Ministers are preparing to introduce legislation that will permit the growing of gene-edited crops in England. But the new legislation will not cover the use of this technology to create farm animals that have increased resistance to disease or lower carbon footprints.

The decision has dismayed some senior scientists, who had expected both uses of gene editing would be given the go-ahead. They fear the decision could hold back the creation of hardier, healthier herds and flocks. Animal welfare groups have welcomed the move, however.

The potential benefits of developing an 'ecosystem' which farmers could trust to connect farm-level environmental data has been highlighted in a new report published by AHDB today (1 November).

Environmental data is becoming increasingly important to businesses, supply chains and governments due to regulatory and voluntary reporting requirements.

This in turn means there will be a growing demand for farmers to supply data to different organisations in order to demonstrate what is happening to the environment on their farm.

The devastating flash flooding in Spain has again highlighted the vital need for domestic food resilience in the face of climate change, warn farm leaders.

Torrential rain and hurricane-force winds in Valencia have caused massive damage to both infrastructure, and regional cropping and livestock sectors, after a year’s worth of rain fell in just eight hours on Tuesday 29 October.

Spain provides about 32% of the UK’s fruit and veg imports, including tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, lettuces, broccoli and citrus fruit. Most of this produce is grown in Almeria’s 40,000ha of greenhouses, many of which will have been wiped out by the storm.

The area of land surface affected by extreme drought has trebled since the 1980s, a new report into the effects of climate change has revealed.

Forty-eight per cent of the Earth’s land surface had at least one month of extreme drought last year, according to analysis by the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change - up from an average of 15% during the 1980s.

Almost a third of the world - 30% - experienced extreme drought for three months or longer in 2023. In the 1980s, the average was 5%.

Scotland's First Minister has opened a new multi-million pound centre which will develop and pilot pioneering crop breeding technologies.

John Swinney was joined by UK Secretary of State for Scotland, Ian Murray, to open the Crop Innovation Centre (CIC) at the James Hutton Institute.

The CIC is home to the Advanced Plant Growth Centre (APGC) and the International Barley Hub (IBH), both funded as part of a £62m investment. The centre includes some of the UK's best crop breeding facilities, with a focus on future-proofing UK food production.

Scotland risks being left behind on precision breeding policy as England, the EU and the US press ahead, Scottish farm leaders have warned.

Scotland's divergence with the rest of the UK and global partners could risk trade friction and added cost, according to three industry groups.

They have urged the Scottish government to drop its opposition to precision breeding tech, allowing farmers to 'reap the benefits' of gene-edited crops.

Report lays bare how increased costs linked Brexit, climate change and other factors threaten UK food security and hit the poor hardest.

City Harvest has published the second edition of its Food Value Report, which emphasises that the UK’s food self-sufficiency is at a critical low.

The charity points out that the UK imports nearly half of its vegetables (48 per cent) and over 80 per cent of fruit. This puts the availability and affordability of fresh produce – which plays an important part in people’s health – at risk.

GlobalData says Artificial Intelligence will make farming more efficient and reduce the sector’s environmental impact.

GlobalData has released a report highlighting how Artificial Intelligence has the potential to ”supercharge” efficiency throughout the agribusiness value chain.

According to the analytics and data specialist, AI could support precision agriculture, automate labour-intensive tasks, verify the sustainability of supply chains, and even accelerate the gene editing of crops.

Researchers are excited about the potential for Epichloë fungal endophytes to protect cereal crops such as wheat from pests and disease, while also reducing chemical use — building on the proven success of endophytes in New Zealand pastures.

Scientists at AgResearch and its subsidiary Grasslanz Technology have been trialling the application of these fungi, which live inside certain plants and can provide protective qualities to the plant, in wheat. Modern wheat does not naturally host these endophytes, but some wild grass relatives of modern cereal crops do.

The success of selected endophytes in ryegrass has already been well-documented, with the commercialised AR37 endophyte strain estimated to contribute $3.6 billion to the economy over the life of its 20-year patent.

Science for Sustainable Agriculture, a pro-science think tank, has launched a stinging attack on the so-called “farmwashing” campaign launched by organic veg box supplier Riverford against supermarket practices, accusing the group of “brazen hypocrisy”.

The Farmers Against Farmwashing campaign was launched in late September, with 100 individuals and farming organisations writing to the “big six” supermarkets, objecting to their use of “fake farm brands”.

The Labour government is being accused of underplaying the threat of climate change, which could drastically shorten the crop growing season and so jeopardise food security.

One of the key risks identified in a new scientific report is the potential collapse of the North Atlantic subpolar gyre, an ocean current driven by wind patterns and the Earth’s rotation, which could shorten the UK’s growing season by as much as 60 days.

Leading climate research organisations, including the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR) and the Strategic Climate Risks Initiative, participated in the research and emphasised that the UK government is neglecting a critical national security threat. This, coupled with recent devastating droughts and floods, raises urgent concerns for food security.

Britain is setting up a new Regulatory Innovation Office (RIO) to speed up the approval of new technologies such as artificial intelligence for use in the healthcare, space and drone sectors, in an effort to boost growth.

The government said on Tuesday that the new RIO would make it easier for companies to introduce cutting-edge technologies, and it would help set the scene for an international investment summit on Oct. 14.

British science and technology minister Peter Kyle said the RIO was aimed at ensuring doctors can diagnose illnesses earlier, allow bio-engineers to create cleaner fuels and more pest resistant crops, and ensure drones can be used for delivery in future.