Category: BOFIN Insight

UK agriculture, and the economy it underpins, are in a parlous state. The crumbs of comfort cast to farming pioneers hold promise for a new dawn for productivity growth if they can be backed up with long-term commitment, argues Tom Allen-Stevens.

As a farming innovator in the UK, you can make the case that prospects have never been better, especially for the farmers exploring new tech and developing new practices. Equally, you could argue that farming pioneers have never been so sorely betrayed. That, coupled with a dire picture of productivity, means UK agriculture may stand on the precipice of its greatest depression of the last 100 years.

So why the dichotomy?

On the plus side sits the Agri-tech Strategy. This £160m package launched in 2013 comprised the Agri-Tech Catalyst plus £90m of funding to get the four Agri-Tech Centres underway, three of which have since come together as UK Agritech Centre. Since then, there’s been the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund putting up to £90m into precision, data-driven and novel production systems. Most recently it’s been Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme (FIP) and related competitions.

It’s difficult to know exactly how much funding has gone into these initiatives, as successive governments have been adroit at spinning previously announced funding as new cash. But there are two important aspects that should cheer you up: firstly, that there is any funding at all, and also that farmers are directly receiving it.

The funding amounts to about £50m per year. That’s 2% of Defra’s £2.5bn budget – not a great percentage to spend on R&D, of an amount which, despite current ministers’ assertions, is actually the smallest farming budget in real terms since the Second World War. But this cash does have a galvanising effect if spent well, leveraging in wider industry support in collaborative projects, so your £50m goes a long way.

What’s more, in 2020 the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy reported benefit-cost ratios from the UK’s Agri-Tech Catalyst of between 5:1 and 9:1 so agricultural R&D is recognised as a good spend of taxpayer cash.

And increasingly that cash is being spent on farmers. The strategy has been to build the infrastructure first (e.g. Agri-Tech Centres), then support industry, through funds such as large and small R&D partnerships and Farming Futures R&D. The aim of these later funds has been to involve farmers, and projects that have set out to do so have been more successful, both in winning funding and in their outcome.

Finally, the farmer-focussed Accelerating Development of Practices and Technologies (ADOPT), which arguably gets the lion’s share of current Defra R&D spend and is tipped to be the most secure going forward. BOFIN, along with other members of the Farmer-Led Innovation Network (FLIN) pushed for and helped shaped ADOPT with Defra and the result is a good scheme, although it has its teething problems, that we’re now working equally hard to sort out.

The fund supports true farmer-led innovation – if you have an idea, BOFIN can help you turn it into a £100k, two-year project. You then focus on getting solid evidence for the practice or tech you’re exploring while we manage milestones, reporting and liaison with Innovate UK, who settle the cost claims.

The original fund of £44m announced by the previous government was hastily reduced to £20m. Hundreds of farmers are involved, gaining proper funding for R&D work on their own farms. BOFIN also helped secure a rise in the default rate farmers are rewarded for their time, from a derisory £176 to over £250/day.

There are hundreds more now involved in FIP. This includes up to 100 farmers joining BOFIN’s projects this year, receiving cash payment for on-farm trials. Since BOFIN launched in 2020 we’ve paid out over £350,000 to our farmer trialists.

This begs the question, will this support continue?

Recognition for farming tech pioneers has been long promised and slow to arrive. But if we take cheer from this small success, we should equally view it with caution.

When Government looked to shape Environmental Land Management, it was these pioneers that joined the ELM Tests and Trials and co-developed many of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) options. It is down to them these nature-based solutions received extraordinarily strong uptake, building soil health and environmental resilience into agricultural systems. It’s a remarkable achievement of some uniquely skilled staff within Defra coupled with pioneering farmers’ ingenuity.

But the chaos we’ve witnessed since the new administration in 2024 is a shambles. Farmers cannot plan a resilient, productive crop rotation if one element within it flips in one day from delivering £350/ha return to zero on a minister’s whim. It is a betrayal of everything that was achieved by the pioneers of nature-based solutions. Thank goodness the incompetent ministers responsible for this mess have moved on – it’s up to the new ministers to work with us to repair the damage.

That’s if it’s not too late. Baroness Minette Batters has now delivered her much-anticipated review of farm productivity to Defra. It has 57 recommendations along with a dire warning that farming is in a parlous state: stats from Defra and Strutt & Parker show that 50% of farm businesses fall below the income level needed to match median household earnings.

OECD figures show the average annual agricultural output growth in the UK in 2013-22 was a sluggish 0.47%/yr. Total factor productivity (TFP) is less than half the global average rate and the latest stats from Defra show this is falling. This really matters to the UK economy – farming may make up just 0.6% of GDP, but while agricultural productivity flatlines, food prices will continue to rise. 

Farming pioneers can kickstart a recovery. Countless studies have shown that farmers learn best from other farmers, but someone has to be first and there’s no first-mover advantage for these champions.

So current government ministers must not treat the pioneers of farming tech with the same disdain their predecessors showed for the pioneers of nature-based solutions. If they do, the hundreds embracing the new R&D structure and shaping future farming will turn their backs on this new era of discovery – leaving UK agriculture facing decline.

ADOPT is a hard-earned achievement for farming pioneers. It’s a symbol of farmers’ ingenuity and its potential to lift agricultural productivity. Defra ministers need to recognise and double down on their support and endorsement but the rest of industry also needs to embrace it. Farmers get a fraction of government R&D spend, but few commercial organisations pay farmers a penny for their contribution to honing new products and services.

BOFIN will continue to uphold how valuable farming pioneers are to the UK economy. Thanks to your support, we sit in the right places, talk to the right people and our views, which are your views, are respected as authoritative. All you have to do is continue to bring us your bright ideas, feed back and resonate your findings, and work with us to bring them to fruition.

Found in:

Issue #3

Celebrating 5 years of farmer-led innovation

From guesswork to ground truth: mapping the future of pest control

SLIMERS Project advances in the battle against slugs

‘Slug trials’ test nematode application techniques

Wholecrop beans are a win-win for livestock performance and sustainability

Gaining ground with novel wheat lines

Landrace wheats on trial

Rooted in Research

It’s easy to ADOPT, harder to commit

As farm manager for The Morley Agricultural Foundation (TMAF) in Norfolk, David Jones is standing on more than a century of on-farm trials and knowledge exchange and now helping shape what the next century could look like.

The Morley story began 120 years ago when local farmers first began pooling resources to trial new approaches to improve their farming practices. Over the decades, the model evolved from its beginning as the Norfolk Agricultural Station, to become the Morley Research Centre in the 1980s, before splitting into two organisations. The research arm became The Arable Group (TAG) in 200, while the farmland and buildings became today’s charitable foundation. In 2012 TAG then merged with Niab to make a much larger organisation, although the foundation team still works closely with team from TAG. 

