Author: Clemmie Gleeson

Will you take the #PROBITYPledge?

A campaign launched today invites farmers and others from across the industry to engage in a nationwide discussion on precision bred crops and their potential impact on UK agriculture.

As the Government moves forward with legislation to support precision breeding, the #PROBITYPledge campaign will provide farmers with accurate information and a platform to voice their opinions. 

Precision-bred crops can be created through gene editing, a widely used technology that enables scientists to make changes to plant DNA, like those that occur naturally, but introduced in a precise, targeted manner. Gene editing speeds up the process of breeding more productive, nutritional and sustainable crop varieties.

The campaign is being coordinated by the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN) which leads the PROBITY project. The three-year multi-partner project, launched in August this year, is bringing precision-bred cereal varieties onto commercial farms for the first time across Europe. An integral part of the project is the creation of an open and transparent forum to discuss the creation, production, processing and use of precision-bred crops. 

Learning opportunity

The #PROBITYPledge campaign asks farmers to pledge a minimum of one hour in the next six months, to learn about precision breeding and share views via The Sequence Circle online forum.   

Tom Allen-Stevens, Oxfordshire farmer and founder of BOFIN said: “This is a topic which will have an enormous impact on sustainable food and farming, so it’s important to make time to discuss it. 

“As farmers we are the gatekeepers of precision-breeding technology and must lead the discussion on how it is introduced to create a trusted pathway for food manufacturers to deliver its potential benefits to consumers.

“The PROBITY Pledge campaign asks farmers to commit at least one hour to equip themselves with knowledge of this technology and how it could impact them and their businesses. We want to hear diverse views – what do you think, what are your hopes and fears are for precision breeding, and what questions do you have about gene editing? 

“Our Sequence Circle community hosted on The Farming Forum includes some incredible scientists who are well placed to help answer those questions.”

Open to all

The campaign is not limited to farmers, he added. “Anyone with an interest in the future or food and farming is welcome to make the #PROBITYPledge, sign up and get involved with learning and discussing this technology.”

Gathering and analysing opinions is a key part of the PROBITY project and because contributions to The Sequence Circle hosted on The Farming Forum will be used (anonymously) by researchers, those signing up need to be over 18 years of age. 

For more information on the #PROBITYPledge campaign and to get involved click HERE

Researchers are hosting a free workshop for anyone interested in gene editing across food and farming.

The workshop is at the NAEC, Stoneleigh on day one of CropTec (11.30am to 1.30pm on November 27^th). It is the first of such workshops to be held as part of the PROBITY project. 

PROBITY – A Platform to Rate Organisms Bred for Improved Traits and Yield – is a three-year £2.2m farmer-led project with 11 research and industry partners. Led by the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN) it is funded by Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme which is delivered by Innovate UK. 

Precision-bred crops are created through gene editing – a widely used technology that allows scientists to make precise changes to specific genes in plants, that could have occurred naturally. 

As well as trialling precision-bred crops on farms for the first time, the project is also exploring opinions on their adoption – particularly from farmers but also within the wider industry and amongst consumers.  

Oxfordshire farmer and founder of BOFIN Tom Allen-Stevens said: “Scientists believe that precision-bred crops can bring gains for productivity and sustainability, but we need to know how farmers and others in the industry feel about their introduction. 

“This first workshop will explore the current perceptions and stumbling blocks. Our Sequence Circle online community will then host further discussions and resources going forward.” 

The workshop is part of a two-day programme organised by BOFIN to run alongside CropTec at NAEC, Stoneleigh. As well as the workshop day one will also include a session at 10am to introduce the project and officially launch The Sequence Circle.

On day two (November 28^th) BOFIN is hosting sessions to share results and insight from their NCS and TRUTH projects. Visitors are invited to sign up to hear what the project’s farmers have learned from their trials exploring the potential of pulses and soil and root health. 

