NFU responds to investigation into innovation in farming

Calls to place agricultural innovation at the heart of European and UK policy-making in a bid to tackle food production challenges are much needed, the NFU will say today (Tuesday).

NFU chief science and regulatory affairs adviser Dr Helen Ferrier will address a group of MPs and peers, scientists, research funders and members of the food and farming industry on the importance of findings in the House of Lords report into innovation in EU agriculture.

Dr Ferrier will outline a number of key challenges and opportunities facing an agricultural industry attempting to produce more while impacting less.

This was a wide ranging and thorough inquiry, which heard from a large number of interested parties including industry, scientists, research funders, NGOs and governments. The report is a very useful analysis of many of the issues the NFU has been grappling with in the last five years, and supports our Why Science Matters campaign of 2008, said Dr Ferrier.

The conclusions and recommendations include much that we can wholeheartedly support. We urge both the UK Government and the EU institutions to act upon them without delay.

Dr Ferrier will be addressing delegates at todays Westminster Food and Nutrition Forum, chaired by Mark Spencer MP.

Some of the key points Dr Ferrier will raise today include:

British farmers have an important role in achieving global food security, through better use of innovative technologies and practices to produce more and impact less;

The British landscape and the farm businesses within it are highly diverse, requiring a range of approaches to make the most of science, innovation and new technologies and practices. There is no quick, technical fix. Open and constructive dialogue between farmers, advisers and scientists, and the right skills, are needed;

The proposal from EU Agricultural Commissioner Dacian Ciolos to set aside 4bn for agricultural R&D in the next EU budget is strongly welcomed and goes some way to addressing the recommendation of the Lords report;

However, Europe is still giving a strong anti-innovation message with the recent vote by MEPs on a proposal to allow member states to ban GM crops with no reference to science.

1) The House of Lords EU Environment and Agriculture sub-Committees Innovation in EU Agriculture report can be found here.

2) Dr Helen Ferrier gave oral evidence to the committee as part of its investigation in December last year. A transcript can be found here or written evidence is here.

3) For more details on the Westminster Food and Nutrition Forum, logon here.