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Key developments in science and technology in agriculture.

 

Conspiracy theory on methane-cutting cow feed a ‘wake-up call’, say scientists

The Guardian

11 February 2025

Scientists say a recent methane-related conspiracy theory was “a wake-up call” for the industry, reminding them they need to communicate better and more directly with the public.

Over the last few months, Bovaer, a cattle feed additive that is proven to reduce emissions of the greenhouse gas, has been at the centre of a swirl of misinformation, drawing in Reform UK, the dairy industry and even the billionaire Bill Gates.

The conspiracy kicked off when Arla, the multinational food group best known for Lurpak butter, announced in November it would be running a pilot of Bovaer to reduce the carbon footprint of its products.

Emissions from UK farming overtake electricity for first time

Farming UK

11 February 2025

Greenhouse gas emissions from farming have now overtaken the UK's electricity supply for first time, according to new government figures. The final UK emissions statistics for 1990-2023 reveal that agriculture now accounts for a higher percentage of the UK’s emissions than electricity.

The Department for Net Zero figures show that domestic transport is the largest emitting sector in the UK, responsible for over a quarter of all emissions. Emissions from agriculture and land use have been flat since 2008, with the industry now accounting for 12% of all of the UK's emissions.

Lack of precision breeding in Wales could harm industry

Farmers Weekly

6 February 2025

The lack of precision breeding legislation in Wales means the country could be left behind other nations in the race to increase food production and reduce farming’s environmental impacts.

That was the message from NFU Cymru’s crop and horticulture group chairman Tom Rees, addressing the union’s Combinable Crops and Horticulture conference on Wednesday (5 February).

Pointing to England, where Defra secretary Steve Reed has confirmed that secondary legislation on precision breeding will be brought to parliament by the end of March, Mr Rees said that if Wales doesn’t have its own bill, it could spell devastation for the sector.

UK food security in 'precarious state' amid global uncertainty

Farming UK

6 February 2025

Calls have been made for the government to introduce a Food Security and Resilience Act to ensure UK food supply is resilient if a national crisis occurs.

The National Preparedness Commission has issued a series of warnings to the government amid ongoing global uncertainty and its potential future impact on food.

The independent group of experts in national crises planning warned that UK food security was in a 'precarious state' in the face of increasing shocks and pressures.

Defra to review livestock feed controls in England and Wales

Farmers Weekly

5 February 2025

The reintroduction of processed animal protein (PAP) into some livestock feed is on the cards, with Defra now considering changes to regulations that have been in place since the height of the so-called “mad cow” crisis in the 1990s.

The move, set out in a new consultation, aims to support the farming industry and help level the playing field with the EU, where limited use of non-ruminant PAP is allowed.

Through the eight-week consultation, views are being sought on whether those controls which currently prohibit PAP being fed to farmed animals to prevent transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), should be changed.

Defra gives thumbs up to GM wheat trial

Farmers Weekly

4 February 2025

A one-year trial on genetically modified crops by the University of Oxford has been given the green light by Defra. Trial plots are due to be planted this spring, with the study looking to improve yields and stress tolerance in wheat.

Independent non-departmental public body Acre (Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment,) has advised the government that the risks from the trial to human health and the environment are extremely low.

Trial plots will be grown at four different sites in England with harvesting planned for August and September. The four approved release sites are John Innes Centre near Norwich, Niab near Cambridge, and Rothamsted Research sites at Harpenden and Bury St Edmunds.

New Defra scheme urges growers to go for beans

Farmers Guardian

1 February 2025

An initiative hoping to boost bean production in the UK by determining definitive best practice is now underway.

The ability of beans to fix their own nitrogen while also leaving it in the soil for the following crop is well known to growers, making legumes an important break crop in UK rotations.

However, uptake of growing beans has long been curtailed by the perception that they're unreliable, despite the multiple benefits they provide.

English farmland could be cut by 9% to hit green targets

BBC News

31 January 2025

About 9% of England's farming land will need to be converted into forest and wild habitats by 2050 to meet the government's net zero and nature targets. The benchmark was set out in a consultation launched by Environment Secretary Steve Reed.

In total, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) predicts nearly a fifth of the UK's agricultural land will need to change, as part of efforts to improve the eco-system.

But the department insists greater efficiencies on the remaining land could maintain UK food production at current levels.

Tenth of England’s farmland must be rewilded to hit climate targets, ministers estimate

Financial Times

31 January 2025

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.

Farmers in bird flu 'panic' call for UK vaccine plan

BBC News

31 January 2025

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".

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