Now, The Morley Agricultural Foundation (TMAF) farms around 700 hectares including a small amount rented from the John Innes Centre, and donates around £500,000 every year for research and educational projects. The primary aim is for the Morley farm to be commercial, but it also hosts some 30ha of trial plots of wheat, barley, sugar beet and maize. It works closely with Niab, BBRO and the John Innes Centre on those trials with David and his team preparing the plots, and their partners generally carrying out the field work.

He enjoys the opportunity to expand his own knowledge and contribute to the wider industry. “There is so much value in the dialogue between science and farming,” he says. “There is a mountain of opportunity if we can break down the barriers between us.” 

He had read about BOFIN and its work to bring scientists and farmers into collaborative projects. “I was keen to get involved and heard they were recruiting for Root Rangers for the TRUTH project. I really liked what they were doing to bridge the gap between science and practical farming so was keen to get involved. 

“As farmers we’re good at the above-ground stuff, but there’s so much more to learn about roots and soil. We all have different soil types and conditions and have to make the best decisions we can, so the more information we have the better.”

The idea of using CT scans to understand roots, intrigues him. “We don’t yet know what we’ll learn from it, but that’s the point. You can’t decide the outcome of research before you’ve done it.”

For 2025-26 he has taken his involvement a step further taking on the additional role of PROBITY Pioneer as part of the PROBITY project. This will involve trialling a variety developed through TILLING to test a trait of ‘enhanced gravitropism’ which is believed to result in steeper and deeper roots. If proven valuable the trait could later be introduced through precision breeding. 

“There is so much talk about bringing science into farming, and not enough action. Getting involved in the PROBITY project is one way to help change that. I’m very keen to contribute to putting theory into practice and making it work in a commercial situation.”

With this goal in mind David is embarking on a research Masters degree with the University of Nottingham in early 2026. This is based on an ADOPT funded project he is running at Morley which is scaling up plot trials on aphid control in sugar beet.    

Alongside the trials and his commercial crops of winter wheat, barley, oats, sugar beet and linseed, David manages maize and rye for an anaerobic digester and drills cover crops before every spring crop. Straw is baled for a local livestock producer and returned as manure, and soil disturbance is kept to a minimum.

“I don’t call myself a regenerative farmer, but I probably am,” he says. “We’ve got diverse cropping, cover crops, apply manure and do minimal ploughing. We’re trying to be as kind to the soil and the environment as we can. It’s easy to say that, but we really are trying.”

For David, regeneration isn’t a label but a mindset of questioning assumptions, looking after the land, and resisting the temptation to believe that every product promises a better crop.

With two employees Gavin Haverson and Sam Filby, a supportive board of trustees, and collaborations with some of the UK’s leading research organisations, David is determined to keep Morley at the forefront of farmer-led research. His involvement in BOFIN is part of his drive to play a part in science and farming learning from one another, with trials that are as much about conversation as they are about data.

“Part of our job is to observe research and work out what’s working and what isn’t,” David concludes. “That’s what keeps farming moving forward. And that’s why I’m excited to be part of BOFIN – it’s another way of making sure the science really meets the field.”

Found in:

Issue #3

Celebrating 5 years of farmer-led innovation

From guesswork to ground truth: mapping the future of pest control

SLIMERS Project advances in the battle against slugs

‘Slug trials’ test nematode application techniques

Wholecrop beans are a win-win for livestock performance and sustainability

Gaining ground with novel wheat lines

Landrace wheats on trial

Rooted in Research

It’s easy to ADOPT, harder to commit

The Root Rangers are drilling four exciting wheat varieties as part of the TRUTH trials in 2025-26.

Four wheat varieties with potentially game-changing traits will be put through their paces in on-farm trials this year. 

Two of the wheats come from the Watkins collection of landrace wheats at the John Innes Centre, while the other two are durum wheats (Russello and Capelli) from the global wheat collection based in Bologna, Italy.

The durum wheats were among 10 varieties chosen for the WISH Roots project, which saw them trialled in several countries around the world. John Innes Centre scientist Dr Maria Hernandez-Soriano selected these two for the TRUTH based on those results and their potential for biological nitrification inhibition, as well as interesting root architecture.

The Watkins varieties have also been widely studied, though previous work mainly focused on their above-ground traits such as pest and disease resistance, explains Maria.

“My work has been looking under the ground and revealed some very interesting traits.”

This research culminated in a paper published earlier this year which reveals that landrace wheats build different soil microbial communities to elite modern varieties. The older types showed reduced nitrification and potentially increased nitrogen use efficiency.

What is biological nitrification?

Biological nitrification is the process that transforms nitrogen from fertiliser from a stable ammonium form into a more mobile nitrate form. Nitrate is easily taken up by plants but is also more prone to losses, so managing the rate and timing of nitrification is key to both crop performance and environmental protection.

Some of the landraces studied were found to have fewer nitrifying microbes, meaning they can naturally suppress this process and help reduce nitrogen losses to the environment.

The landraces were also found to support microbes that break down organic matter and recycle nutrients, improving nutrient availability and soil health. This suggests they promote a more ‘closed’ nitrogen cycle – keeping nitrogen available in the soil and reducing leaching or gas losses.

The TRUTH trials

The Watkins and durum varieties selected for the TRUTH on-farm trials have all shown potential for inhibiting biological nitrification under the right conditions.

“The Watkins cultivars have been grown successfully in Norfolk for the past six years and trialled in other countries too,” explains Maria. “The durum varieties have also grown well on sites from Norfolk to China, and it will be fascinating to see how they perform on the Root Rangers’ farms.

“With conventional, regenerative and organic systems all represented among the Root Rangers, these trials will show how the varieties perform under different management systems, and the potential benefits this trait could bring.”

Found in:

Issue #3

Celebrating 5 years of farmer-led innovation

From guesswork to ground truth: mapping the future of pest control

SLIMERS Project advances in the battle against slugs

‘Slug trials’ test nematode application techniques

Wholecrop beans are a win-win for livestock performance and sustainability

Gaining ground with novel wheat lines

Landrace wheats on trial

Rooted in Research

It’s easy to ADOPT, harder to commit

The PROBITY project has brought novel wheat lines out of the lab and into farmers’ fields under rigorous scrutiny from scientists, growers and food processors. On-farm trials have started this autumn with three varieties being drilled by BOFIN’s PROBITY Pioneer farmers.

Agriculture is under pressure, and traditional plant breeding simply can’t keep up. Precision breeding including gene editing could change that, bringing more resilient and productive crops that require fewer inputs to market much more quickly.

