Plan for productivity and innovation boost is launched in Lords

An action plan to boost productivity and innovation in British agriculture was launched yesterday in the House of Lords.

The Application of Science working group was set up to examine why UK agriculture productivity has lagged behind other nations.

The group was created following a report that highlighted a series of recommendations needed to deliver science more quickly and surely to tackle food security, net zero and biodiversity challenges.

“Britain has some of the best scientists in the world, but unfortunately that science is often slow to be applied at the farm level,” said Lord Curry of Kirkharle, who chaired the Application of Science working group.

“We understand the government budget constraints, but food security, carbon net zero and biodiversity are existential challenges that require action,” said Professor Michael Lee, deputy vice-chancellor of Harper Adams University, in Newport, and deputy chairman of the working group.

One of the key insights from the Application of Science report is that the path from scientific discovery to on-farm application in the UK is fragmented. Unlike France, Germany, US and most other industrialised countries, the UK does not have a public or private entity responsible for the application of science in practical agriculture.

The fragmentation is most noticeable for innovations that change farming practices – such as crop rotation, grazing management, timing of field operations, tillage.

For innovations that involve purchasing new inputs or services, agribusiness and the Agri-tech Centres have led, but for changes in farming practices there is no clear champion.

“Everyone in the working group agrees that food security must be treated by the government as a public good, worthy of being supported with public money, just as much as biodiversity and carbon net zero,” said Professor James Lowenbergdeboer, the Elizabeth Creak Chair of Agri-tech Economics at Harper Adams University and lead author of the report.

“Some other aspects of the report were intensely debated, but it was obvious to everyone that food security is essential for a functional modern society.”