Author: Jen

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BOFIN LLS-ERASED LLS-ERASED+

Regulatory milestone for precision breeding

Gene-edited barley secures UK marketing notice in ‘regulatory milestone’ for precision breeding 

A gene-edited barley developed by scientists at Rothamsted Research has received a UK marketing notice, marking another step forward for precision-bred crops moving from research into trials on commercial farms. 

The barley, which is part of the DEFRA-funded PROBITY project, has been granted a precision bred organism (PBO) marketing notice (reference PBM/25/HOVU/001), published on 13 March 2026.  

It confirms that the crop meets the criteria set out under the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023, following advice from the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE) and formal confirmation by the Secretary of State.  

The barley was developed by a team led by Professor Peter Eastmond, using CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing techniques to introduce small, targeted mutations in two genes linked to lipid metabolism.  

Professor Peter Eastmond in the Rothamsted greenhouses

The changes result in higher lipid content in plant tissues, a trait which could increase the metabolisableenergy of feed and potentially reduce methane emissions from ruminant livestock.  

The crop is initially intended for cultivation in England for use in animal feeding trials, representing an early stage in its route toward wider commercial adoption.  

The barley is one of the gene-edited crop varieties being progressed as part of the PROBITY project, a multi-partner initiative led by the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN) that is bringing precision-bred cereals into trials on commercial farms for the first time in Europe.  

Prof Peter Eastmond said: “Receiving the first precision-bred marketing notice for a crop in the UK is a major milestone and reflects many years of research into plant lipid metabolism and gene editing at Rothamsted.” 

Tom Allen-Stevens, managing director for BOFIN and PROBITY project lead said: “This is an exciting step forward in the process of bringing gene-edited crops from research facilities into on-farm trials, subject to further approvals for food and feed. 

“For farmers in England it signals the beginning of access to a new generation of crop varieties with targeted traits that could help meet some of agriculture’s most pressing challenges.” 

  

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LLS-ERASED LLS-ERASED+

Major oilseed rape project seeks ‘Spore Scouts’ to support light leaf spot research 

Spore Scouts wanted! Get involved with LLS-ERASED

A new farmer-led research project is calling on oilseed rape growers to help improve understanding of the crop’s number one disease by sending in affected leaf samples before the end of April. 

The ‘Spore Scout’ study is investigating how light leaf spot is changing across regions and seasons, which factors are linked to higher risk, and how the disease can be controlled more effectively. It will run from today [26 March] until 30 April and be repeated in 2027 and 2028. 

The study is part of LLS-ERASED, a three-year £2.5m farmer-led project funded by Defra’s Farming Futures R&D fund. Led by the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN) it brings together farmers, plant breeders, crop scientists and agronomists to tackle light leaf spot using precision breeding alongside new disease-management tools. 

By sending in leaves from their oilseed rape crops over the next month, growers will contribute vital evidence of the spread of the disease, explained Yongju Huang, Professor of plant pathology at the University of Hertfordshire.  

Prof Huang said: “Plants are normally infected by the pathogen in the autumn, but symptoms are often not visible until the spring. 

“We are keen to receive samples from growers across the UK to help us understand variations in pathogen virulence towards cultivar resistance. This will be important for the development of control strategies and deployment of cultivars in regions where the pathogen population is predominantly avirulent towards cultivar’s resistance.” 

Samples will be collected and analysed over the three years of the project and results used to inform the development of a decision support system which will integrate pathogen population data with real-time risk forecasting. 

Tom Allen-Stevens, Oxfordshire farmer and managing director of the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN) said: “Yield losses from light leaf spot are increasing so this project couldn’t come soon enough.  

“By sending in samples growers are directly contributing to research that will improve how we understand and manage the disease. The more samples we receive the stronger the data and the more useful the results will be for all growers.” 

Farmers and agronomists wishing to take part should register online to receive a sampling pack including instructions, packaging and a pre-paid return envelope.  

To register for a pack visit https://tinyurl.com/SporeScout

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BOFIN PROBITY PROBITY+

Introducing LLS-ERASED

Webinar to launch new oilseed rape project and knowledge exchange community

Arable farmers, researchers and agronomists are invited to a webinar on Thursday 26 March to learn about a major farmer-led oilseed rape research project and two early ways farmers can get involved.

The webinar, which will run from 8.30-9.30am, will outline exciting new research into light leaf spot being carried out by the LLS-ERASED project, as well as opportunities to get involved. 