In 2023, the UK passed the Genetic Technologies (Precision Breeding) Act, paving the way for approved gene-edited crops to be produced and enter the food chain from November 2025 onwards when new regulations come into force. As England is currently the only location in Europe where such precision-bred varieties can legally be trialled in farmers’ fields the PROBITY project will aim to exploit this unique opportunity. 

But regulation alone is not enough, says BOFIN founder and PROBITY project lead Tom Allen-Stevens. “To convince farmers, breeders, processors, and consumers, these traits must be proven on metrics that matter such as grain yield, disease resilience, root performance, and processing quality. PROBITY is designed to bridge that gap.”

This year (2025-26) the project’s on-farm trials focus on two traits which have been introduced to wheat via TILLING:

• Low asparagine – developed at Rothamsted Research this trait introduced to Claire wheat is believed to reduce acrylamide formation in wheat products when baked or toasted – a key issue for breakfast cereals, snacks and biscuits.
• Steeper rooting – developed at the John Innes Centre this trait introduced to Cadenza wheat could increase drought tolerance.

The PROBITY Pioneer farmer trialists will grow these alongside control plots to compare yield, rooting depth, plant vigour and grain quality.

What Is TILLING?

TILLING stands for Targeting Induced Local Lesions in Genomes. The process involves soaking seed in a chemical which causes changes in the DNA, however the changes are unpredictable and randomly scattered across the genome.

“We typically see about 5,000 variations per seed and most of those won’t make any difference to how the plant performs, however around 15 percent will alter gene function and have potential impacts on plant traits,” explains John Innes Centre scientist James Simmonds who developed the Steeper Rooting lines. Researchers then cross the altered seed back to its original variety (in this case, Cadenza), which removes unwanted variations. “After several rounds of backcrossing we extract two sister lines, one carrying the desired genetic variation in the genes of interest and one without, which we then advance for comparison in field trials,.”

With the two John Innes PROBITY varieties the genes selected are EGT1 and EGT2. This stands for Enhanced Gravitropism which controls how the plant’s roots respond to gravity. 

“With these genes switched off, the roots respond more strongly to gravity and grow steeper,” explains James. “We are interested to know how the altered root architecture impacts yields and whether it can improve drought tolerance.”

Six PROBITY Pioneers will be trialling the EGT1 and EGT2 varieties and one further Pioneer is putting the low asparagine line through its paces. 

This line was developed at Rothamsted Research, also by TILLING. This year’s trial will enable some large-scale processing and testing of the resulting grain to see how the trait performs under real-world conditions and whether it does indeed deliver lower levels of acrylamide. There is a precision-bred line too which – pending approval – will enter trials next year.

The PROBITY Pioneer’s role

The farmer trialists have been tasked with establishing replicated trial plots of the PROBITY lines (Claire and Cadenza variants) alongside control lines. Throughout the season they will measure agronomic performance including scoring the crops for signs of disease. They will collect data via the new BOFIN Trialist app which includes an additional AI tool that calculates plant count from photographs. The Pioneers are being encouraged to take frequent images to help train and refine the model.

They will also be sampling both roots and soils, including taking soil cores for CT analysis to verify differences in root architecture. Finally, they will collect grain for processing and assessment. 

As the necessary regulation comes fully into force from November 2025, the project’s outputs can move forward more easily and feed into broader discussions, explains Tom Allen-Stevens. 

“The trials are playing an important role in not just weighing up the potential benefits of precision-bred varieties under realistic farming conditions, but also in assessing whether farmers will trust and adopt these lines. It is also enabling us to see the response from processors and others in the supply chain,” he adds.  

“If successful, PROBITY will act as a platform rather than a one-off trial – a demonstration model to accelerate precision breeding pipelines across cereals and beyond. The proof will lie in the data that emerges – whether the precision-bred lines can hold their own or improve performance – on real farms, and whether farmers, processors and consumers will want to adopt them.”

Found in:

Issue #3

Celebrating 5 years of farmer-led innovation

From guesswork to ground truth: mapping the future of pest control

SLIMERS Project advances in the battle against slugs

‘Slug trials’ test nematode application techniques

Wholecrop beans are a win-win for livestock performance and sustainability

Gaining ground with novel wheat lines

Landrace wheats on trial

Rooted in Research

It’s easy to ADOPT, harder to commit

Wholecrop beans can boost livestock performance, reduce reliance on imported proteins and improve the sustainability of both arable and livestock businesses, according to experts speaking at the NCS on-farm open day in December. 

Hosted by Yorkshire beef and arable farmer Richard Barker, and organised by partners in the NCS project, the event brought together producers, advisers, seed specialists and processors to share practical experience and trial results.

Mr Barker farms in partnership with his father and nephew. Their main enterprise is finishing cattle – buying in Aberdeen Angus and other native stores at around 400kg and selling them as finished cattle to Dovecote Park under a Waitrose contract. He has more recently set up another business with his nephew, buying beef calves to rear and sell into the main finishing unit. 

Everything produced on the arable side of the business is fed to the cattle and recent changes to the rotation have included introducing herbal leys which has enabled more grazing. Other crops include wheat, barley, beans and grass. 

They initially began growing spring beans as a homegrown protein source, but yields have been inconsistent. However in the cattle ration they have performed very well, he said, with noticeable improvements in the performance of his older stores which achieved 1.3kg daily liveweight gain, compared to 1.1kg previously. This encouraged the team to continue and they have since largely switched to winter beans, all direct drilled with the hope of more consistent establishment and yield. 

Yields have settled at 4-6t/acre with protein levels around 13%. “What we have found is that it tends to feed better than it tests. The performance has been far better since we introduced the beans and the cattle are more settled and content.”

Richard and the team had an opportunity to take part in a NCS project trial alongside Lizz Clarke of LC Beef Nutrition with a new intake of beef calves. This involved 140 animals split into two groups – one being fed a total mixed ration (TMR) based on herbal ley silage and the other on a TMR based on wholecrop beans. 

“From the get-go the animals on the bean diet were flourishing more,” said Richard. The group on the wholecrop beans TMR gained an average of 1.19kg/day, compared with 1.05kg/day on the herbal ley ration – an advantage of 140g/day. Over the course of the trial, this translated into a 66% total weight increase for the beans group versus 49% for the herbal ley group.

He plans to continue using beans in the ration where possible, but supply is sometimes limited, he explained. “The challenge for us is how we can grow beans more consistently when we can’t control the weather. We need to produce a consistent end product for Dovecote and the consumer, so hopefully by farmers working together with experts like those in the NCS project we can improve our knowledge on how to grow beans better.” 

Chloe Bridgett and Ian Clappison from Dovecote Park outlined the business’s focus on sustainability and supply chain transparency, particularly around the use of soya which it phased out of all livestock diets in 2022. 

