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.

British animal genetics company Genus on Wednesday said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved its PRP gene edit under its PRRS Resistant Pig ("PRP") programme for use in the U.S. food supply chain.

The gene edit is designed to provide pigs resistance to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), a disease affecting swine globally, whose symptoms include fever, respiratory distress, premature births.

PRRS caused an estimated $1.2 billion per year in lost production in the U.S. pork industry from 2016 to 2020, an 80% increase from a decade earlier, according to an analysis published in 2024 by an Iowa State University expert.

Expanding the UK’s horticulture sector to meet recommended healthy eating guidelines could deliver a £2.3 billion boost to the economy, new research reveals. According to analysts at Green Alliance, the growth in horticulture could surpass the total economic contribution currently made by pork production.

The UK’s horticulture sector is already worth £5 billion annually, accounting for 9% of agriculture’s overall contribution to the economy, despite using less than 1% of the country’s farmland.

The report argues that it makes strong economic sense to prioritise the expansion of the sector — especially as only 16% of fruit and 50% of vegetables consumed in the UK are domestically grown.

The NFU is urging the government to give food production equal priority to environmental goals in the Land Use Framework (LUF), warning that food security is at risk if it doesn’t.

In its response to Defra’s consultation on the LUF, the union acknowledged the increasing pressures on land use from housing, renewable energy, infrastructure and recreation.

However, it stressed that domestic food production must not be side-lined, especially in the face of global supply chain disruptions and climate volatility.

Steak, mashed potatoes and deserts for astronauts could soon be grown from individual cells in space if an experiment launched into orbit today is successful.

A European Space Agency (ESA) project is assessing the viability of growing so-called lab-grown food in the low gravity and higher radiation in orbit and on other worlds.

ESA is funding the research to explore new ways of reducing the cost of feeding an astronaut, which can cost up to £20,000 per day. The team involved say the experiment is a first step to developing a small pilot food production plant on the International Space Station in two years' time.

An international coalition of scientists and livestock breeders has launched a $27.4 million research drive aimed at cutting agricultural methane emissions through targeted genetic selection of cattle and sheep.

The ‘Global Methane Genetics Initiative’ brings together 50 partners across 25 countries, under the leadership of the Animal Breeding and Genomics group, and Wageningen University in the Netherlands.

The project, which will run across Europe, Africa, the Americas and Oceania, seeks to develop breeding tools that can help identify and select livestock with naturally lower methane emissions, a move the consortium believes could offer long-term environmental benefits without disrupting established production systems.

France has opened the skies to drones in a landmark move that marks the return of aerial pesticide spraying—albeit with a distinctly green twist.

A new bill, passed on April 9 by the French parliament, authorises the use of drones to spray low-risk pesticides and organic-friendly treatments on specific crops and terrains, ushering in what supporters call a more sustainable and safer era for crop protection.

Defra has announced a major £46m investment in cutting-edge agricultural technologies, which it says will increase food production and boost farm profitability.

The funding will support a wide range of projects, from robots designed for delicate fruit picking, to advanced animal health monitoring systems for sheep and cattle.

The investment is spread across three specialist funds and will support projects at every stage of research and development – from early ideas through to on-farm trials. Defra says that a strong focus will be placed on reducing emissions from farming and exploring the benefits of the new Precision Breeding Act.

Sheep must be returned to England’s countryside to prevent catastrophic wildfires, experts have warned. Figures show sheep numbers in England have dropped 7 per cent in the last two years, with Natural England, the Government’s nature watchdog, incentivising farmers to remove animals to protect wildlife and prevent overgrazing.

But countryside experts say the fall in sheep farming is leading to a dangerous build-up of dry vegetation, which could cause widespread moorland fires. It is estimated that there is 600,000 tons of extra vegetation being left on the land each year because of the drop in grazing.