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Peter Button

@PeterJohnButton

Peter Button reposted

"Insect Armageddon!" Except ... research indicates no decline in Britain since 1990, and total farmland bird numbers have remained stable for 30 years. As usual, fear sells better than facts. 💸 @PeterJohnButton @PearsallDaniel @mattwridley @SciSustAg buff.ly/u3bhbQ1


Peter Button reposted

The @SciSustAg think-tank is urging @DefraGovUK to review its 'narrow and outdated' farmland bird indicator list, which excludes many common species, distorting the bigger picture and playing into the hands of NGOs that campaign against modern agriculture. thescottishfarmer.co.uk/news/25492575.…


Peter Button reposted

Pro-innovation UK think-tank calls on House of Lords to withdraw a recent scrutiny report on gene editing, labelling it ‘biased’ and ‘misleading’ for only considering information from anti-technology NGOs and organic groups. tinyurl.com/7n3juwbd

SciSustAg's tweet image. Pro-innovation UK think-tank calls on House of Lords to withdraw a recent scrutiny report on gene editing, labelling it ‘biased’ and ‘misleading’ for only considering information from anti-technology NGOs and organic groups. 
tinyurl.com/7n3juwbd

Peter Button reposted

"It may seem counter-intuitive that a Labour UK government is using the public purse to subsidise the production of more expensive organic food, which many taxpayers simply cannot afford, but that’s the reality. For the few, not the many." shorturl.at/uBh8y

SciSustAg's tweet image. "It may seem counter-intuitive that a Labour UK government is using the public purse to subsidise the production of more expensive organic food, which many taxpayers simply cannot afford, but that’s the reality. For the few, not the many." 
shorturl.at/uBh8y

Peter Button reposted

Former @DefraGovUK secretary George Eustice is spot on in this blog for @FarmersGuardian - highlighting the potential risks of UK-EU SPS realignment in prioritising short term trade benefits over over our ability to innovate for longer-term growth. farmersguardian.com/blog/4515479/e…

SciSustAg's tweet image. Former @DefraGovUK secretary George Eustice is spot on in this blog for @FarmersGuardian - highlighting the potential risks of UK-EU SPS realignment in prioritising short term trade benefits over over our ability to innovate for longer-term growth.
farmersguardian.com/blog/4515479/e…

Peter Button reposted

Great to see @DailyMail amplifying concerns that UK-EU reset talks could block gene edited crops for England's farmers. A welcome shift from the publication's former 'Frankenfood' editorial policy which sought to demonise the use of biotech in agriculture! dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1…

dailymail.co.uk

Kemi to tell Labour not to make UK a 'supplicant' to the EU

Kemi Badenoch will take aim at Labour's 'surrender' on Brexit with a hard-hitting speech in Brussels today.


Peter Button reposted

Leading UK scientist questions 'confused signals' from Government over farm policy direction after @DefraGovUK officials suggest UK farm survival may lie in diversification away from primary production. Read news story here: tinyurl.com/4tw9ezjh

SciSustAg's tweet image. Leading UK scientist questions 'confused signals' from Government over farm policy direction after @DefraGovUK  officials suggest UK farm survival may lie in diversification away from primary production.

Read news story here: tinyurl.com/4tw9ezjh

Peter Button reposted

"This is a bold move by @DefraGovUK . The Precision Breeding Act is progressive, coherent and evidence-based. Ministers should be applauded for acting decisively, demonstrating a strong commitment to innovation, and to leading on the international stage." scienceforsustainableagriculture.com/barsbysang


Peter Button reposted

Engineering biology. Urgent action is needed or the UK is at risk once again of seeing the economic benefits of science and technology developed here but exploited overseas, warns House of Lords report. committees.parliament.uk/committee/193/…


Peter Button reposted

More than 150 Nobel and World Food Prize Laureates have made an unprecedented plea for financial and political backing to develop technologies with the greatest chance of averting a hunger catastrophe in the next 25 years. europeanscientist.com/en/agriculture…


Peter Button reposted

Great article. While UK farm policies pursue a land-sharing approach, paying farmers to adopt lower-yielding practices, the scientific evidence in favour of land-sparing becomes ever more compelling. Are @DefraGovUK & @DefraChiefScien paying attention? royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/metrics/10…


Peter Button reposted

China has approved five gene-edited crops and 12 types of GM soybean, corn and cotton in a bid to boost high-yield crops, reduce import reliance, and ensure food security. The gene-edited crops include two soybeans, and one each of wheat, corn, and rice. reuters.com/markets/commod…


Peter Button reposted

"Trying to make cropping systems work more like nature will nearly always reduce food production, or its reliability, or increase its cost. There are trade-offs, not win-wins. For these reasons, nature cannot be a consistent model for agriculture." scienceforsustainableagriculture.com/andrewmcguire


Peter Button reposted

“There is no perfect blueprint for biodiversity. It is constantly evolving. But there is evidence that bird numbers and the physical ‘biomass’ of bird life in the British countryside have now remained broadly stable for three decades. That’s good news.” scienceforsustainableagriculture.com/ssa-news-30


Peter Button reposted

New analysis of UK farmland bird numbers by @SciSustAg finds that populations aren't declining rapidly as reported by @DefraGovUK - in fact they have been remarkably stable for three decades. So where did the Govt's figures come from? Find out more 👇 scienceforsustainableagriculture.com/buttonpearsall…


Peter Button reposted

EU plant breeding R&D has declined despite a 42% increase in the total research budget. GM research has been phased out, not fully replaced by NGT projects, because research is increasingly required to benefit "both conventional and organic agriculture.” plantetp.eu/press-release-…


Peter Button reposted

Leading article in @newscientist "The idea that organic food is better for the planet and GM foods are worse is a false narrative that hides a much more unpalatable reality: continuing as we are will lead to even more destruction and increased hunger." newscientist.com/article/mg2643…


Peter Button reposted

George Freeman named chair of Parliamentary ag-tech group "“I am passionate about innovation in agriculture, because a vibrant agri-tech sector is key to UK and global food security, climate mitigation and net zero.” @MPGeorgeFreeman fruitnet.com/fresh-produce-…


Peter Button reposted

Current farm policies incentivise farmers to produce a quarter less food, and a recent @foodgov report suggests one in four Brits are ‘food insecure’, so what exactly do @DefraGovUK Ministers mean when they say that ‘food security is national security’? scienceforsustainableagriculture.com/tinabarsby5


Kenya's High Court Clears Path for Genetically Modified Crops newscentral.africa/kenyas-high-co…


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