Ms Bridgett said: “This was really important to us as a processor because our main customer Waitrose was concerned about soya coming from areas that had been deforested. Every year we must report and sign a declaration saying we don’t have soya in our supply chain.” 

Heather Oldfield of Limagrain – who is also a farmer and Pulse Pioneer within the NCS project – said that government-funded research is creating an opportunity to increase production of homegrown protein crops to replace imported soya. 

The current area of combining peas, winter beans and spring beans in the UK is relatively small but significant, she said. She shared indicative costings for beans and combining peas acknowledging that returns on beans were ‘variable’ but highlighted the huge agronomic benefits and potential added value when fed to livestock. “In a mixed farming system they are a far more viable break crop,” she said. 

Nickerson’s David Watson added: “It’s a wonderful thing to grow your own protein source and it’s probably cheaper than soya. So why aren’t more farmers growing peas and beans?” Reliability of beans is a major issue with erratic yields, he said. To combat this he encouraged farmers to consider alternative approaches including bi-cropping – particularly growing peas and beans together – where the resulting yields can outperform crops grown individually. 

Michael Carpenter of Kelvin Cave ran through practical options for homegrown protein – including growing beans for wholecrop, dry rolling or as part of crimped mixes, crimping beans together with moist feeds like brewers’ grains or draff, forage peas baled as haylage as well as pea and beans grown together or in mixes. He stressed the value of growing proteins as a means to improve self-sufficiency and becoming less vulnerable to price volatility. 

“If you’re feeding your own product back to your own cattle you’ve got a bit more control over the business,” he said. 

Trials undertaken by Kelvin Cave as part of the NCS project investigated harvest efficiency comparing different forage harvester headers. For harvesting beans the maize header gave better fresh and dry matter yields, lower losses and less diesel use, except in the pea and bean mixes where the wholecrop header performed best. 

Erin Matlock of PGRO which leads the NCS project, stressed the importance of rotation, recommending that pulses are only grown in the same field every six years to limit soil-borne disease risk. She also advised growers to make use of PGRO’s soil testing services for pea foot rot and to monitor sclerotinia noting that pathogens present in previous crops can significantly affect bean crops. 

“With seed you want to have at least 80% germination,” she advised. “Make sure it is completely free of stem nematode and you should also have no more than 1% ascochyta.” She also recommended that growers using home-saved seed should get it tested for stem nematode. 

Strong establishment requires proper seed bed preparation with no compaction, drilling at appropriate depth and timing and adequate moisture for germination, she advised. “Beans are terrible competitors out of the ground, so you want to do as much weed control as possible in your previous crops, to give these beans a leg up.” She recommended starting with a stale seed bed and making use of pre-emergence herbicides.

Diseases of concern include the ‘yield robbing’ chocolate spot which is most commonly seen in winter beans, because of overcast humid conditions and bean rust in both winter and spring crops is bean rust. “Once bean rust comes in, it can take over a crop. It happens during late flowering and you’re going to have a yield loss of 35 to 40% if not more.” The newly published 2025-26 descriptive list gives resistance ratings for varieties.

Viruses are a bit of an unknown in beans at the moment, she added. PGRO has recently completed the first year of a virus survey which aims to increase the knowledge available on the current virus situation. Those to watch for include bean leaf roll virus, bean yellow mosaic virus and pea enation mosaic virus. She advised growers to monitor aphids carefully prior to flowering. “IPM strategies that enhance natural predator activity are important for managing aphids. However,  the threshold is 10% of plants with large colonies, so if 10% of your plants have colonies you need to consider an aphicide.”

For more information on the NCS project and opportunities for arable farmers to take part in paid on-farm trials visit www.ncsproject.co.uk

Found in:

Issue #3

Celebrating 5 years of farmer-led innovation

From guesswork to ground truth: mapping the future of pest control

SLIMERS Project advances in the battle against slugs

‘Slug trials’ test nematode application techniques

Wholecrop beans are a win-win for livestock performance and sustainability

Gaining ground with novel wheat lines

Landrace wheats on trial

Rooted in Research

It’s easy to ADOPT, harder to commit

Dr Kerry McDonald-Howard at the UK Agri-Tech Centre is exploring nematode application methods in trials at Rothamsted Research.

The trials are comparing precision application of nematodes with broadcast methods. “We need precision application to match at least, to reduce economic impact,” she says. Laboratory studies suggest that it could be effective, but these trials will provide more definitive data.

Kerry’s study uses three extra-large ‘Slug Trugs’ – raised wooden beds with sealed polytunnel covers adapted from gardening Veg-Trugs. Three treatments are being tested: a control just containing slugs and cabbage seedlings, one which has a broadcast nematode treatment across the soil, and a third where nematodes are applied directly to the slugs. 

Plants are monitored regularly, slugs counted, and nematode infection recorded. At the end of each trial period, plants and compost are thoroughly assessed to determine slug survival and plant damage.

Precision application could significantly reduce costs for growers, as broadcasting nematodes across large fields is expensive. Kerry is also planning to test other biological solutions which could work well alongside nematodes.

Beyond slug counts, Kerry is using multispectral imaging at Rothamsted Research’s Digital Phenotyping Lab, alongside Fotenix, to distinguish slugs from soil and other field materials. Future work aims to identify slug damage versus other pest or mechanical damage, paving the way for rapid, field-based diagnostics.

“Slugs have outwitted us for decades,” Kerry concludes. “With better tools, clearer data, and smarter application methods, we hope to develop cost-effective and reliable control.”

Nematode facts

• There are over a million species of nematodes (also known as round worms)
• They can be found in some of the most uninhabitable places on earth
• 108 nematodes are associated with slugs and snails, however it is nematodes from the Phasmarhabditis genus that parasitise and kill slugs 
• P. hermaphrodita and the P. californica are the two main contenders used in the biological control of slugs
• They are around 1mm in size and infect the slug through its breathing hole 
• Once infected it takes 4-21 days to cause the slug’s death 

About SLIMERS

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 and delivered by Innovate UK, the project is led by the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN). 

Other project partners are UK Agri-Tech Centre, Harper Adams University, John Innes Centre, Fotenix, Farmscan Ag and Agrivation.

Found in:

Issue #3

Celebrating 5 years of farmer-led innovation

From guesswork to ground truth: mapping the future of pest control

SLIMERS Project advances in the battle against slugs

‘Slug trials’ test nematode application techniques

Wholecrop beans are a win-win for livestock performance and sustainability

Gaining ground with novel wheat lines

Landrace wheats on trial

Rooted in Research

It’s easy to ADOPT, harder to commit

Keen to be a leading force in agricultural innovation, Slug Sleuth Richard Cross is combining tradition with cutting-edge science to push the boundaries of arable farming and slug control – and reaping the rewards of his efforts. By Charlotte Cunningham.