This includes the free ‘OSR Circle’ community, which connects growers, scientists and other experts to share knowledge and help shape research priorities.

Members of this community will be the first to be invited to become the project’s ‘Spore Scouts’ by sending in leaf samples to researchers at the University of Hertfordshire.

The webinar will also be the first chance to hear about a new precision-bred OSR line with significantly reduced susceptibility to this devastating disease. It is currently being multiplied up ready for farmer-led field trials – the first of their kind across Europe.

LLS-ERASED is a three-year £2.5m farmer-led project funded by Defra’s Farming Futures R&D fund. Led by the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN), it brings together farmers, plant breeders, crop scientists and agronomists to tackle light leaf spot using precision breeding alongside new disease-management tools.

Speakers for the webinar are Tom Allen-Stevens of BOFIN, Prof Yongju Huang of the University of Hertfordshire and Dr Faye Ritchie of ADAS. They will also be joined by the project’s technical lead Dr Rachel Wells of the John Innes Centre, and Scottish Agronomy’s Adam Christie, for a Q&A session.

Tom Allen-Stevens urged anyone with an interest in the future of oilseed rape to register for the webinar to find out more. 

“Oilseed rape is an important break crop, but light leaf spot is a growing threat to its viability. I encourage farmers and other industry experts to join us to hear about the fascinating work being undertaken to tackle this damaging disease, and the opportunities to get involved.

“The OSR Circle community offers an opportunity to tap into expertise and experience from growers and other experts from across the country. Anyone with an interest in the crop is welcome to join and contribute. For those keen to do something practical, we will also launch our Spore Scout campaign which invites farmers and agronomists to send leaf samples to our scientists at the University of Hertfordshire.”

To find out more and register for the webinar, visit https://tinyurl.com/OSRwebinar

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ADOPT BOFIN

Government backed tech fund opens

Farmers urged to consider FETF opportunities as applications open 

Innovative farmers are being encouraged to take advantage of the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF) which opens for applications on 17 March. 

Tom Allen-Stevens, Oxfordshire farmer and founder of the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN) said: “The Farming Equipment and Technology Fund is a fantastic opportunity for farmers to invest in kit that improves productivity of their business. I urge anyone wanting to innovate, to take time to look through the list to see what could work for your business. 

“If you’re thinking about applying it’s also worth asking whether it could form the basis of an ADOPT project. It’s a great way to test something out on your farm, see how it performs, and share the results with other farmers. As approved project facilitators BOFIN is always happy to discuss potential ADOPT applications with farmers who want to explore what’s involved.”    

Applications for the FETF fund, which includes three grants to help farmers buy items to improve productivity, manage slurry, or improve animal health and welfare, will be open from 17 March until midday on 28 April.  

Farmers can submit one application for each of the three grant ‘themes’ if they wish. Each application must be for between £1,000 and £25,000. For full details including how to apply are available online.  

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Uncategorized

BOFIN east inspiration day – book your place now

Farmers invited to  ‘Inspiration Day’ on Hertfordshire farm

Farmers with an eye for innovation are invited to Thrales End Farm, Harpenden on 8th May to explore trial results and farmer-led innovation.

The ‘Inspiration Day’ in Hertfordshire – organised by the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN) – is the first of three national events. This one will focus on the TRUTH (Thriving Roots Underpinning Total soil Health) project, with discussions on soil health and its role in resilient crop production systems. 

TRUTH is a three-year £1m project with twin aims of boosting productivity while improving soil health. The project is Defra-funded and led by BOFIN with four partners UK Agri-Tech Centre, the John Innes Centre, University of Nottingham and PES Technologies. 

The project is now in its third year, with 20 Root Ranger farmer trialists undertaking trials to validate on-farm soil and root health testing tools, including a sensor that can detect more than 10 soil health indicators through a “scent fingerprint”.

The day will include sessions to share results from the TRUTH trials and a farm walk to see the trials at Thrales End. 

Other sessions include a talk from Hutchinsons Soil Services Specialist Zara Northern, and a workshop by BOFIN founder Tom Allen-Stevens on peer-to-peer learning in farming.

Event host and Thrales End Farm manager Ted Allen-Stevens, has been a Root Ranger since 2023. 

He said: “I’m looking forward to sharing our learning from the project which has been really significant for us. Our results so far have given us some real evidence that soil health has improved since we brought in regenerative practices. 

“I hope the day will encourage other farmers to get involved with on-farm trials. It’s only when you drill down into the detail of your own farm that you can get that substance and reassurance of what you’re actually achieving.” 

