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Hotter, drier climatic conditions and concerns over emerging pest and disease threats present challenges to potato growers throughout the UK. However, Director of Cygnet PB, Alistair Redpath explains that there is significant investment in breeding that should provide optimism for growers...

Legislation to unlock new technologies that can help to boost food production and support farmers to grow more productive crops will return to Parliament today. The British Society of Plant Breeders (BSPB) has welcomed this, especially DEFRA’s statement today suggesting that the bill is “paving...

Responding to the recent ScotGov consultation on a future Agriculture Bill for Scotland, the British Society of Plant Breeders (BSPB) has welcomed the document’s explicit focus on the importance of conserving plant genetic resources as the basis for the future resilience and sustainability of...

Nine new varieties have been added to the British Society of Plant Breeder’s 2023 Forage Maize Descriptive Lists (DL), published on 1st September. Saxon and Dignity from Limagrain, alongside KWS Anastasio and KWS Pasco from KWS, are new entrants on the 2023 Favourable First Choice List. Debalto...

The British Society of Plant Breeders (BSPB) has raised concerns with MPs that, as currently drafted, the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill currently before Parliament may fail to unlock the investment and advances in plant breeding innovation needed to address urgent food security...

The Government has announced that the remaining import controls on plants and plant products will no longer be introduced in July. DEFRA has suggested that the decision was aimed at helping British businesses to focus on recovering after the pandemic. The announcement has been welcomed for...

Sugar beet breeders continue to lead the way in rapidly developing new and improved varieties. Ongoing investment in research and development is bringing new varieties to improve pest and disease resistance whilst also increasing yields. Plant breeders have also demonstrated these varieties can...

The Government has announced new plans to unlock the power of gene editing to help farmers grow more resilient, nutritious, and productive crops. The British Society of Plant Breeders (BSPB) chief executive Samantha Brooke commented on the Defra announcement saying: “This is the most significant...

Take action to harness the unique contribution of plant genetic innovation, Government urged Responding to last week’s National Food Strategy, leading players along the length of the UK’s crop improvement pipeline, from fundamental and applied genetic science to commercial plant breeding, have...

The British Society of Plant Breeders (BSPB) has welcomed today’s publication by the European Commission of a wide-ranging study into the legal status of new precision breeding techniques as an important step towards better regulation of these technologies across Europe. The study concluded...

With hybrid varieties taking an increasing area of the UK crop, growers are reminded of the legal obligations and agronomic and economic risks of farm-saving seed of F1 hybrid varieties. Crops produced from F1 hybrid seed offer growers significant benefits in terms of yield improvement...

The British Society of Plant Breeders (BSPB) is urging members of the House of Lords to support an amendment to the Agriculture Bill which could give Britain’s scientists and breeders access to the latest gene editing techniques and mark a step change in prospects for crop improvement to support...

BSPB are aware of the implications of the weather experienced so far this autumn on drilling and seed availability. We’re often asked if you can move seed, here is an explanation of the legal background. Nearly all modern crop varieties are protected by Plant Breeders’ Rights (PBR). The rights...

F1 hybrid varieties, which can offer significant advantages in crop performance and quality, have long dominated the commercial production of UK crops, such as sugar beet, forage maize and many vegetable crops. Recent breeding advances have now extended the availability of hybrid varieties to...

BSPB is the association for the agricultural plant breeding industry in the UK. We licence and collect royalties on certified seed sales and operate the UK's farm-saved seed collection system for our members. We are a small, friendly team based just outside Ely in Cambridgeshire. We have a...

NIAB's summer open days in this, their centenary year, start tomorrow at Sutton Scotney and continue through the rest of June. The events are open to all with a full listing and registration details at https://www.niab.com/shop/page/open-events. BSPB will be at Sutton Scotney, tomorrow 18...

Here is a quick reminder of the key points in law to ensure compliance with the rules on farm-saved seed (FSS): It is a statutory requirement that all FSS use must be declared to BSPB There are five ways to declare - by post,e-mail, online, phone and fax Payment for use of eligible varieties...

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE Try a short quiz on aspects of the farm-saved seed rules. BSPB will make a donation to the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution for every complete entry received. And every correct entry will be entered into a prize draw to win a Best of British hamper. Enter your...

Payments on farm-saved seed (FSS) are an investment in your farming business and that of the next generation. Innovation in plant breeding is essential for profitable and sustainable UK agriculture and delivers major benefits in terms of the yield, quality, agronomics and disease resistance of...

AgriTrade News reports a NIAB project, funded by the AHDB (PR602), has concluded that higher than expected levels of erucic acid (EA) in oilseed rape seed originated from oilseed rape volunteers. Erucic acid contamination has led to some growers incurring penalties on consignments, or seeing...