United Kingdom
January 12, 2010
The British Society of Plant Breeders (BSPB) has welcomed the findings of new farmer research which singles out plant breeding as the most important scientific development for future agricultural production.
The research, presented at the Oxford Farming Conference, involved a survey of 600 farmers by the National Farm Research Unit.
Increased yield and improved disease and pest resistance were highlighted by farmers as key priorities for future plant breeding programmes.
BSPB also strongly endorsed the report’s conclusions that UK agriculture needs a functioning R&D chain, from basic science through to practical on-farm application, to meet the challenges of sustainable yield improvement set out in the Government’s Food 2030 strategy.
“There is clear evidence that crop genetic improvement – delivered to the market through commercial plant breeding programmes - will be the single most important factor in boosting future agricultural productivity. This research provides an encouraging indication that farmers recognise the critical need to support future investment in plant breeding,” said BSPB chairman Dr Thomas Jolliffe.
“For some time, plant breeders have highlighted the urgent need to bridge the current hiatus in research activity. Although commercial plant breeding is a research-intensive activity, with around a third of turnover invested in R&D, the limited revenue streams available from seed royalties do not allow significant investment in speculative or long-term targets. As a result, much of the new genetic information being generated at a basic level in public sector research institutes is not being transferred into crops of value to UK farmers and consumers.
“There are encouraging signs that our calls for significant new public investment in translational crop science have not gone unheeded among policy-makers and R&D fund-holders,” said Dr Jolliffe.
“Continued support for the Crop Genetic Improvement Networks, the launch by BBSRC of a new Crop Improvement Club, and the recent establishment of a Sustainable Agriculture and Food Innovation Platform within the Technology Strategy Board all offer important opportunities to strengthen the R&D pipeline through collaboration between public and private sector research.
“But the timescales involved in plant breeding are such that we need to act now to deliver on the targets for 2030. The immediate challenge is to ensure that research with practical, on-farm impact is effectively co-ordinated and focused on the right priorities. BSPB members have a pivotal role to play in that process by providing a route to market for improved varieties and crop production systems,” said Dr Jolliffe.
BSPB is the representative body for the UK plant breeding industry. Acting on members’ behalf, BSPB licenses, collects and distributes certified seed royalties and farm-saved seed payments on agricultural and horticultural crops. BSPB represents more than 50 members, comprising virtually 100% of public and private sector breeding activity in the UK.
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