When UK self-sufficiency in vegetable oil has more than halved from 40% to 15% within the space of a decade, and when Ministers insist that "food security is national security", where is the Government’s response to the decimation of the UK's oilseed crop? scienceforsustainableagriculture.com/paultemple6

Bioceres says USDA determination clears the US market for production of its HB4 wheat, which has been genetically modified to tolerate drought. reuters.com/markets/commod…

This is important. The blundering consequences of modern decision making.

Shares in Argentina-based Bioceres surged as much as 13% after USDA said the company's drought tolerant GMO wheat “may be safely grown and bred” in the US. The decision clears the regulatory path for the strain, which is also herbicide resistant. batimes.com.ar/news/economy/b…

"If Europe would end its Science Colonialism toward African and Asian developing nations, they could easily feed themselves. If the whole world embraced agricultural science, farmland equivalent to the country of India could go back to nature." geneticliteracyproject.org/2024/08/29/vie…

Would a closer relationship with the EU mean an end to the limited areas of divergence which Britain has effected, such as creating a more favourable regulatory environment for the gene-editing of crops? Ross Clark spectator.co.uk/article/a-trad…

“Using artificial photosynthesis approaches to produce food could be a paradigm shift for how we feed people. By increasing the efficiency of food production, less land is needed, lessening the impact agriculture has on the environment.” ucr.edu/magazine/summe…

Amid concerns that a more virulent EU 43 variant of late blight is gaining a stronger foothold in Ireland, the future use of CRISPR gene editing will enable the development of new potato varieties that are inherently resistant to strains of potato blight. agriland.ie/farming-news/t…

"Global agricultural output has increased almost four-fold over the past half century. This has prevented more than 3bn ha of land being converted to agriculture - about a quarter of the world’s total arable land." Will Climate Change Starve Us All? open.substack.com/pub/thebreakth…

"...embracing technology can add resilience to our food systems and support a radically different regenerative system — if only we have the vision and political will. It’s time to embrace a new era of gene-edited food japantimes.co.jp/commentary/202…

Welcome news for the industry from Daniel Zeichner - already working on implementation of the Precision Breeding Act. Find out about our research into how gene editing can be used to benefit the British sugar beet crop⬇️ britishsugar.co.uk/media/news/202…

‘Positive response’ from Defra on implementing Precision Breeding Act fruitnet.com/fresh-produce-…

Genetically modifying sorghum crops to have fewer stomata increases resilience to drought, a new study has found. technologynetworks.com/applied-scienc…

The madness of shunning genetic solutions already proven and available to control late blight in potatoes. "Growers are faced with technological dead ends and the inability to continue preserving their crops.." potatobusiness.com/agro-news/belg…

COMMENT: In wake of a cost-of-living crisis, with a £22bn black hole in the public finances, and with Govt insisting that 'food security is national security', why are UK taxpayers subsidising the production of higher-priced, lower-yielding organic food? scienceforsustainableagriculture.com/pearsalllittle2

Innovative approaches to controlling enteric methane production in ruminant livestock range from vaccines and feed additives to breeding animals that produce less methane, and editing the genes of the microbes in the rumen. agfundernews.com/methane-bustin…

"Africa needs to depoliticise biotechnology research to maximise the benefits of science, technology, and innovation (STI) to drive economic transformation and sustainable development, say agricultural experts." universityworldnews.com/post.php?story…

Amid "the worst wheat harvest for 40 years", France's wheat farmers call for an end to "blocked innovations" such as new genomic techniques to provide science-based solutions. lefigaro.fr/flash-eco/les-…

Defra turns to agri-tech to solve water pollution "We will pioneer agri-tech solutions, such as satellite data and AI to apply fertilisers more precisely, and in Precision Breeding, such as higher yielding crops that could reduce the need for fertilisers" gov.UK/government/spe…