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12 November 2024
Former science minister George Freeman MP returns
as chair of cross-party group on agri-tech
Mid-Norfolk MP George Freeman, the former science minister in the previous Government, was last night confirmed as the new chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Science and Technology in Agriculture, at a packed meeting in Westminster which heard leading agri-food organisations set out their priorities for agricultural research and innovation to deliver for food security, nature and the climate.
Charlie Dewhirst MP, recently elected MP for Bridlington & The Wolds, and a former policy adviser at the National Pig Association, was also confirmed as a new vice-chair of the Group, alongside Lord Grantchester, a dairy farmer and former shadow EFRA minister, and veterinarian Professor Lord Trees, who continue as vice-chairs.
On his return as chair of the All-Party Group for a second time, Mr Freeman said:
“I was delighted to accept the invitation to return as chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Science and Technology in Agriculture, a position I held as a newly elected MP in 2010 until being appointed first UK minister for life science in 2014 to lead the UK Life Science Industrial Strategy.”
“This APPG is one of the more active and influential All-Party Groups in Parliament, bringing together cross-party MPs and Peers supported by industry and research expertise across the sector. APPGSTA was instrumental in helping me launch the original Agri-Tech Strategy a decade ago and more recently the Group led calls for more enabling and science-based regulation of gene editing in agriculture, which resulted in the introduction of the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023.”
“I am passionate about innovation in agriculture, because a vibrant agri-tech sector is key to UK and global food security, climate mitigation and Net Zero. It should be a major sector of economic growth and investment, providing solutions to so many of the global challenges we face. A key priority for the Group, therefore, will be to make agri-science relevant to the new intake of Parliamentarians, and to make the connection between agri-tech innovation and the concerns of their constituents, from ensuring food security and affordability for future generations to mitigating and tackling climate change, safeguarding clean water supplies, improving health and nutrition, and leaving more room for nature.”
Mr Freeman also outlined plans for a Parliamentary showcase of agri-tech innovation in the New Year to provide an opportunity for cutting edge British innovators in digital agriculture, robotics, advanced crop and livestock breeding, vertical farming, AI and automation to explain how UK-led advances offer the potential to drive significant improvements in the productivity, end-use quality, resource-use efficiency and environmental sustainability of British farming.
“As a Group, we are determined to do what we can to support and unlock the enormous potential of UK-based agricultural science and technology to deliver benefits for society,” he said. “One of the Group’s honorary patrons, Lord Cameron of Dillington, summed it up perfectly during yesterday’s meeting. Whether we are talking about food security, climate change, healthier diets or nature restoration, innovation in agriculture is part of the solution, not part of the problem.”
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Notes
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Science and Technology in Agriculture exists to promote debate among politicians and other stakeholders on the value and role of scientific innovation in UK agriculture. The Group works to ensure that the Government’s support for agri-science is maintained and strengthened, that the regulatory environment is evidence-based and enabling, and that the contribution of modern agriculture to our society, economy and environment is valued and understood as widely as possible.
For further information contact:
Daniel Pearsall, Group Co-ordinator, APPG Science & Technology in Agriculture
E-mail: press@appg-agscience.org.uk
Tel: 07770 875455