Peter Button

[Genetic Literacy Project @GeneticLiteracy]

"Insect Armageddon!" Except ... research indicates no decline in Britain since 1990, and total farmland bird numbers have remained stable for 30 years. As usual, fear sells better than facts. 💸 @PeterJohnButton @PearsallDaniel @mattwridley @SciSustAg https://t.co/H2CgEBvIDS

[Science for Sustainable Agriculture @SciSustAg]

The @SciSustAg think-tank is urging @DefraGovUK to review its 'narrow and outdated' farmland bird indicator list, which excludes many common species, distorting the bigger picture and playing into the hands of NGOs that campaign against modern agriculture.
https://t.co/kRBDdqjM5t

[Science for Sustainable Agriculture @SciSustAg]

Pro-innovation UK think-tank calls on House of Lords to withdraw a recent scrutiny report on gene editing, labelling it ‘biased’ and ‘misleading’ for only considering information from anti-technology NGOs and organic groups.
https://t.co/FTeyhfBhZ0

[Science for Sustainable Agriculture @SciSustAg]

"It may seem counter-intuitive that a Labour UK government is using the public purse to subsidise the production of more expensive organic food, which many taxpayers simply cannot afford, but that’s the reality. For the few, not the many."
https://t.co/SHK726vKY1

[Science for Sustainable Agriculture @SciSustAg]

Former @DefraGovUK secretary George Eustice is spot on in this blog for @FarmersGuardian - highlighting the potential risks of UK-EU SPS realignment in prioritising short term trade benefits over over our ability to innovate for longer-term growth.
https://t.co/H3OSLoLdz5

[Science for Sustainable Agriculture @SciSustAg]

Great to see @DailyMail amplifying concerns that UK-EU reset talks could block gene edited crops for England's farmers. A welcome shift from the publication's former 'Frankenfood' editorial policy which sought to demonise the use of biotech in agriculture!
https://t.co/31fNa86ZGB

[Science for Sustainable Agriculture @SciSustAg]

Leading UK scientist questions 'confused signals' from Government over farm policy direction after @DefraGovUK officials suggest UK farm survival may lie in diversification away from primary production.

Read news story here: https://t.co/asSC9Yi6U9

[Science for Sustainable Agriculture @SciSustAg]

"This is a bold move by @DefraGovUK . The Precision Breeding Act is progressive, coherent and evidence-based. Ministers should be applauded for acting decisively, demonstrating a strong commitment to innovation, and to leading on the international stage."
https://t.co/gDwiQnURG4

[Science for Sustainable Agriculture @SciSustAg]

Engineering biology. Urgent action is needed or the UK is at risk once again of seeing the economic benefits of science and technology developed here but exploited overseas, warns House of Lords report.
https://t.co/4irKGClTOt

[Science for Sustainable Agriculture @SciSustAg]

More than 150 Nobel and World Food Prize Laureates have made an unprecedented plea for financial and political backing to develop technologies with the greatest chance of averting a hunger catastrophe in the next 25 years.
https://t.co/WydQ9p2aUE

[Science for Sustainable Agriculture @SciSustAg]

Great article. While UK farm policies pursue a land-sharing approach, paying farmers to adopt lower-yielding practices, the scientific evidence in favour of land-sparing becomes ever more compelling.

Are @DefraGovUK & @DefraChiefScien paying attention?
https://t.co/KOD6I4DCPx

[Science for Sustainable Agriculture @SciSustAg]

China has approved five gene-edited crops and 12 types of GM soybean, corn and cotton in a bid to boost high-yield crops, reduce import reliance, and ensure food security. The gene-edited crops include two soybeans, and one each of wheat, corn, and rice.
https://t.co/hAp8m2wmG4

[Science for Sustainable Agriculture @SciSustAg]

"Trying to make cropping systems work more like nature will nearly always reduce food production, or its reliability, or increase its cost. There are trade-offs, not win-wins. For these reasons, nature cannot be a consistent model for agriculture."
https://t.co/Iwo42CCAQ4

[Science for Sustainable Agriculture @SciSustAg]

“There is no perfect blueprint for biodiversity. It is constantly evolving. But there is evidence that bird numbers and the physical ‘biomass’ of bird life in the British countryside have now remained broadly stable for three decades. That’s good news.”
https://t.co/gzEVzRWiRW

[Science for Sustainable Agriculture @SciSustAg]

New analysis of UK farmland bird numbers by @SciSustAg finds that populations aren't declining rapidly as reported by @DefraGovUK - in fact they have been remarkably stable for three decades. So where did the Govt's figures come from?

Find out more 👇
https://t.co/jVtW9ExymG

[Peter Button @PeterJohnButton]

@_seedinnovation @EuroseedsEU @Plant_ETP

[Science for Sustainable Agriculture @SciSustAg]

EU plant breeding R&D has declined despite a 42% increase in the total research budget. GM research has been phased out, not fully replaced by NGT projects, because research is increasingly required to benefit "both conventional and organic agriculture.”
https://t.co/hhVvok3nTd

[Science for Sustainable Agriculture @SciSustAg]

EU plant breeding R&D has declined despite a 42% increase in the total research budget. GM research has been phased out, not fully replaced by NGT projects, because research is increasingly required to benefit "both conventional and organic agriculture.”
https://t.co/hhVvok3nTd

[Science for Sustainable Agriculture @SciSustAg]

Leading article in @newscientist

"The idea that organic food is better for the planet and GM foods are worse is a false narrative that hides a much more unpalatable reality: continuing as we are will lead to even more destruction and increased hunger."
https://t.co/cF79Jm6S1j

[Science for Sustainable Agriculture @SciSustAg]

George Freeman named chair of Parliamentary ag-tech group

"“I am passionate about innovation in agriculture, because a vibrant agri-tech sector is key to UK and global food security, climate mitigation and net zero.”
@MPGeorgeFreeman

https://t.co/fhx9MFeRYC

[Science for Sustainable Agriculture @SciSustAg]

Current farm policies incentivise farmers to produce a quarter less food, and a recent @foodgov report suggests one in four Brits are ‘food insecure’, so what exactly do @DefraGovUK Ministers mean when they say that ‘food security is national security’?
https://t.co/UXRsmSC8mb