Parliament has now passed the secondary legislation to implement the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act for plants in England. It has taken years of hard work behind the scenes and a great number of people in our organisation, the Norwich Research Park Public Affairs Group, and beyond to encourage this change in legislation.

One way we have supported the Government to make evidence-led policy making is attending events such as the ‘Agri-Science Week in Parliament’ in January 2025.

This event, hosted by the  All-Party Parliamentary Group on Science & Technology in Agriculture (APPGSTA) was a multi-partner exhibit showcasing UK taxpayer-funded research and innovation taking place in precision breeding, controlled environment agriculture, robotics/automation, precision farming and AI.

A team from the John Innes Centre, along with other leading UK agri-tech, plant and animal science institutes were in attendance, including the Roslin Institute, University of Lincoln, Rothamsted Research, and NIAB.

We aimed to promote the capabilities of the John Innes Centre in solving some of the UK’s biggest challenges, including food security, human health and sustainable agriculture. With a strong focus on precision breeding, we presented some case studies of our research to develop vitamin D-enriched tomatoes and virus yellows resistant sugar beet in the Upper Waiting Hall of the Palace of Westminster.

Professor Cathie Martin FRS, group leader, said: “We were delighted to speak to MPs and parliamentarians about the role of research in agriculture. Science has the potential to revolutionise the resilience of our crops, and to fortify our foods with nutrients. My motto is ‘food is healthcare’, and harnessing the potential of nature will help us to support farmers and improve public health.”

Dr Mimi Tanimoto, policy and public affairs manager who attended the event, said: “Policy change is crucial to unlocking the innovations that science can bring to the UK and the rest of the world. We have worked hard to provide policymakers and parliamentarians with access to expert advice, to ensure that policies are evidence-based and enable science to have real world impact for the benefit of people and the environment.”

The John Innes Centre’s science has many areas of crossover with, or application in, agriculture. Two of our strategic programmes are ‘Delivering Sustainable Wheat’ and ‘Building Robustness in Crops’, and many of our discoveries relate to the way plants work, helping us to better understand how to promote their health.

Professor Steve Penfield, group leader and Building Robustness in Crops programme leader, said: “The problems facing farmers in the UK and the world are complex, varied and imminent. With the threat of continuing climate change and an increased population, it is vital to both increase yield but also improve the quality and resilience of what is being grown.

“Our science is well-placed to combat these threats, through both precision and traditional breeding, and offers cleaner solutions which reduce the need for fertiliser and pesticides. We are open to educating and informing policy makers and the public about these new and innovative areas of science, that could help us all in the future.”

During the week the APPGSTA unveiled its new high-level vision, setting out a 30:50:50 Innovation Agenda for UK Agriculture. It includes ambitions to increase UK agricultural production by 30% by 2050, while reducing farming’s environmental footprint by 50% per unit of output, in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, land use, water use and soil health. It outlines what might be needed to deliver this, such as a land use framework, farm support policies, regulation of innovative technologies, and the organisation of research and development.

Dr Jonathan Clarke, head of business development, concluded: “I’m excited to hear that the APPG on Science and Technology in Agriculture is supportive of long-term, measurable objectives for the agri-science sector. The correct building blocks are vital in delivering our collective commercial ambitions, including appropriate regulations, cohesive funding and strategic research and development.”

Agri-Science week is just one of the many engagement events and contacts that colleagues at the John Innes Centre and partners have facilitated to support precision breeding legislation in England.

Now the secondary legislation to implement the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act for plants in England has passed, our researchers welcome the opportunities this important policy change will make for plant and microbial research to improve the health of plants, people and the planet.