Support is growing for an amendment to the Agriculture Bill to encourage new plant-breeding techniques in the UK. The British Society of Plant Breeders (BSPB) is urging members of the House of Lords to support the amendment which could give Britain’s scientists and breeders access to the latest gene-editing techniques. This would mark a step change in prospects for crop improvement, says BSPB, resulting in more sustainable, productive and climate-resilient agriculture.

Amendment 275, tabled by Lord Cameron of Dillington and supported by Baroness Hayman, Lord Krebs and Lord Rooker, will be debated by Peers during Committee Stage currently taking place in Parliament. The amendment paves the way for the Government to consult on and, if appropriate, make a simple change to the Environmental Protection Act which would reverse EU rules classifying gene-edited products as GMOs.

Innovative agri-tech projects, including fruit picking robots and autonomous crop systems, are set to benefit from a £24 million government fund.

The nine projects benefiting will apply big data, artificial intelligence and robotics to UK farming, with the aim of creating a more efficient system of food production.

A copper-based blight fungicide has been given emergency approval following lobbying of Defra minsters by the Soil Association to retain its use.

The Chemicals Regulation Division (CRD) has approved the use of Funguran Progress to control late blight in organic potato crops.

This follows advice by the Expert Committee on Pesticides (ECP) not to authorise the copper hydroxide product in line with recommendations from the CRD risk assessment due to environmental concerns, in particular aquatic toxicity.

A recent farm-trial used new precision tools to predict tuber size of seed and salad potatoes for growers to maximise yield and profit margin.

SAC Consulting, part of Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), partnered with precision farming company SoilEssentials and farmer-owned cooperative Grampian Growers.

Concerns are mounting about the impact of virus yellows on the future viability of the UK sugar beet crop.

Independent agricultural consultant Robin Limb says there are reports of up to 60 per cent of virus yellows in crops in the Yorkshire area.

“This could have a big impact on yield. Virus yellows could be the death knell for the industry without neonics and other chemicals to control aphids in future.”

While the EU considers the potential role of new innovative techniques to protect harvests from pests and diseases, on the other side of the Channel, the UK is getting ready to open the door to new gene-editing technologies post-Brexit.

Asked about the potential for biotech and gene editing in the Farm to Fork strategy (F2F), the EU’s new flagship food policy, EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides told EURACTIV that the bloc needs to develop innovative ways to cope with its dependency on pesticides.

Environmentalists are calling for the UK government to match the European Union in reducing pesticide use by 50 percent by 2030.

The target has been called for in a new report by the Wildlife Trusts, which urges the government for more action in boosting insect populations.

The report, entitled ‘Reversing the Decline of Insects’, explained that reducing 'insect-harming' pesticides would help them become 'abundant once more'.

Nearly 40 percent of arable soils across England and Wales are 'degraded', according to a newly-developed soil health index developed by British scientists.

The index, developed by Rothamsted Research, shows for the first time that 38% of arable soils in England and Wales are degraded.

This is compared with less than 7 percent of grassland and woodland soils being given the same rating.

A New Zealand farmer has broken the world record for the highest wheat yield with a massive 17.398 tonne per hectare wheat crop.

Eric Watson has achieved the Guinness World Record for the highest wheat yield for the second consecutive time.

The Ashburton-based farmer produced 17.398 tonnes per hectare wheat crop, beating his previous record crop grown in 2017 of 16.791t/ha.

Scientists have decoded the whole genetic make-up of pigs in a development that could facilitate the discovery of genetic variations linked to key traits.

The findings could help improve selective breeding and enable more accurate use of gene-editing technologies.

This would help breeders develop pigs with desired characteristics, such as resistance to infectious diseases, the researchers say.