Nearly 80% of farmers surveyed open to gene-edited crops

Nearly eight in 10 farmers surveyed would consider growing gene-edited crops within five years, but concerns over buyer acceptance could hold back adoption.

The Defra-funded PROBITY project found that 78% of respondents were open to growing the crops, while 60% identified buyer and market acceptance as the biggest potential barrier.

The survey, led by the University of Nottingham and conducted by Grounded Research, gathered views from just over 100 farmers of different ages and farming backgrounds.

Overall, 82% expressed positive views towards gene editing in crops, rising to 90% after receiving an explanation of the technology.

Pest and disease resistance emerged as the biggest priority, selected by 85% of respondents when asked which traits they would most like gene editing to improve.

Improved nitrogen use efficiency followed at 66%, while 55% prioritised drought tolerance and half wanted higher crop yields.

The findings suggest growers are particularly interested in traits that could reduce input requirements, improve crop resilience and strengthen farm profitability.

Improved profitability was the leading motivation for considering gene-edited crops, cited by 69% of respondents, followed by reduced fertiliser use at 56% and lower pesticide use at 50%.

However, commercial acceptance remains a significant concern, with farmers questioning whether buyers and markets would accept produce developed using the technology.

Labelling also emerged as an important issue, with 43% believing gene-edited foods should always be labelled and 26% supporting labelling for selected products or ingredients.

Among those favouring labelling, 74% wanted information explaining the purpose or benefits of the genetic changes.

Views were divided on growing gene-edited crops alongside conventional and organic varieties, with 41% favouring measures tailored to crop type and local circumstances.

The findings come as the three-year, £2.2 million PROBITY project tests precision-bred cereal crops on commercial farms in England.

Led by the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN) alongside 11 research and industry partners, the project is taking three precision-bred cereal lines through regulatory processes and into field trials.

A high-lipid barley line became the first to enter on-farm trials earlier this year, with plans progressing for a low-asparagine wheat line to follow.

Both were developed by scientists at Rothamsted Research and have received Food Standards Agency approval.

The crops will be grown alongside unedited controls and conventional farm varieties, allowing researchers and growers to assess their performance under commercial farming conditions.

Tom Allen-Stevens, BOFIN managing director and PROBITY project lead, welcomed the survey findings but stressed the importance of testing the technology in practice.

“It is encouraging to see that growers recognise the potential benefits of gene-edited crops which highlights the need to trial them on farms to see if they deliver, and to assess the anticipated challenges over market acceptance too.”

The project is also establishing a farmer-led platform to help scale up precision-bred crops from small seed quantities to batches suitable for commercial processing.

The work follows the introduction of legislation allowing certain precision-bred plants to be cultivated and marketed in England under a dedicated regulatory framework.

Researchers will monitor crop performance, assess practical production challenges and share findings as the technology progresses towards wider commercial use.

Mr Allen-Stevens added: “As the first to bring these crops onto commercial farms we are in uncharted territory so a continued open dialogue is essential.”