An animal health company has called on the UK Government and food supply chain industry to support and promote the use of new technologies to enhance animal health and welfare.

MSD Animal Health says this greater support for technology will help to improve production efficiencies, and to safeguard the sustainability and economic viability of livestock farming businesses in the UK.

As part of a campaign to highlight the benefits of using new technologies to automatically monitor the behaviour, productivity and reproductive status of various livestock species, MSD Animal Health has published a technical white paper to illustrate how these technologies can benefit farmers, the supply chain and end consumers.

An MP is urging the UK government to protect 'hard-won' gene editing rules from being watered down in post-Brexit talks with the EU.

Former science minister and Conservative MP George Freeman has called on Labour to safeguard the regulatory freedoms secured for gene editing.

Concerns have been raised that they could be compromised in forthcoming UK-EU realignment discussions, as the bloc restricts precision breeding technology.

Experts have raised concerns that the UK government’s proposed Land Use Framework could undermine agricultural resilience and jeopardise food security.

Labour's reforms, aimed at balancing food production, nature recovery and climate goals, may also lead to the significant loss of agricultural land.

This is according to a response from University of Exeter researchers, who emphasise the need for a careful balancing act from the government.

Fears have been raised over food security after the government approved one of the country’s largest solar farms on fertile East Yorkshire farmland, sparking outrage from campaigners and local leaders.

The development, spanning 1,277ha across Gribthorpe, Spaldington, Wressle, and Howden, will see the installation of solar panels capable of powering 100,000 homes. However, critics argue the cost to agriculture and local communities is too high.

“This isn’t about being green,” said Victoria Aitken, a Conservative councillor on East Riding of Yorkshire Council. “It’s about bad government policy that is putting our food security at risk.”

Plans have been submitted to Essex County Council for a new 40ha glasshouse complex which, the developers say, will be the second largest in the country, able to produce some 30,000t of tomatoes a year.

The project, led by Rivenhall Greenhouse, involves siting the mega-glasshouse on reclaimed land beside a new waste recycling plant in north Essex. This plant is currently being built by waste management company Indaver, and it is envisioned that it will provide all the heat, carbon dioxide and electricity needed for significant food production.

Project director Ed Moorhouse says the Rivenhall development, if approved by planners, will “set a new benchmark for UK horticulture, reinforcing UK food security in an increasingly uncertain world”.

The UK’s fight against devastating pests and diseases has been reinforced with £10m in new funding to support cutting-edge surveillance projects using genomic technology.

Defra's new funding will use genome sequencing to track and identify pathogens affecting animals, plants and aquatic life – enabling rapid response to disease outbreaks such as bird flu.

Unveiled on Thursday (8 May), the investment will back the Genomics for Animal and Plant Disease Consortium (GAP-DC), led by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).

The company behind the UK's biggest vertical farm has gone into administration and made 61 people redundant. The Jones Food Company ran indoor farms in Scunthorpe and Gloucestershire but has gone bust after failing to find new investors. Unless a new company takes over the running of its farms, they will close.

A vertical farm can grow salad and herbs three times as fast as traditional outdoor agriculture thanks to special lights and a humid atmosphere. Grocery firm Ocado was a major shareholder in Jones Food but confirmed it did not want to grow its stake.

British scientists are “over the moon” to be back in the EU’s flagship science research programme Horizon after a three-year Brexit lockout, with new data revealing they have been awarded about £500m in grants since re-entry.

As the EU secretly draws up strategies for the next seven-year funding cycle in 2027, the UK is hoping its success in the first 12 months since returning to Horizon will leave it in pole
position with Germany and France to dominate European science, despite Brexit.

A cross-party group of MPs and peers is urging the UK government to urgently fast-track new rules allowing gene editing in farmed animals, warning that continued delays could heighten the risk of a Covid-style pandemic driven by avian influenza.

Although the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 permits gene editing in agriculture, the secondary legislation needed to extend its use to animals has not yet been enacted – a gap that campaigners say leaves the UK vulnerable to emerging zoonotic threats such as H5N1 avian influenza.

Lord Trees, a veterinarian and vice-chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Science and Technology in Agriculture, said the government must “act without delay”.

A major new survey of farmers has found that unreliable internet connectivity is hampering the adoption of vital technologies on British farms.

The UK-wide survey of 250 farmers found that while 60% view internet connectivity as critical to daily operations, 8% still have no internet access at all.

The report highlights growing concerns that poor broadband is holding back the use of emerging tools such as artificial intelligence and real-time monitoring.