Tucked into the undulating landscape of Nottinghamshire, the Oxton Estate spans 1,215ha of mixed soil types and enterprises. Managed by Richard Cross, the estate reflects a thoughtful blend of modern arable strategy and traditional land stewardship. With a strong focus on soil health, sustainable rotation, and trial-based innovation, Richard is leading a practical but progressive model of UK farming.

“We’ve got two very different soil types here,” Richard explains. “Most of the estate is a heavy red clay that’s good for combinables. About a quarter of the land is Nottinghamshire sands and gravels, which is irrigated and used in rotation for vegetable production. 

That duality shapes not just his rotation but his establishment strategy, nutrition plans, and even his growing role in shaping how the industry approaches one of its oldest nemeses: slugs.

The heavy land is largely given over to wheat, winter and spring barley, and, where possible, oilseed rape. “We’ve even tried canary seed,” he says. “Didn’t make us any money, but at least it didn’t lose us any either.”

On the sands, the focus shifts to wheat and maize for AD production in partnership with Severn Trent, punctuated with veg where rotation allows. “It’s two farms in one, really,” Richard explains.

About 728ha are cropped, with the rest of the estate comprising grassland let under grazing licences (182ha) and woodland (182ha). “We manage the woodland for shooting and commercial timber. Since I started, we’ve planted over 30,000 new trees,” says Richard.

His varietal strategy is carefully tuned. “On the sandy land, we go for Group 1 milling wheats – yields are not as high, but the quality justifies it. On the clay, it’s barn-filling Group 4s as first wheats and Extase as a second wheat. It’s vigorous, cheap to grow, disease resistant, and holds a little premium if you hit the spec.”

Soil-first establishment

Different soils mean different establishment approaches, too. “All the sand land is ploughed, pressed, and drilled. You can’t really go cheaper or simpler than that – it gives full inversion, removes residues, and gives us a clean start for future vegetable crops.”

The heavy land, however, is where Richard’s innovation shines. “When I arrived, we had four power harrows, two ploughs, and were burning through diesel and time,” he says. “Now, we’ve moved to a Sumo and big press system, followed by a Mzuri drill. We try to disturb as little soil as possible.”

This shift to strip-till has been transformational, believes Richard. “We’ll often low-disturbance subsoil to alleviate compaction, then lightly till the top inch to get some chit. From there, the Mzuri goes straight in. If we’re drilling rape, we use placement fertiliser down the leg.”

Despite the power required for the Mzuri, this method has led to marked improvements in soil structure. “The heavy soils are more friable, carry machinery better, and we don’t get those big horses-head clods anymore. It’s just more manageable.”

A perhaps rather unusual feature of the Oxton Estate is its 75,000t green waste composting facility, operated by Veolia. “All the green waste from Nottinghamshire comes here,” explains Richard. “They produce a 10mm grade for bagging as a peat replacement and a 30mm grade that comes back to land.”

Although the product is technically free at the point of collection, logistics still carry a cost. “The only cost is haulage and spreading – it’s very bulky. We’ll apply 66t/ha biannually, which is a lot when you’re only getting 13t of compost on an 18t trailer.”

As good as it is, contamination is a frustration, notes Richard. “Some of the stuff that comes out of Nottingham city is shocking – bits of plastic, metal. That’s the only real drawback. But where it’s clean, it’s fantastic. On sand, it adds body and moisture retention; on clay, it opens the soil and increases aeration.”

Living in the trial zone

Richard’s curiosity and pragmatism have led him into a long-standing relationship with outfits Bayer, trialling chemistry such as Aviator (bixafen + prothioconazole), Ascra (bixfen + fluopyram + prothioconazole), and Fandango (fluoxastrobin + prothioconazole) before they even hit the shelves. “I just find it fascinating,” he says. “Being at the cutting edge, helping shape what comes next – it’s exciting. We can’t all be followers; someone’s got to lead.”

That mindset has also made him a key collaborator and a ‘Slug Sleuth’ in the SLIMERS project, led by the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN), founded by Oxfordshire farmer, Tom Allen-Stevens. 

An acronym for Strategies Leading to Improved Management & Enhanced Resilience to Slugs, SLIMERS is a £2.6m farmer-led research programme set to change the way slugs are monitored and treated, in a bid to drive sustainable solutions for slug management. It’s funded by the Small R&D Partnership Projects, part of Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme which is delivered by Innovate UK.Work by the seven partner organisations – BOFIN, the UK Agri-Tech Centre, Harper Adams University, the John Innes Centre, Agrivation, Fotenix and Farmscan Ag – explores everything from understanding slug behaviour and potential use of nematodes for slug control to heritage wheat traits that appear to deter slug feeding and precision-targeted pellet application. 

“I was involved from the start,” he says. “Tom [Allen-Stevens] rang me up with this crazy-sounding idea to trial slug-resistant wheat lines. I said, why not? Let’s see where it leads.”

Like most farms, Oxton battles slugs in the wake of oilseed rape in the rotation. “The first wheat after rape is where we get most of our pressure,” he explains. “Once you’re into barley or second wheats, it tends to tail off.”

Historically, Richard tackled the issue with a blanket approach. “As we rolled, we’d spread 5kg of ferric phosphate pellets. We used to do less with metaldehyde, but that’s gone. Still, we very rarely have to go back in again.”

However, through his involvement with the SLIMERS project, that approach is under review. “We were one of the first farms to test these ideas – trialling older wheat varieties, like Watkins 788, which is believed to have lower palatability for slugs.” 

In the first year, data suggested Watkins 788 saw less slug pressure than modern equivalents. “The second year was wiped out by Storm Babet – we had four-and-a-half feet of water through the village and had to evacuate the school. But this year’s looking really promising.”

Patch-location data has proven fascinating too, he continues. “It’s identifying where slugs are clustering, based on soil type. So for 2025-26 we are trialling zones with no pellets at all and only treating predicted hotspots. That’s a commercial field, too.”

Looking at the wider project, which is now in its third and final year, researchers at Harper Adams University believe they have a reliable model to predict slug patch location. Created with data from farmers’ slug monitoring activities over the previous two years of the project, combined with extensive soil mapping and testing, the model predicts areas in their fields with a high likelihood of containing slugs.

The next step is for the team of Slug Sleuth farmer trialists to put the model to the test – using it for selective applications of slug pellets rather than blanket application. The data collected will also be used to further develop the model.

“Of course, there is always a risk with trials, but you’ve got to try things, and these aren’t 100-acre gambles,” notes Richard. “They’re properly structured trials with a fall-back plan if needed.”

