Gene-editing could play a key role in England's sugar beet sector, Britain's farming and environment minister George Eustice said on Tuesday, reiterating his support for easing regulations covering the technology.

Eustice told the annual conference of the National Farmers Union that the sugar beet sector has faced major problems this year with virus yellows which is spread by aphids and can severely cut beet yields and decrease sugar content.

"A lot of the solution to some of the technical challenges like virus yellows do lie in using faster more targeted breeding techniques where you can take a trait that might exist in a non-commercial variety of sugar beet or even a fodder beet and move it across into sugar beet so you've got natural resistance," Eustice said. "I know that is something the sugar industry is keen to explore and we want to support them in that."

A plant native to America could be grown in the UK bringing huge benefits for a balanced, sustainable diet, new research has found.

Potato bean - Apios Americana – is commonly found in Florida, Texas and Colorado and was once a staple foraged food source.

UK researchers investigated whether the plant - which is high in protein – could be used as part of a healthier and biodiverse diet.

A majority of growers have voted against the continuation of AHDB's statutory horticulture levy, casting further doubt on its future. The ballot looked at the future existence of AHDB Horticulture and the work it sets out to deliver on behalf of UK growers.

It asked levy payers: 'Do you agree that the statutory horticulture levy should continue?', offering a simple 'yes' or 'no' answer. The overall voter turnout was 69 percent. By individual votes cast, the No vote was 61% versus the Yes vote of 39%.

Defra will launch a new research and development competition looking to create new farm-focused innovations to make the industry greener. The £12m initiative will bring together farmers and businesses to develop novel technological solutions to address the challenges of productivity and sustainability.

Farming Innovation Pathways, delivered by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Defra, is the first competition of its kind following the UK’s departure from the EU. Both bodies say the competition will pave the way for research and development (R&D) to spearhead future innovation in the British agricultural sector.

Scientists have discovered a signal that causes roots to stop growing in hard soils which can be ‘switched off’ to allow them to punch through, a finding which may have ‘huge implications’ for agriculture.

Researchers from the University of Nottingham have discovered that roots do not stop growing in hard soils because of physical obstruction, but instead as a reaction to the plant hormone ethylene.

Ethylene is given off by plant roots, but in compressed soils is more likely to stay concentrated around the root, triggering a response by the root to stop growing. The scientists believe that developing varieties that are less sensitive to ethylene will allow roots to continue growing in harder soils and potentially punch through to untapped resources.

A landmark review has called for transformational change in our economic approach to nature. The long-awaited review by Prof Sir Partha Dasgupta, of the University of Cambridge, says prosperity has come at a "devastating" cost to the natural world.

The report proposes recognising nature as an asset and reconsidering our measures of economic prosperity. It is expected to set the agenda on government policy going forward.

A new centre has been launched in Norfolk to develop solutions to enable farmers worldwide to build resilience in the face of climate change. The Norwich Institute for Sustainable Development will help food producers affected by variability in rainfall, periods of drought and more extreme weather events.

Research shows that yields of major staple foods like grains, fruits and vegetables are expected to decrease by between 3% and 10% per degree of warming. With global temperatures increasing year-on-year, it is hoped the work of the new centre can help to mitigate these stark predictions.

Leading food experts have accused the government of failing to adequately protect food supplies against the backdrop of the pandemic and Brexit.

The three academics have sent an open letter to the prime minister pressing the case for urgent investment in 'food defence' measures. They say this would ensure adequate infrastructure is in place to protect the population from insecure food supplies.

Professors Tim Lang, Erik Millstone and Terry Marsden argue that while emergency provisions to smooth post-Brexit trade have been taken, there has been no parallel attention to improving consumer preparedness for food emergencies.

The Wildlife Trusts has threatened to take legal action against the UK after it approved the emergency use of a banned pesticide for sugar beet crops.

Earlier this month, Defra approved an emergency application from the NFU for sugar beet growers to use a neonicotinoid seed treatment against virus yellows, which is spread by aphids and is a threat to emerging beet crops.

The authorisation is for the use of Syngenta’s Cruiser SB on sugar beet only and covers use in 2021 in England.

Covid-19 has curbed the move to eat less meat as people looked for comfort foods during lockdown, with a resurgence in processed meat sales.

According to Mintel, the number of Brits limiting or reducing meat in their diet dropped from 51 per cent to 41 per cent in 2020. But sales of processed meat products grew 18 per cent.

More cooked breakfasts boosted sales of bacon and sausages while increased homeworking meant more people bought cooked meats such as ham.