Scottish farm leaders have written to the country’s government, warning that Scotland could fall behind on precision breeding policy as England, the EU and the US all move forward with new legislation.
In an open letter, NFU Scotland (NFUS), the Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) Scotland and GB Potatoes said, ‘In Scotland, we have unique pest and disease pressures arising from our climate, however we also have the research institutions and plant breeding businesses to help address them.
‘Precision breeding has the potential to play a key role in contributing to key Scottish Government policies, including reducing emissions from agricultural production, growing the Scottish agricultural economy and contributing to food security through ensuring resilient domestic food and feed supply.’
The AIC added in a statement, ‘Crops including wheat, barley and potatoes developed using precision breeding techniques can be made to better withstand extreme weather events such as flooding or drought driven by climate change, as well as having a greater resistance to pests and disease.’
The letter went on to warn, ‘As an industry we believe that the government cannot afford to ignore the vast potential benefits of this established technology. We should be clear that Precision Breeding is not the same as Genetic Modification, and there are clear differences between the two.
‘Globally, many nations and trading blocs such as the EU, Canada, USA, Argentina and Australia either have legislation in place to enable precision breeding or are in the process of doing so. Here in Scotland, our major trading partners in both England and the EU are advancing legislation which will enable the production of PB crops. Scotland has a great opportunity to not only benefit from both research and application of precision breeding technologies, but also to lead them.
‘Divergence from our key trading partners and markets is a major concern for our industry. It would create extra cost and friction for our vital agri-food supply chains, given the global nature of these markets. At a time when we continue to experience supply chain disruptions and volatility caused both by weather events and geopolitical instability – we as an industry believe access to precision breeding technology is essential for Scottish Agriculture.’
The authors also urged the Scottish Government to establish an independent expert working group to consider the key issues in relation to Precision Breeding technology.
Scott Walker, chief executive of GB Potatoes, commented, “Growers in Scotland face a unique set of pest and disease pressures arising from the climate, but we have the research institutions and plant breeding businesses to help address these.
“Precision breeding technologies allow plant breeders to rapidly breed more climate resilient varieties of potatoes and other staple crops for Scottish agriculture, improving yield reliability and resource efficiency.”
Martin Kennedy, NFU Scotland president, added, “As an industry, we believe that the Scottish Government cannot afford to ignore the vast potential benefits of precision breeding technology.
“Precision breeding technology has the potential to play a key role in contributing to key Scottish Government policies, including reducing emissions from agricultural production, growing the Scottish agricultural economy and underpinning national food security by ensuring resilient domestic food and feed supply. We look forward to having a constructive dialogue with Government on this matter.”