The Holy Grail

The long-term vision is slug-resistant wheat. The original Watkins 788 has been crossed with a more modern wheat, Paragon, and Richard has been trialling two of the 84 RILs (Recombinant Inbred Lines) identified in further lab trials to be spurned by slugs. “None of the RILs we’re trialling are commercially viable from a yield point of view – they’re too tall, too old-fashioned. But they show promise. The slugs just don’t seem to like them.”

The hope is that gene-editing – not genetic modification, Richard stresses – can transfer this trait into modern, high-yielding varieties. “If that happens in the next 10 years, I’ll feel I’ve done some good in the world.”

Richard is keenly aware of where tech is headed, too. “Modern slug pellet applicators are ISOBUS compatible and link with GPS. The stocks unit on our drill can now variable-rate apply according to a map. That’s the future – precision, not prevention.”

Asked what he hopes the trials will ultimately achieve; Richard doesn’t hesitate. “If we can get to a place where variable rate or no-rate pellet applications become standard practice – based on real data, not guesswork – that would be huge. It’ll save money, yes, but it’s also a massive PR win for farming.”

The Holy Grail, of course, remains slug-resistant wheat. “Plant a seed, the slug comes up, sniffs it, and moves on? That’s the dream. And maybe we’re a decade away – but we’re on the right path.”

And while that path isn’t without its setbacks, Richard sees every trial as a step forward. “You’ve got to be willing to hold your hand up and say, ‘That didn’t work, but now we know.’ That’s how progress happens.”

Found in:

Issue #3

Celebrating 5 years of farmer-led innovation

From guesswork to ground truth: mapping the future of pest control

SLIMERS Project advances in the battle against slugs

‘Slug trials’ test nematode application techniques

Wholecrop beans are a win-win for livestock performance and sustainability

Gaining ground with novel wheat lines

Landrace wheats on trial

Rooted in Research

It’s easy to ADOPT, harder to commit

Keen to be a leading force in agricultural innovation, Slug Sleuth Richard Cross is combining tradition with cutting-edge science to push the boundaries of arable farming and slug control – and reaping the rewards of his efforts. By Charlotte Cunningham.

Tucked into the undulating landscape of Nottinghamshire, the Oxton Estate spans 1,215ha of mixed soil types and enterprises. Managed by Richard Cross, the estate reflects a thoughtful blend of modern arable strategy and traditional land stewardship. With a strong focus on soil health, sustainable rotation, and trial-based innovation, Richard is leading a practical but progressive model of UK farming.

“We’ve got two very different soil types here,” Richard explains. “Most of the estate is a heavy red clay that’s good for combinables. About a quarter of the land is Nottinghamshire sands and gravels, which is irrigated and used in rotation for vegetable production. 

That duality shapes not just his rotation but his establishment strategy, nutrition plans, and even his growing role in shaping how the industry approaches one of its oldest nemeses: slugs.

The heavy land is largely given over to wheat, winter and spring barley, and, where possible, oilseed rape. “We’ve even tried canary seed,” he says. “Didn’t make us any money, but at least it didn’t lose us any either.”

On the sands, the focus shifts to wheat and maize for AD production in partnership with Severn Trent, punctuated with veg where rotation allows. “It’s two farms in one, really,” Richard explains.

About 728ha are cropped, with the rest of the estate comprising grassland let under grazing licences (182ha) and woodland (182ha). “We manage the woodland for shooting and commercial timber. Since I started, we’ve planted over 30,000 new trees,” says Richard.

His varietal strategy is carefully tuned. “On the sandy land, we go for Group 1 milling wheats – yields are not as high, but the quality justifies it. On the clay, it’s barn-filling Group 4s as first wheats and Extase as a second wheat. It’s vigorous, cheap to grow, disease resistant, and holds a little premium if you hit the spec.”

Soil-first establishment

Different soils mean different establishment approaches, too. “All the sand land is ploughed, pressed, and drilled. You can’t really go cheaper or simpler than that – it gives full inversion, removes residues, and gives us a clean start for future vegetable crops.”

The heavy land, however, is where Richard’s innovation shines. “When I arrived, we had four power harrows, two ploughs, and were burning through diesel and time,” he says. “Now, we’ve moved to a Sumo and big press system, followed by a Mzuri drill. We try to disturb as little soil as possible.”

This shift to strip-till has been transformational, believes Richard. “We’ll often low-disturbance subsoil to alleviate compaction, then lightly till the top inch to get some chit. From there, the Mzuri goes straight in. If we’re drilling rape, we use placement fertiliser down the leg.”

Despite the power required for the Mzuri, this method has led to marked improvements in soil structure. “The heavy soils are more friable, carry machinery better, and we don’t get those big horses-head clods anymore. It’s just more manageable.”

A perhaps rather unusual feature of the Oxton Estate is its 75,000t green waste composting facility, operated by Veolia. “All the green waste from Nottinghamshire comes here,” explains Richard. “They produce a 10mm grade for bagging as a peat replacement and a 30mm grade that comes back to land.”

Although the product is technically free at the point of collection, logistics still carry a cost. “The only cost is haulage and spreading – it’s very bulky. We’ll apply 66t/ha biannually, which is a lot when you’re only getting 13t of compost on an 18t trailer.”

As good as it is, contamination is a frustration, notes Richard. “Some of the stuff that comes out of Nottingham city is shocking – bits of plastic, metal. That’s the only real drawback. But where it’s clean, it’s fantastic. On sand, it adds body and moisture retention; on clay, it opens the soil and increases aeration.”

Living in the trial zone

Richard’s curiosity and pragmatism have led him into a long-standing relationship with outfits Bayer, trialling chemistry such as Aviator (bixafen + prothioconazole), Ascra (bixfen + fluopyram + prothioconazole), and Fandango (fluoxastrobin + prothioconazole) before they even hit the shelves. “I just find it fascinating,” he says. “Being at the cutting edge, helping shape what comes next – it’s exciting. We can’t all be followers; someone’s got to lead.”

That mindset has also made him a key collaborator and a ‘Slug Sleuth’ in the SLIMERS project, led by the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN), founded by Oxfordshire farmer, Tom Allen-Stevens. 

An acronym for Strategies Leading to Improved Management & Enhanced Resilience to Slugs, SLIMERS is a £2.6m farmer-led research programme set to change the way slugs are monitored and treated, in a bid to drive sustainable solutions for slug management. It’s funded by the Small R&D Partnership Projects, part of Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme which is delivered by Innovate UK.Work by the seven partner organisations – BOFIN, the UK Agri-Tech Centre, Harper Adams University, the John Innes Centre, Agrivation, Fotenix and Farmscan Ag – explores everything from understanding slug behaviour and potential use of nematodes for slug control to heritage wheat traits that appear to deter slug feeding and precision-targeted pellet application. 

