Genes which confer resistance to the deadly fungal disease stem rust have been successfully transferred from wheat into barley.

In an advance which could lead to wider use of resistance genes from other wild relatives of elite crops, the John Innes Centre team used genetic modification (GM) techniques to fortify barley plants with genes proven to have defensive activity in wheat.

The research is seen by researchers as a model for future efforts to protect crops against the growing threat of virulent fungal pathogens.

UK businesses will have to show that their products and supply lines are free from illegal deforestation, under government plans.

A proposed law would require larger companies operating in the UK to show where commodities such as cocoa, soy, rubber and palm oil originated from.

It would be illegal to use products that fail to comply with laws to protect nature in those origin nations.

The price of flour and bread is set to rise after what could be the worst UK wheat harvest in 40 years, the industry is warning. Farmers say that the extreme weather over the last year is likely to mean wheat yields are down by up to 40%.

As a result, some millers have already increased the price of flour by 10% and they warn a no-deal Brexit could push up prices even further. And we're likely to see more of the same weather in future, experts say.

Ministers say neonicotinoid exemptions needed to save sugar industry, but ecologists are aghast

France has moved to reverse a ban on a class of pesticides only weeks after it came into force, reigniting a bitter dispute between environmentalists and farmers and embarrassing politicians who have championed ecological causes under President Emmanuel Macron.

The French cabinet’s approval on Thursday of a draft law allowing sugar beet growers to use neonicotinoids was portrayed by ministers as essential to save the country’s sugar industry, the EU’s largest.

An independent assessment of the value of research taking place at crop science organisation NIAB has revealed an 18-fold return on investment to the wider UK economy.

The economic impact report, by Donald Webb of Brookdale Consulting, concluded that for every £1 spent on research at NIAB, at least £17.60 is returned to the UK economy through improved production efficiency, economic growth, import substitution, export earnings and inward investment.

A significant rise in climate refugees will seek asylum in Europe as more than 1.2 billion people are displaced by ecological threats over the next three decades, a report has predicted.

Water and food shortages are set to cause mass migration from 31 countries which are unable to cope with looming environmental crises, the Institute of Economics and Peace (IEP) warned.

The resulting displacement will “be on a vastly larger scale” than the 2015-16 migrant crisis if nothing is done to tackle the ecological breakdown, the think tank’s founder Steve Killelea told The Independent.

Defra secretary George Eustice has left the door open to the emergency use of neonicotinoids on sugar beet crops, which are being ravaged by yellows virus.

“The government recognises that sugar beet growers face yield losses this year because of the difficulties in controlling aphids,” said Mr Eustice.

“We do support the restrictions on neonicotinoids to protect pollinators, but we’ve also always been clear that we remain open to applications for emergency authorisations under the current rules.”

Scientists have produced gene-edited livestock using a technique which they say could lead to healthier animals and more sustainable meat production.

The researchers from universities in the UK and the US used the Crispr-Cas9 gene-editing tool to remove a male fertility gene in the embryo in pigs, goats, cattle and mice.

The male animals were born sterile, but otherwise healthy, and they began producing their own sperm after being injected with stem cells that produce only desired sperm from the donor’s genetic material.

Humanity is at a crossroads and we have to take action now to make space for nature to recover and slow its "accelerating decline".

This is according to a report by the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.

It sets out a bullet point list of eight major transitions that could help stop the ongoing decline in nature.

An international team of plant scientists have shown the potential to rapidly improve the quality of barley grain through a genetic tool known as CRISPR or gene editing.

Published in The Plant Journal, researchers from the University of Adelaide's Waite Research Institute working with the James Hutton Institute in Scotland and other colleagues in the UK and Melbourne, describe how the levels of beta-glucan in barley grain can be influenced through gene editing.

Joint senior author Associate Professor Matthew Tucker, Deputy Director of the Waite Research Institute, says: "The research has given us further insight into key genes responsible for barley grain composition and, by using CRISPR gene editing, plant breeders will have the potential to accelerate plant breeding and deliver new crop varieties that are best suited to their target markets."

There's growing concern among citizens all over the world about climate change, according to a new global poll. But respondents had very different attitudes to the level of urgency required to tackle the problem.

Big majorities in poorer countries strongly agreed with tackling climate change with the same vigour as Covid-19. However in richer nations, the support for rapid action was far more muted.

Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales has warned the climate crisis will "dwarf" the impact of coronavirus.

Calls have been made for farmers to have increased access to new technologies as public concern rises over the impact of the pandemic on UK food supplies.

The public have highlighted their worry over the fragility of the food system in the face of Covid-19, climate change and possible trade interruptions.

More than two thirds (66%) of adults are worried about the impact that a second wave would have on food supplies, a new YouGov survey has shown.