The Royal Society's call for the Government to invest up to £100 million per year of new money in over the next decade as part of a £2 billion 'grand challenge' on global food crop security has been welcomed by the British Society of Plant Breeders (BSPB).  

The report, entitled Reaping the benefits: Science and the sustainable intensification of global agriculture, was published by the Royal Society following an 18-month review of biological approaches to enhancing food crop production, to which BSPB contributed. 

 In particular, BSPB supports the Royal Society's recommendation that new public sector funding should be used to establish pre-breeding programmes for the major UK crops as soon as possible, to ensure a long-term, consistent commitment to germplasm improvement, and to train the next generation of plant breeders.

 BSPB also endorses the report's strong message about the need for urgent, joined up action on a range of fronts - not only through investment in the genetic improvement of food crops but also through greater emphasis on crop management and agricultural practices.

 "We welcome the Royal Society's clear statement that the UK has a responsibility to take a leading role in providing the scientific solutions to mitigate future food shortages. Plant breeding offers the only route to market for the improvements in yield, pest and disease resistance, and resilience to climate change which are identified in the report as critical to increase crop production in line with population growth," said Dr Thomas Jolliffe, BSPB Chairman.

 "But while BSPB members provide the delivery mechanism to on-farm application, the limited revenue streams available to plant breeders from seed royalties do not currently allow significant investment in speculative or long-term research targets. We therefore welcome the Royal Society report's emphasis on the need for renewed public sector investment in pre-breeding and translational crop science, to ensure the huge advances in our basic scientific understanding of plant genetics can be transferred into valuable crops and products."

 "Alongside crop improvement through plant breeding, the Royal Society also recognises the urgent need to ensure farmers are equipped with the knowledge and practices needed to realise the genetic potential on offer. BSPB strongly supports the report's emphasis on the importance of crop management, and the need to revitalise investment in recently neglected disciplines of agronomy and soil science," said Dr Jolliffe.         

 ENDS

 For further information:

Dr Penny Maplestone, BSPB Chief Executive

T: 01353 653200

E: penny@bspb.co.uk

 Issued by:

Daniel Pearsall, Front Foot Communications

T: 01487 831425

E: daniel.pearsall@frontfoot.uk.com