Biotech Updates

UK Plant Breeders Ask for More R&D Funding

June 18, 2009

At least £20 million per year. This is what the British Society of Plant Breeders (BSPB) are asking from the United Kingdom government to help "transfer new genetic knowledge into crops and products of value to UK farmers and consumers."

BSPB Chairman Dr. Thomas Jolliffe said: "There is a serious imbalance between funding of basic plant science, in which the UK remains a world leader, and support for translating the outputs of that research into relevant crop species and varieties of benefit to UK agriculture." He added that "significant investment in publicly-funded translational crop science and pre-breeding programmes is required to ensure public benefit – for example in the form of higher yielding, more climate resilient crop varieties."

Email Dr. Penny Maplestone, BSPB Chief Executive, at penny@bspb.co.uk for more information or read the full article at http://www.bspb.co.uk/newsarticle_2009_R&D.html