The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Science & Technology in Agriculture has launched a two-month call for evidence to support its 30:50:50 Innovation Agenda.

It aims to increase domestic food production by 30% by 2050, while reducing UK agriculture’s environmental footprint by 50% in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, land use, water use and soil health.

The aim is to help farmers “produce more from less”, by harnessing the latest advances in agricultural science and innovation.

Farming leaders have welcomed an "improved trading relationship" with the EU - but stressed the need to protect the UK's progress on precision crop breeding legislation.

NFU president Tom Bradshaw said: “The government’s ambition to make it easier for the sector to trade with our largest overseas partner is welcome. There remain important questions about what is within the scope of this agreement and, where current rules and regulations do differ, if there will be any exclusions.

"As negotiations in this area continue, it’s vital that our government safeguards the progress we have made in policy areas such as precision breeding to enable the farming sector to continue to move forward in sustainable, resilient and innovative food production."

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.