NFU 2010: Environment Agency chief backs GM

Speaking this morning (Wednesday, February 24) at the NFU conference in Birmingham, Lord Smith, the Environment Agency chairman, told farmers that climate change would ‘create new demands on land and environmental resources’ and ‘could provide opportunities for novel crops and systems’.

“My own personal view is that we probably need to be readier to explore GM options, coupled of course with proper environmental safeguards, in adapting to the changes that the climate will bring.”

He said GM should be adopted alongside precision farming techniques.

“New tools and technologies are becoming available, nano-technology for example, as well as the use of satellites, IT and other tools to support precision farming.

“We need to understand the environmental implications of novel approaches in order to embrace them and be clear how they will help us achieve long-term goals.

“We need to ensure that science is at the forefront of development and innovation and that effective knowledge transfer means farmers can adapt and innovate. Innovation has already seen British agriculture adapt to the economic challenges it has faced over the last 15 years or so and I know it will do so into the future,” he said.

Lord Smith also told climate change sceptics to consider the evidence,

“We can already see wildlife following climate change - the mayfly is now found some 40 miles further north than before and warmer winters and wetter summers are thought to be a major factor in the rapid decline of pollinating insects with UK bee populations, in particular, falling by 10-15 per cent over the last two years.

“The reliance on seasonal weather patterns means that farming will follow climate change too,” he said.

As well as exploring the potential of new crops and technologies, Lord Smith also underlined the need for agriculture to become more water efficient as climate change ushers in longer, hotter, drier summers.

“In adapting to climate change, farming can also help us to manage water supply - this will be essential as we predict demand for irrigation will increase by 25 per cent over the next 10 years,” he said.

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