For more information and to register for a free place visit www.bofin.org.uk/events

Innovative and influential arable farmers are invited to apply to join a small team of ‘PROBITY Pathfinders’ to help steer the direction of a project exploring precision-bred crops.

The PROBITY project is a three-year £2.2m multi-partner project, funded by Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme, which is delivered by Innovate UK. Led by the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN) it will see precision-bred crops grown by farmers for the first time in Europe. Three precision-bred cereal varieties will be trialled and scrutinised by farmers, scientists and food manufacturers in an open and transparent forum.

A major part of the project is exploring farmers’ perceptions on precision bred crops and their feelings about growing them, explained Tom Allen-Stevens, founder of BOFIN. 

“Scientists believe that precision-bred crops have something to offer sustainable food production, but as yet they have never been trialled in a commercial setting,” he said. 

“Farmers won’t invest time and resources to grow something they don’t have confidence in, so it’s important that we discuss all aspects openly. As part of that we need the first recruits of this project – the PROBITY Pathfinders – to encourage and generate discussion.

“Our Pathfinders will be arable farmers with a passion for innovation and science. They must be open-minded, but we don’t mind if they lean in favour or against the technology, although they should be in favour of on-farm trials of precision-bred crops.”

The Pathfinders will be expected to initiate and take part in online discussions and speak about the project at events and farmer gatherings. They should have effective credible networks and existing platforms with which they engage with other farmers, either on social media or through organisations they are involved with. In return PROBITY Pathfinders will receive a payment plus out-of-pocket expenses. 

To apply for this important role please click HERE and complete the form before 5pm on Friday 15th November 2024.

Zeichner commits to advance gene editing legislation, but gives no update on ADOPT

Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs Daniel Zeichner has announced he will be advancing precision breeding legislation in England ‘as soon as parliamentary time allows’. 

Speaking at the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit (WATIS) in London on September 30, Mr Zeichner said that precision breeding technologies like gene editing could ‘transform the sector’ by making development of new varieties quicker, more efficient and precise.

But there was no news on ADOPT, a £40 million fund to support farmer-led R&D announced by his predecessor Mark Spencer at WATIS last year.

Mr Zeichner said that precision breeding “has the potential to be a key technology for growth, food security and sustainability.”

The limited opportunities to exploit these technologies commercially had prevented the industry from reaping the benefits, he added. “Globally, agriculture related gene editing startups have already raised over $2.7 billion since 2012.” 

Of this, approximately 80% of capital investment had gone to US-based companies, compared to only 5% in Europe, he added.

“Now we’ve placed scientists and breeders in England at the forefront. This must be taken advantage of to foster innovation resilience in agriculture. That’s why it is critical to drive forward that legislation.

“Using technologies like precision breeding will enable development of crops that are more nutritious, resistant to pests and disease, resilient to climate change, and more beneficial to the environment.”

This could lead to significant reduction in use of pesticides and a positive impact on pollinators, as well as increasing food production and reducing costs for farmers, he said.

The British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN) is leading PROBITY, a multi-partner project which is trialling precision-bred crops on commercial farms for the first time in Europe. BOFIN founder and project lead Tom Allen-Stevens welcomed the announcement and urged the minister to act swiftly.

He said: “When the Genetic Technology Act was passed last year, England became the only country in Europe where precision-bred crops can be grown on commercial farms. However, the secondary legislation which covers aspects such as food labelling has been left by the wayside meaning that we are currently in limbo. 

“I welcome Mr Zeichner’s commitment to bringing this legislation forward, and hope he will do so with a matter of urgency.”

But he expressed concern over the delay on the roll-out of Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme and particularly ADOPT.

“Defra has now released details of how the fund will work. It looks really good and could significantly bolster on-farm productivity.

“It’s deeply concerning that the new government has not given the go-ahead for this valuable R&D funding. It would be all too easy to drop it altogether, blaming the previous government’s overspend.

“But to do so would be to cut off your nose to spite your face – it is the one area of agricultural funding that could stimulate the productivity growth we so desperately need for farming.”