Farming UK reports on new research warning that planting trees on long-established grassland could reduce soil carbon, potentially undermining expected climate benefits. A University of Stirling study of Scottish pine plantations found forest soils contained around half the carbon of neighbouring grassland, with losses equal to roughly a third of the trees’ absorbed carbon. Remaining soil carbon was also less stable. Scientists say carbon schemes, including the Woodland Carbon Code, must better reflect below-ground impacts. While tree-planting may bring biodiversity and economic benefits, the researchers caution they cannot be treated a simple net zero solution.

BBC News reports that the UK’s wetter winters and frequent flooding are increasingly likely to continue as climate change intensifies rainfall. A blocked weather pattern has kept storms lingering, but long-term trends show winters are becoming wetter, with six of the ten wettest on record occurring this century. Warmer air holds more moisture, meaning heavier downpours, while rising sea levels worsen coastal flooding. The Met Office says winters like 2023/24 have shifted from rare 80-year events to 20-year events. Flooding threatens homes, transport and farming, with major losses already reported. By 2050, one in four properties could face flood risk.

Farming UK reports that rising UK temperatures are increasing the risk of invasive crop pests, the Met Office has warned, as warmer conditions allow harmful insects to survive and spread. The alert follows confirmation that 2025 was the UK’s warmest year on record, highlighting accelerating climate change. Scientists say pests once unable to live in the UK, such as the Colorado potato beetle, now pose growing threats to agriculture and forestry.

Eastern Daily Press reports that Norfolk farmer Kit Papworth has warned that the UK’s move towards “dynamic alignment” with EU rules could have serious consequences for Britain’s farmers and growers. The NFU Sugar chairman said alignment with the EU under a future SPS deal could restrict access to vital crop protection products and threaten sugar beet production. He also cautioned of the risks of sacrificing the UK’s Precision Breeding Act, which was introduced post-Brexit to support the rapid development of more resilient crops, pointing to new Innovate UK-backed work using gene editing to tackle Virus Yellows in sugar beet.

AgTechNavigator reports that a new study led by researchers from Cornell University and the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) has concluded that efficiency growth - measured as Total Factor Productivity (TFP) - is the primary driver behind reducing agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, as global food output rose 270% between 1961 and 2021 while emissions increased by just 45%. Higher productivity means producing more marketable outputs with fewer inputs, which has helped decouple production from emissions and offers a roadmap for climate-smart agriculture. The research suggests boosting productivity through innovation – such as improved seed quality, precision farming and gene-editing for higher yields - can cut emissions most effectively, particularly in low-income nations.

Farmers Weekly reports that MPs have warned that a new UK-EU sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) deal must not disadvantage British farmers as negotiations with Brussels resume. A report from the Efra committee supports closer alignment to ease trade but urges caution on not disadvantaging UK producers in areas such as animal welfare and pesticide rules. It also cautions against losing UK flexibility on scientific advances, highlighting concerns that EU alignment could restrict gene editing. The committee calls for a targeted exemption so England can retain its lead in precision breeding while retaining trade benefits.

Farmers Weekly reports that senior industry figures are calling on Defra to reward farm data collection in the redesigned Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), due to relaunch in 2026. In an open letter to secretary Emma Reynolds, the group argues that incentives for digital tools and software would boost productivity, resilience and environmental sustainability. They say current policy undervalues high-quality on-farm data and missed a post-Brexit opportunity to embed digital agriculture. Improved data could support soil and carbon metrics, unlock new markets and strengthen farm profitability.

Farming UK reports that UK dairy farmers have reduced antibiotic use faster than expected, meeting new industry targets within months of their introduction. Kingshay’s latest Antimicrobial Focus Report, covering 967 herds, shows average use fell to 12.2 mg/kg PCU, continuing a long-term decline. Targets set for lactating cows, dry cows and calves were all achieved, with major cuts in high-priority antibiotics. While progress is strong, however, significant regional and herd-level variation remains, highlighting the need for ongoing monitoring, disease prevention and good herd health management.

The Sunday Times reports that UK scientists are set to apply for approval to sell genetically modified purple tomatoes in England, potentially opening the door to wider GM food reform. Developed at the John Innes Centre in Norwich by adding two snapdragon genes, the tomatoes are rich in antioxidants, have a longer shelf life and have been already been approved for sale in the US, Canada and Australia. Researchers hope changing attitudes and changes to post-Brexit regulations will allow approval, making the tomato a test case to ease longstanding UK restrictions on GM crops.

Farming UK reports that the UK government is investing £21.5m in 15 farming innovation projects across England to help cut emissions, boost productivity and accelerate the use of new technologies on farms. Funded by Defra through the Farming Innovation Programme with Innovate UK, the projects span dairy, arable and horticulture. Initiatives include vitamin D–enriched tomatoes, low-emissions fertilisers using biological alternatives, and climate-resilient industrial hemp.

Speaking to the Farmers Guardian Crop It Like It’s Hot podcast, George Freeman MP, chair of the APPG on Science & Technology in Agriculture, explains the ambitious 30:50:50 ag-roadmap the Group has put to Government, setting out how smarter regulation, investment in innovation, and technologies such as precision breeding could unlock increased productivity, improved resilience and more sustainable food production on UK farms, bolstering Britain’s food security in an era of increasing geopolitical uncertainty and climate volatility.

Food Ingredients First reports that the European Parliament’s environment committee (ENVI) has backed a trilogue deal on the regulation of New Genomic Techniques (NGTs) in plants, moving it closer to final adoption. The agreement establishes a two-tier system, with NGT-1 plants regulated like conventionally bred crops and NGT-2 plants remaining under full GMO-style rules. EU plant breeding and farming groups welcomed the regulatory certainty for innovation and competitiveness, while consumer and organic organisations warned that reduced traceability and safeguards could threaten organic production and consumer choice.