“I was involved from the start,” he says. “Tom [Allen-Stevens] rang me up with this crazy-sounding idea to trial slug-resistant wheat lines. I said, why not? Let’s see where it leads.”

Like most farms, Oxton battles slugs in the wake of oilseed rape in the rotation. “The first wheat after rape is where we get most of our pressure,” he explains. “Once you’re into barley or second wheats, it tends to tail off.”

Historically, Richard tackled the issue with a blanket approach. “As we rolled, we’d spread 5kg of ferric phosphate pellets. We used to do less with metaldehyde, but that’s gone. Still, we very rarely have to go back in again.”

However, through his involvement with the SLIMERS project, that approach is under review. “We were one of the first farms to test these ideas – trialling older wheat varieties, like Watkins 788, which is believed to have lower palatability for slugs.” 

In the first year, data suggested Watkins 788 saw less slug pressure than modern equivalents. “The second year was wiped out by Storm Babet – we had four-and-a-half feet of water through the village and had to evacuate the school. But this year’s looking really promising.”

Patch-location data has proven fascinating too, he continues. “It’s identifying where slugs are clustering, based on soil type. So for 2025-26 we are trialling zones with no pellets at all and only treating predicted hotspots. That’s a commercial field, too.”

Looking at the wider project, which is now in its third and final year, researchers at Harper Adams University believe they have a reliable model to predict slug patch location. Created with data from farmers’ slug monitoring activities over the previous two years of the project, combined with extensive soil mapping and testing, the model predicts areas in their fields with a high likelihood of containing slugs.

The next step is for the team of Slug Sleuth farmer trialists to put the model to the test – using it for selective applications of slug pellets rather than blanket application. The data collected will also be used to further develop the model.

“Of course, there is always a risk with trials, but you’ve got to try things, and these aren’t 100-acre gambles,” notes Richard. “They’re properly structured trials with a fall-back plan if needed.”

The Holy Grail

The long-term vision is slug-resistant wheat. The original Watkins 788 has been crossed with a more modern wheat, Paragon, and Richard has been trialling two of the 84 RILs (Recombinant Inbred Lines) identified in further lab trials to be spurned by slugs. “None of the RILs we’re trialling are commercially viable from a yield point of view – they’re too tall, too old-fashioned. But they show promise. The slugs just don’t seem to like them.”

The hope is that gene-editing – not genetic modification, Richard stresses – can transfer this trait into modern, high-yielding varieties. “If that happens in the next 10 years, I’ll feel I’ve done some good in the world.”

Richard is keenly aware of where tech is headed, too. “Modern slug pellet applicators are ISOBUS compatible and link with GPS. The stocks unit on our drill can now variable-rate apply according to a map. That’s the future – precision, not prevention.”

Asked what he hopes the trials will ultimately achieve; Richard doesn’t hesitate. “If we can get to a place where variable rate or no-rate pellet applications become standard practice – based on real data, not guesswork – that would be huge. It’ll save money, yes, but it’s also a massive PR win for farming.”

The Holy Grail, of course, remains slug-resistant wheat. “Plant a seed, the slug comes up, sniffs it, and moves on? That’s the dream. And maybe we’re a decade away – but we’re on the right path.”

And while that path isn’t without its setbacks, Richard sees every trial as a step forward. “You’ve got to be willing to hold your hand up and say, ‘That didn’t work, but now we know.’ That’s how progress happens.”

Found in:

Issue #3

Celebrating 5 years of farmer-led innovation

From guesswork to ground truth: mapping the future of pest control

SLIMERS Project advances in the battle against slugs

‘Slug trials’ test nematode application techniques

Wholecrop beans are a win-win for livestock performance and sustainability

Gaining ground with novel wheat lines

Landrace wheats on trial

Rooted in Research

It’s easy to ADOPT, harder to commit

The British On-Farm Innovation Network recently celebrated its fifth anniversary, marking a milestone in its mission to bring together farmers, scientists and innovators to tackle on-farm challenges through practical, farmer-led trials.

Founded by Oxfordshire farmer and award-winning agricultural journalist Tom Allen-Stevens BOFIN started life as a small group of farmers who came together to run unfunded on-farm trials of wheat varieties showing potential slug resistance.

Since then, it has grown to a network of 700 farmers of which almost 100 are engaged in paid on-farm trials as part of four Defra-funded projects. BOFIN’s wider membership also includes more than 350 scientists and innovators, and 450 other agri-professionals including agronomist and farm advisors. It also has nearly 3,000 citizen scientist members who primarily joined to take part as Slug Scouts to collect and post slugs to scientists involved in the SLIMERS project.

As we start our new trial year BOFIN has distributed more than £350,000 in payments to the farmers engaged in its projects with a further £200,000 to be paid out over the coming season.

Together our progressive farmers have delivered 127 on-farm trials and collected hundreds and thousands of data points, contributing to increased knowledge and understanding of crops, soil and pest management.

“BOFIN started with simple trials of slug- resistant wheat and has since become a movement for evidence-based innovation,” says Tom Allen-Stevens. “In just five years, we’ve shown that when farmers lead, supported by researchers and industry, we can develop solutions that make a real difference.”

Together BOFIN farmers and researchers are:

• Developing sustainable slug control through the SLIMERS project

• Improving understanding of soil/root interactions and soil testing methods in the TRUTH project

• Testing the potential of traits introduced by precision breeding through the PROBITY project, and

• Exploring the potential of pulses in the arable rotation and as a replacement for imported soya as part of the NCS project.

“Our farmers have demonstrated not only incredible commitment to innovation over the past five years, but also superb ability to carry out trials to a high standard,” adds Tom.

Professor Keith Walters of Harper Adams University agrees: “The data collected by farmers through the SLIMERS project has been consistently excellent, matching the standards we would expect from a trained researcher. Thanks to the dedication of the Slug Sleuths, we have access to high-quality data from across the country, enabling us to develop accurate models for predicting slug patches. It is directly shaping the future of more effective slug control, but for me the biggest win is they keep us firmly rooted in the real world”.

Professor Cristóbal Uauy, Director of the John Innes Centre, adds: “BOFIN provides a valuable link between research and farmers, making sure that scientific innovation is shared with industry, tested in the field, and supports sustainable agriculture that works for the UK.

“As our research drives towards a new era of science-led agriculture, BOFIN continues to be a valuable forum that is uniting scientists and farmers – supporting us to find common aims and collaborate on new crop technologies, helping to solve issues from slugs to root health.”

Get involved!

BOFIN is open to anyone interested in agricultural innovation, whether you’re a farmer, consultant, agronomist, scientist, other agri-professional, citizen scientist or ‘just curious’.

