A campaign has launched inviting farmers to engage in a UK-wide discussion on precision bred crops and their potential impact on farming.
The #ProbityPledge campaign aims to provide farmers with accurate information and a platform to voice their opinions.
The launch of it comes as the government continues to move forward with legislation to support precision breeding.
Precision-bred crops can be created through gene editing, a widely used technology that enables scientists to make changes to plant DNA.
Proponents of the technology say that gene editing speeds up the process of breeding more productive, nutritional and sustainable crop varieties.
The campaign is being coordinated by the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN) which leads the three-year Probity project.
Launched in August, it is bringing precision-bred cereal varieties onto commercial farms for the first time across Europe.
An integral part of the project is the creation of an open and transparent forum to discuss the creation, production, processing and use of precision-bred crops.
The campaign asks farmers to pledge a minimum of one hour in the next six months to learn about precision breeding and share views via the Sequence Circle online forum.
Tom Allen-Stevens, Oxfordshire farmer and founder of BOFIN, said it was a topic which will have an 'enormous impact' on food and farming, and it was 'important to make time to discuss it'.
“As farmers we are the gatekeepers of precision-breeding technology and must lead the discussion on how it is introduced to create a trusted pathway for food manufacturers to deliver its potential benefits to consumers."
He added: “The campaign asks farmers to commit at least one hour to equip themselves with knowledge of this technology and how it could impact them and their businesses.
"We want to hear diverse views – what do you think, what are your hopes and fears are for precision breeding, and what questions do you have about gene editing?
“Our Sequence Circle community hosted on The Farming Forum includes some incredible scientists who are well placed to help answer those questions.”
The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 has allowed for the release and marketing of certain gene-edited plants.
This makes England currently the only country in Europe where this novel material can be grown in farmers’ fields.
