United Kingdom
October 7, 2009
In order to help the agricultural supply chain meet the challenges of increasing crop productivity and reducing environmental impact, the Technology Strategy Board – in collaboration with Defra and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) – has announced the launch of a £13m R&D funding initiative. New EU regulations mean that some widely used crop protection products are likely to lose approval, and a key aim is to develop crop protection technologies to reduce the impact of these regulations.
“It is gratifying to see the Technology Strategy Board, Defra and BBSRC collaborating to provide R&D funding for new crop protection approaches,” says BCPC chairman, Dr Colin Ruscoe. “For too long, Defra and other relevant funding bodies focussed narrowly on environmental protection and basic plant science, neglecting the area of applied R&D. We applaud their response to the emerging consensus for supporting UK food production, including mitigating the negative effects of EU legislation which, without reference to risk or benefit assessment, is now rapidly restricting the armoury of plant protection products.”
The competition will include proposals to develop new chemicals and other approaches to crop protection, pest- and disease-resistant crop varieties, integrated pest management strategies, novel and improved technologies for rapid responses to pest and disease outbreaks and more efficient application methods for crop protection products.
“BCPC welcomes the focus on collaborative projects with business partners that demonstrate economic benefit and global market potential as well as innovation,” adds Dr Ruscoe. “Given the food security drivers, most funding should go to support projects for food rather than non-food crop production. The inclusion of more efficient application methods of crop protection products is applauded; this is another neglected research area which needs renewed support.”
“In particular, it is hoped that the response to the competition will result in significant funding additional to the £13m proposed. Given all the topic areas suggested within the scope of the initiative, £13m R&D funding is unlikely to go very far,” suggests Dr Ruscoe.
Technology Strategy Board spreads knowledge, understands policy, spots opportunities and brings people together to solve problems or make new advances. It also invests in and manages a range of delivery mechanisms and programmes to drive technology-enabled innovation.
Click HERE for details of its New Approaches to Crop Protection competition.
Defra – Department for the Environment and Rural Affairs – www.defra.gov.uk
BBSRC – Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, www.bbsrc.ac.uk
Promoting the Science and Practice of Sustainable Crop Production
The British Crop Production Council (BCPC) is a non-profit making organisation. Over 50 years it has developed an international reputation for sound science in the fields of agriculture, food and the environment. Its conferences, publications and working groups bring together scientists to form opinion on key issues. Its website www.bcpc.org attracts more than 12,000 visitors a month seeking its opinions, products and services.