Farmer members can apply to join our trials, but all members are welcome to get involved in knowledge exchange and discussion. BOFIN is based on a knowledge cluster model – the Soil Circle, Slug Circle, Sequence Circle and PulsePEP are our communities on The Farming Forum and WhatsApp – open to anyone wanting to learn more and discuss these topics.

Join the community at www.bofin.org.uk/GetInvolved

Found in:

Issue #3

Celebrating 5 years of farmer-led innovation

From guesswork to ground truth: mapping the future of pest control

SLIMERS Project advances in the battle against slugs

‘Slug trials’ test nematode application techniques

Wholecrop beans are a win-win for livestock performance and sustainability

Gaining ground with novel wheat lines

Landrace wheats on trial

Rooted in Research

It’s easy to ADOPT, harder to commit

Plant breeding could be set to take centre stage as the world follows a different tune in the face of tariffs, suggests Tom Allen-Stevens.

Sir Keir Starmer has decided to “dance with the devil”. Rather than stand up to US President Donald Trump over tariffs, a battle many other world leaders appear to be bracing themselves for, he has chosen to secure a trade deal.

What’s more it’s one he’s hoping will keep the door open to a better deal for UK trade with the EU. It’s admirably British for him to do this, and let’s set aside for a moment whether he can actually pull off a deal that’s beneficial for the UK.

This is probably a defining moment in history. It’s no exaggeration that if our PM makes this his “Witching Hour” and understands how to master the power that POTUS wields, there’s much to be gained. But if he becomes “The Devil’s Advocate”, entangled in the seductive, populist world of the White House, we’ll all lose. And where does agriculture sit in this negotiation? Not since we joined the EU have British farmers had so little influence over the State.

Every single incoming UK government since the 1970s has tried to reduce the support offered to farmers, and offshore food production. But they’ve failed because of the protection offered by the Common Agricultural Policy.

Sir Keir is the first new-administration PM since Brexit, and has already shown he is happy for decades of the Treasury’s pent-up bureaucratic resentment to be unleashed on the perceived protection the farming sector has enjoyed.

British farmers would have been completely buried in the first hint of a trade deal with the US if it hadn’t been for the Putin factor: one unhinged autocrat has dramatically shown what can happen when he is left in charge of the world’s breadbasket and pulls the levers of global food exports.

It’s reset government thinking on how the nation feeds itself. “Food security is national security” is now the mantra and the only reason UK farmers get a look-in on any trade deals.

This is the first time since World War II that government ministers have faced the prospect of both re-arming Britain and making the nation self-sufficient in essentials. It’s scarily serious stuff and Whitehall simply doesn’t have the staff, the skills, the resource to begin to understand how to make an informed decision. So whether or not agriculture is a welcome part of any trade deal, the UK cannot afford to sacrifice it altogether.

Against this backdrop, the British PM meekly engages with the president of the US, the second largest wheat exporter in the world (after Russia), trying to play to the same step. The real question for Sir Keir is whether he can offer enough moves to keep Mr Trump at the top of the Fox newsfeeds and ameliorate the MAGA faithful’s addiction to populist drama.

Which brings us to what agriculture may have in its portfolio that can maintain the staggeringly short attention span of Mr Trump and his craving for ratings as trade restrictions between our two nations ease. It was almost inevitable that our beef market would be opened up and exposed to US imports, although hormone-treated beef and chlorinated chicken appear to remain off the menu on UK plates, for the moment at least.

The easing of restrictions on US ethanol will compete against domestic wheat destined for the biofuel market, although arguably this move doesn’t threaten food security. But then there’s new genetic technologies.

Over 20 years ago, when US interests attempted to exert their corporate authority over the EU and railroad acceptance of genetically modified crops, the move spectacularly backfired. The EU shut out the technology, and remains closed to it. It’s a sore point for the US who would desperately like to see its dominance in GM tech rolled out across the continent.

Moreover, the EU is currently closed to newer precision breeding techniques, such as gene-editing. These differ from GM in that they have been shown to be genetic advances that could happen naturally. But the UK, or more accurately England, isn’t closed to this tech.

The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act, passed in 2023, will allow crops with targeted genetic changes to be grown from this autumn on commercial English farms.

The first of these precision-bred crops are due to be planted and brought to harvest next year in closely monitored field trials as part of the Defra-funded PROBITY project. English farmers will begin to understand the traits that could transform agriculture and the benefits they hold for the UK food industry before any other farmer in the EU gets the opportunity.

What’s more, there’s an awesome array of talent in UK research institutes – our scientists are global leaders in precision breeding. There are jaw-dropping innovations in glasshouses looking to sink their roots into commercial English soils and demonstrate as yet unseen capabilities to the curious farmer. They’re all diamonds in the rough, but in the right hands, we have the potential to rewrite the agronomy rulebook and deliver true food security, not just for the English farms where they’re grown, but for the world.

That’s the sparkling sequin, the dazzling move that could attract Mr Trump. Chances are, there’s a similar array of novel traits emerging from US glasshouses, making their way into the soils of the Mid West farming belt.

The opportunity to bring these to English farms and shape a whole new dimension to this rebirth in plant breeding could be transformational for the farmers, scientists and others involved on both sides of the Atlantic.

They would be at the forefront of developing lines suited to the wider EU market, with greater acceptance, an understanding of local consumer needs, and proactively addressing their concerns.

This would be a farmer-led platform that shapes new genetic technologies ahead of enabling legislation, expected soon, that would then allow them to be further developed on commercial farms across the continent.

Other innovations will languish at national borders, unable to navigate the trade barriers still scarring the marketing landscape. But a reciprocal agreement on precision-bred crops could be a truly enabling tariff-free trade of talent for the UK.

While the opportunity to expand markets for nascent technologies without having their potential quashed by tariff-embittered former trading partners won’t have gone unnoticed by the US commercial interests bending Mr Trump’s ear.

So the challenge for Sir Keir as he continues his steps on the trade deal dancefloor is to strike out with mesmerising moves that emphasise the technical prowess the UK has in genetics, engage with charisma and a style that draws in these commercial interests, and set a rhythm that puts the two nations’ plant-breeding industry in harmony. Can he pull it off?

The other outcome is that he becomes hopelessly entangled and outpaced by the moves of one dominant partner. For the sake of global food security, he must succeed.

Found in:

Issue #2

Farmers urged to take opportunity to lead innovation

Science, soil and sustainability focus at Manor Farm

Farmer and scientist collaboration helps to unearth soil secrets

Soya swap could cut agriculture’s carbon footprint

Gene-edited crops: A new frontier for England’s farmers?

Learning through on-farm trials

A dance to dazzle