Expanding the UK’s horticulture sector to meet recommended healthy eating guidelines could deliver a £2.3 billion boost to the economy, new research reveals. According to analysts at Green Alliance, the growth in horticulture could surpass the total economic contribution currently made by pork production.

The UK’s horticulture sector is already worth £5 billion annually, accounting for 9% of agriculture’s overall contribution to the economy, despite using less than 1% of the country’s farmland.

The report argues that it makes strong economic sense to prioritise the expansion of the sector — especially as only 16% of fruit and 50% of vegetables consumed in the UK are domestically grown.

The NFU is urging the government to give food production equal priority to environmental goals in the Land Use Framework (LUF), warning that food security is at risk if it doesn’t.

In its response to Defra’s consultation on the LUF, the union acknowledged the increasing pressures on land use from housing, renewable energy, infrastructure and recreation.

However, it stressed that domestic food production must not be side-lined, especially in the face of global supply chain disruptions and climate volatility.

Steak, mashed potatoes and deserts for astronauts could soon be grown from individual cells in space if an experiment launched into orbit today is successful.

A European Space Agency (ESA) project is assessing the viability of growing so-called lab-grown food in the low gravity and higher radiation in orbit and on other worlds.

ESA is funding the research to explore new ways of reducing the cost of feeding an astronaut, which can cost up to £20,000 per day. The team involved say the experiment is a first step to developing a small pilot food production plant on the International Space Station in two years' time.

An international coalition of scientists and livestock breeders has launched a $27.4 million research drive aimed at cutting agricultural methane emissions through targeted genetic selection of cattle and sheep.

The ‘Global Methane Genetics Initiative’ brings together 50 partners across 25 countries, under the leadership of the Animal Breeding and Genomics group, and Wageningen University in the Netherlands.

The project, which will run across Europe, Africa, the Americas and Oceania, seeks to develop breeding tools that can help identify and select livestock with naturally lower methane emissions, a move the consortium believes could offer long-term environmental benefits without disrupting established production systems.

France has opened the skies to drones in a landmark move that marks the return of aerial pesticide spraying—albeit with a distinctly green twist.

A new bill, passed on April 9 by the French parliament, authorises the use of drones to spray low-risk pesticides and organic-friendly treatments on specific crops and terrains, ushering in what supporters call a more sustainable and safer era for crop protection.

Defra has announced a major £46m investment in cutting-edge agricultural technologies, which it says will increase food production and boost farm profitability.

The funding will support a wide range of projects, from robots designed for delicate fruit picking, to advanced animal health monitoring systems for sheep and cattle.

The investment is spread across three specialist funds and will support projects at every stage of research and development – from early ideas through to on-farm trials. Defra says that a strong focus will be placed on reducing emissions from farming and exploring the benefits of the new Precision Breeding Act.

Sheep must be returned to England’s countryside to prevent catastrophic wildfires, experts have warned. Figures show sheep numbers in England have dropped 7 per cent in the last two years, with Natural England, the Government’s nature watchdog, incentivising farmers to remove animals to protect wildlife and prevent overgrazing.

But countryside experts say the fall in sheep farming is leading to a dangerous build-up of dry vegetation, which could cause widespread moorland fires. It is estimated that there is 600,000 tons of extra vegetation being left on the land each year because of the drop in grazing.

Baroness Minette Batters, who was the president of the NFU for six years, has been appointed to lead a comprehensive review into farm profitability.

Appointed by Defra Secretary Steve Reed, Baroness Batters will provide the government with recommendations aimed at boosting farmers' profits.

Central to her work will be direct engagement with farmers, ensuring that voices from across all regions and sectors of agriculture are heard.

Most people back new technologies to safeguard the UK's food supply, with over two-thirds supporting gene-editing as a tool to build a more resilient farming industry.

A new survey by British Sugar reveals that support is especially strong among Gen Z, with a significant 80% backing the use of gene-editing technology.

Across all age groups, sustainability emerged as the primary motivation, with 44% of respondents highlighting environmental benefits as a key reason for their support.

A coalition of pig and meat sector groups has written to Defra Secretary Steve Reed urging him to take immediate action to strengthen the UK’s national disease control measures.

The coalition warn that recent African swine fever (ASF) and foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks in the EU "underscore the imminent risk to the UK".

They also say in the open letter to Mr Reed that there is "little confidence" that the Animal and Plant Health Authority (APHA) possesses the capability to detect or control an exotic disease outbreak.

Glyphosate authorisation has been extended for growers across Great Britain until December 2026. The announcement was made by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) which said the decision will allow for a comprehensive review of glyphosate's safety and efficacy.

HSE said the reprieve had been granted while it considers whether glyphosate continues to meet the legislative approval criteria for an active substance. It said that as well as taking into account any new scientific, technical and regulatory knowledge, it would also include a critical consideration of the recent European Union (EU) assessment which supported its decision to renew the approval of glyphosate.

Greater investment is needed in monitoring crop diseases and the insects that spread them, alongside support for growers facing losses, a new report says. It makes 24 recommendations to mitigate the impact of viral and bacterial epidemics, strengthen UK crop resilience and protect food production.

Proposals include increased funding for disease surveillance and response, as well as a review of the Plant Health Risk Register to provide a more comprehensive overview of grower threats. The Keele University report also calls for greater investment in AI-based prediction tools to assess disease risk at specific sites.