Details of the other two Inspiration Days (in Oxfordshire and Angus) will be announced soon. To register for a free place visit https://tinyurl.com/eastinspiration26.

Categories
ADOPT BOFIN

Farming Investment Programme must be future proofed

Tom-Allen Stevens

BOFIN calls for clarity on Defra funding announcement 

Tom-Allen Stevens responds to the Defra Secretary’s recent announcement at the NFU conference.

The £345 million announced by Defra secretary Emma Reynolds at the NFU conference yesterday (24th February 2026) is welcome news, but without further clarification it raises further questions.

Tom Allen-Stevens, Oxfordshire farmer and founder of the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN) Tom Allen-Stevens said: “It is good to see that Defra is continuing to fund the Farming Innovation Programme which supports farmer-led research and that there is a further £50 million for the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund. The question is whether this is enough. 

“When Defra first announced plans to move away from direct support to the Environmental Land Management schemes, some 9-10% of the £2.4 billion farm transition budget was safeguarded for ‘Improving Farm Prosperity’ which included the innovation measures announced today.”

It is unclear how many years the £345m headline figure covers, he continued. “The £225m for capital measures for ELMs should sit outside that Farm Prosperity Fund. Paying for fences, hedges and pond restoration should not be branded as supporting innovation.

“But what farmers are crying out for is clarity on ADOPT. The scheme was originally backed by a commitment of £43m, yet only £20.6m has so far been allocated to a number of excellent farmer-led projects. Will Defra now commit to making the rest of this fund available? We have pioneer farmers queuing up ready to take up the opportunity.”

Mr Allen-Stevens also called on the Government to fully future-proof the FIP. “Defra has led the way on investing in farmer-led research, and the current FIP is ground-breaking. The funds announced today will take us to the end of this Parliament. It will be up to this government to take the strategy forward and propose the next stage of the programme. 

“Defra says it wants farm businesses that are productive, profitable, and resilient. FIP can deliver on that, but needs a long-term strategy beyond 2030, giving farmers and researchers the confidence to invest in innovation.”

Emma Reynold’s announcement, made to the NFU Conference today, can be found here.

Categories
SLIMERS SLIMERS+

High-tech imaging could transform how farmers monitor slug populations 

How researchers have harnessed tech to detect slugs

Researchers from the UK Agri-Tech Centre and Rothamsted Research have identified a high-tech method to detect the grey field slug or Deroceras reticulatum. 

Their discovery paves the way for both automated in-field monitoring and the development of novel, precision slug control strategies, including the use of biocontrols and biorationals.  

In a paper published this week, the researchers describe their studies which explored the potential of multispectral and fluorescence imaging to detect slugs. Results showed that multispectral imaging can be used to identify D. reticulatum and differentiate the pest from common agricultural field-surface materials. 

They found that as few as five wavelengths were sufficient for slug detection including from the UV (365nanometer or nm), blue (405 and 450nm), green (570nm) and NIR (880nm). Fluorescence imaging failed todetect a slug-specific signal. 

The paper brings together data from two Innovate UK funded projects – SlugBot and SLIMERS – which were supported through the SMART and Defra’s Farming Innovation Programmes, respectively.  

Their work focused on the grey field slug, one of the most economically significant slug pests and a major cause of crop damage.  

Historically, farmers have monitored slugs using traps or visual observations, however, these manual approaches are labour intensive and reduce the scope of monitoring. Automated slug detection could provide more detailed insights into slug populations and support the development of precision slug control strategies.  

Technical lead for the SLIMERS project, Dr Jenna Ross OBE (UK Agri-Tech Centre), said: “This exciting piece of work brought together a fantastic multidisciplinary team to develop a game-changing solution for improved monitoring of pestiferous slugs.  

“By identifying these unique wavelengths of light, we can start to use these data to develop real world applications for improved slug monitoring and subsequent control.”   

SLIMERS – Strategies Leading to Improved Management and Enhanced Resilience against Slugs – is a three-year £2.6M research programme involving more than 100 farms and seven partners.  

Funded by Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme, delivered by Innovate UK, the project is led by the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN). It combines expertise from partner organisations the UK Agri-Tech Centre, Harper Adams University, the John Innes Centre, Fotenix, Farmscan Ag and Agrivation. Together theconsortium is developing cost-effective forecasting and precision treatment tools, an Al-based autonomous system for the targeted application of biological control, and exploring ‘slug resistant’ wheat varieties.