Almost one-tenth of England’s farmland will need to be converted to low-carbon use such as woodland or heath by 2050 in order for the country to hit its climate targets, according to government estimates published on Friday.

About 760,000 hectares — or 9 per cent of England’s agricultural land — will need to “change away from agricultural land for environmental and climate benefits”, it said. A further 9 per cent will need to change to accommodate climate benefits, such as sustainable farming practices.

Alongside the estimates, the government said that any impact on food production from the land use changes could be offset by using technology and sustainable farming techniques to increase crop yields.

Poultry farmers are appealing to the government to let them vaccinate their flocks against the "devastating" bird flu virus spreading across the UK.

Vaccinating poultry against avian influenza is currently not allowed in the UK. The government says that strong biosecurity measures and culling are the most effective ways of fighting it. Meanwhile, there are concerns that poultry vaccinations might be linked to the virus evolving.

Overall levels of the virus have not yet reached the peak of recent years. But one farmer, who has previously lost 30% of his flock because of bird flu, told the BBC that, without a vaccine, it was only a matter of time before "it all kicks off again".

Farming policies need to support a 30% increase in domestic food production while reducing UK agriculture’s environmental footprint by 50% by 2050.

That was the message from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Science and Technology in Agriculture as it launched its 30:50:50 vision in parliament on Wednesday 29 January to mark the start of Agri-Science Week.

Group chairman George Freeman, the MP for Mid Norfolk, raised doubts whether current policies are fit to support such targets and called on the UK government to do better than its predecessors.

UKHSA has confirmed a case of influenza A(H5N1) in a person in the West Midlands region. Bird-to-human transmission of avian influenza is rare and has previously occurred a small number of times in the UK.

The person acquired the infection on a farm, where they had close and prolonged contact with a large number of infected birds. The risk to the wider public continues to be very low.

The individual is currently well and was admitted to a High Consequence Infectious Disease (HCID) unit.

Discount retailer Aldi is urging consumers to think about food waste after it was revealed more than half its shoppers throw away nearly 500 pieces of fruit and veg each year.

According to new research from the supermarket chain, 52% of customers bin around 482 fresh items, which adds up to around £520 a year.

Of the 2,000 Britons polled, 53% said they threw out food which had not even been touched, with 56% admitting that they completely forgot about food they had bought. More than half those surveyed (57%) said they were not confident they fully understood exactly where and how to store food to keep it fresh for longer.

The government has rejected an emergency application for the use of a neonicotinoid on sugar beet to help growers stave off virus yellows infection.

The announcement makes it the first time in five years that an emergency authorisation of Cruiser SB has not been approved for use on sugar beet.

Defra said that there was 'clear and abundant evidence' that the neonicotinoid was 'extremely toxic' to pollinators such as bees. The application for emergency authorisation was made by the NFU and British Sugar.

UK wheat imports have been at the highest volumes since records began almost 30 years ago, so far for the 2024-25 crop year.

Wheat imports totalled 1.45m tonnes during the first five months of the season, with merchants and millers keen to get hold of supplies following an exceptionally small UK harvest last year.

The final 2024 UK wheat harvest was just 11.1m tonnes, according to Defra, down by 20% on the previous year.

Next week, from 27-31 January 2025, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Science & Technology in Agriculture (APPGSTA) will be hosting an ’Agri-Science Week in Parliament’ exhibit in the Palace of Westminster.

The multi-partner exhibit – staffed by scientists from the John Innes Centre, Rothamsted Research, NIAB, the Roslin Institute and the University of Lincoln - will showcase UK taxpayer-funded research and innovation taking place across a range of sectors and technologies. Located in the Upper Waiting Hall, a main thoroughfare between central lobby and the committee corridors, the initiative will provide a unique opportunity to engage with MPs, Peers and their staff.

APPGSTA chair George Freeman MP said: “This All-Party Group is committed to supporting innovation in farming and food production. Our aim in hosting this exhibit is to help explain why agricultural science and technology are so important to all our futures, particularly to a new intake of MPs who may not immediately think of farming innovation as important to them or their constituents.

The long-awaited ADOPT fund will launch this spring Defra has confirmed, however, it has still not revealed if it will commit to the scheme's £44 million budget as promised by the previous government.

The Accelerating Development of Practices and Technologies (ADOPT) scheme, promised businesses the opportunity to apply for a share of £44m to test and trial new technology and techniques on farms. However, it, along with several grant programmes were put on hold by Labour.

Speaking at last week's Oxford Farming Conference, Defra Secretary Steve Reed confirmed the scheme would go ahead in the coming weeks funding farmer-led trials ‘to bridge the gap between new technologies and their real-world application'.

The ribbon has been cut on a £1.8 million “vertical farming” innovation centre in a first for Scotland’s higher education sector. Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) said it was stepping up its commitment to global and local food production and security as it officially opened the centre at its Edinburgh campus.

SRUC, which gained taught degree-awarding powers in October, will use the commercial-sized facility to carry out research, as well as educating the food and horticulture scientists, growers and industry experts of tomorrow.

It said students will learn how to grow crops more quickly, or with higher nutritional value, as well as how to grow food using less water. Some 250 times more water is required to grow a lettuce in an open field than in a so-called vertical farm - a method of growing plants and vegetables in layers indoors, using lighting and controlled systems for water, nutrients and temperature.