A new research project is looking to genomics as a solution to decarbonization by genetically engineering plants to not only absorb more carbon from the atmosphere but hold on to it longer.

Vegetation plays a natural role in the reversal of greenhouse gas emissions by taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. The Innovative Genomics Institute, or IGI, seeks to augment that process, backed by an $11 million commitment from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the philanthropic organization owned by Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc., and his wife, Priscilla Chan, a pediatrician and educator.

The project relies on the gene-editing tool CRISPR to give plants and soil microbes traits that improve their ability to capture and store carbon. "This technology has the potential to supercharge the natural abilities of plants, enabling them to pull more carbon out of the atmosphere and store more carbon in their roots and the surrounding soil — providing a new set of innovative tools to address climate change," Chan said.

Scotland’s farmers will be placed at a direct disadvantage to their counterparts elsewhere in the UK if the SNP continue to reject plans on gene editing, an MP has told Westminster. Banff and Buchan MP David Duguid said the Scottish Government risked going against the wishes of farmers and crofters across the north-east by continuing to turn away the proposals.

It follows confirmation in the Queen’s Speech that the UK Government will introduce new legislation – the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill – to unlock the potential of new farming technologies such as gene editing (GE).

NFU Scotland (NFUS) has said farmers and crofters need access to GE technology to become more sustainable. Mr Duguid reiterated that giving the green light to gene editing would help tackle food insecurity in Scotland and give a much-needed boost to food producers. He urged the SNP to listen to Scottish Farmers’ concerns accept the UK Government’s invitation to take part in the Bill during the course of its passage through the UK Parliament.

Food prices will rise quickly this summer due to soaring costs, grocery analysts have predicted. Prices will rise at a rate of 15% as households pay more for staples such as bread, meat, dairy and fruit and vegetables, the Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD) said.

More vulnerable people will skip meals, it warned. It also predicted that prices would rise faster for longer than Bank of England estimates.

The IGD, which provides analysis to major grocers, said the UK was facing the highest cost of living pressures since the 1970s, mainly down to the Ukraine war.

The government has pledged to boost the level of food the UK produces in light of Russia's war in Ukraine and the impact it is having on global supplies. Farmers will be issued more support to bolster domestic food production as part of the government's long-awaited food strategy, unveiled today (13 June).

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the blueprint set out "how we will back farmers, boost British industry and help protect people against the impacts of future economic shocks by safeguarding our food security".

The strategy commits to 'broadly maintaining' the current level of UK food production, while boosting production in certain sectors, such as horticulture. And £270 million will be invested across farming innovation funding programmes until 2029 "to unlock technologies to drive sustainable farming techniques".

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs on Wednesday issued two variety certification standards at the national level for genetically modified (GM) crops, including soybeans and corn, in what industry observers said a significant step in China's legalization of GM crops as the country seeks to further bolster its food security.

The move reduces the approval period for such varieties, which will pave the way for further commercialization in one of the world's top crop-producing countries.

Monarch butterflies, with their distinctive orange, black and white colors, are perhaps the most familiar butterflies in North America. They are also famous for making their annual late-summer migration from southern Canada and the northern and central U.S., all the way south to California, Florida and Mexico. During these migrations, the butterflies travel thousands of miles and suffer considerable risk of mortality from factors such as poor weather, predation, pesticides and vehicle strikes.

For many years, scientists have recorded decreasing numbers of monarchs in their wintering colonies in the south. In 2015, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reported a study that showed nearly a billion monarchs had vanished from the overwintering sites since 1990. Various researchers have warned that the butterflies are dying off in droves and that some populations are in danger of imminent extinction. However, a new research study from the University of Georgia has found that the summer population of monarchs has remained relatively stable over the past 25 years.

“There’s this perception out there that monarch populations are in dire trouble, but we found that’s not at all the case,” said Andy Davis, corresponding author of the study and an assistant research scientist in UGA’s Odum School of Ecology. “It goes against what everyone thinks, but we found that they’re doing quite well. In fact, monarchs are actually one of the most widespread butterflies in North America.”

Scotland should not have food products "forced" on it because of the easing of regulations around gene editing, a government minister has said.

The UK government has introduced a Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill which would set different rules from the EU following Brexit. It had asked Holyrood ministers to consider allowing gene-edited crops to be grown in Scotland.

But the idea has been dismissed by environment secretary Mairi McAllan. She has written to UK environment secretary George Eustice and Scottish Secretary Alister Jack, saying Scotland would not make the same changes as England if the bill passed.

It is “not justified” to classify the weedkiller glyphosate as carcinogenic, the EU’s chemicals regulator has concluded.

The European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA) committee for risk assessment found that “the available scientific evidence did not meet the criteria to classify glyphosate for specific target organ toxicity, or as a carcinogenic, mutagenic or reprotoxic substance.”

But the committee reaffirmed its earlier verdict that glyphosate can cause “serious eye damage” and is also “toxic to aquatic life with long-lasting effects.”

A cross border row could soon develop over genetically engineered crops, with farmers in the south of Scotland warning they may be at a commercial disadvantage.

The UK Government wants gene edited crops be grown in England, arguing it could make produce more resistant to disease.

The Scottish Government however, says it has no plans to do the same.

A new group set up to ensure science gets a fair hearing in policy development has challenged animal welfare groups’ claims that it would be unethical to adopt gene editing techniques in developing more resilient farm animals.

Responding to a statement by the RSPCA which described the Government’s Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill, introduced at Westminster recently, as a “serious step back” for animal welfare, the recently launched Science for Sustainable Agriculture (SSA) claimed that the reverse was actually the case.

The group argued that it would be unethical not to embrace the potential of technologies such as gene editing to help improve sustainable, high-welfare production in farmed animals.

Taxpayers’ money will be wasted and environmental targets missed if the Government does not put farmers and food production at the heart of its post-Brexit policy, an industry expert has warned.

Dr Alastair Leake, director of the Allerton Project and policy at the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, said English farmers were being locked out of Defra’s third Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme, known as Landscape Recovery (LR), despite an abundance of evidence showing they were well-placed to deliver Ministers’ desired outcomes.

Dr Leake suggested groups of collaborating farmers who prioritised food production would find it difficult to enter the scheme, claiming Defra now considered growing crops to be ‘anti-nature’.

Farm staff at Rothamsted Research notched up a UK first this month by sowing seeds of genetically edited Camelina sativa just weeks after regulations for scientific field trails were eased, allowing much more freedom for researchers to plan their field experiments.

Using a seed drill specifically designed for the relatively small seed numbers used in field trial work, the plot was prepared and seeded in just a few hours. However, the big difference was the time saved in applying for permission to conduct the trial.