Cross-party group set to raise the profile of UK agri-science in Parliament

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Next week, from 27-31 January 2025, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Science & Technology in Agriculture (APPGSTA) will be hosting an ’Agri-Science Week in Parliament’ exhibit in the Palace of Westminster.

The multi-partner exhibit – staffed by scientists from the John Innes Centre, Rothamsted Research, NIAB, the Roslin Institute and the University of Lincoln - will showcase UK taxpayer-funded research and innovation taking place across a range of sectors and technologies. Located in the Upper Waiting Hall, a main thoroughfare between central lobby and the committee corridors, the initiative will provide a unique opportunity to engage with MPs, Peers and their staff.

APPGSTA chair George Freeman MP said: “This All-Party Group is committed to supporting innovation in farming and food production. Our aim in hosting this exhibit is to help explain why agricultural science and technology are so important to all our futures, particularly to a new intake of MPs who may not immediately think of farming innovation as important to them or their constituents.

“We want to make agri-science relevant to all Parliamentarians, and to connect agri-tech innovation with everyday concerns, from securing affordable food supplies to tackling climate change, safeguarding clean water supplies, improving health and nutrition, and leaving more room for nature.

George FreemanGeorge Freeman
George Freeman

“‘Agri-Science Week in Parliament’ will provide an opportunity for Britain’s cutting-edge scientists and innovators in digital agriculture, robotics, advanced crop and livestock breeding, vertical farming and AI to engage directly with politicians and policymakers, and to explain how UK-led advances can help drive major improvements in the productivity, end-use quality and environmental sustainability of British farming.”

With a strong focus on precision breeding, the exhibit is particularly timely following the Government’s recent confirmation that it will bring forward the secondary legislation needed to implement the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 by the end of March 2025.

It will also feature an APPGSTA display highlighting key farming innovations to tackle climate change, together with an updated version of the Group’s Farming Innovations to Deliver Net Zero report. This highlights eight key areas of innovation with the potential to transform UK agriculture’s response to the climate challenge, including gene editing in crops and livestock, methane inhibitors, green fertilisers and novel feed ingredients such as insect meal. The updated report also identifies potential and actual barriers to these innovations reaching Britain’s farmers and growers, and makes recommendations for Government to accelerate their uptake, covering regulatory, policy and R&D actions.

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