70mg/PCU, a significant improvement compared with 87mg/PCU in 2021.

A natural weather event known as El Niño has begun in the Pacific Ocean, likely adding heat to a planet already warming under climate change.

US scientists confirmed that El Niño had started. Experts say it will likely make 2024 the world's hottest year. They fear it will help push the world past a key 1.5C warming milestone.

It will also affect world weather, potentially bringing drought to Australia, more rain to the southern US, and weakening India's monsoon. The event will likely last until next spring, after which its impacts will recede.

The NFU has called for the wider adoption of GWP* - a global warming measurement metric - following studies on its accuracy when measuring the impact of methane.

The union said the government needed to make sure that greenhouse gas emissions were calculated "in as accurate a way as possible".

This would, in turn, help farmers to better understand and reduce methane emissions, the NFU explained.

Scientists in the UK are developing peas that don't taste like peas.

No, this isn't a crafty plan to get children to eat their veggies. As more and more people turn to plant-based food, they are hoping to produce a more planet-friendly, home-grown alternative to importing soya beans.

Peas are high in protein, but it is hard to mask their taste when they are used as a meat substitute in large amounts in vegan dishes. Scientists discovered a gene for pea flavour 30 years ago. The research was stopped as there was no use for it. Now it could be the basis of a new industry.