The national scientific debate committee known as The Royal Society has put forward a recommendation to UK government, stating that they should be investing more time and money into sustainable farming techniques and setting an example to other countries. Further to this they state that the UK needs to consider how to support farmers and rural populations through their farming methods, when most advances in agriculture seem to be promoting mechanical and automated farming systems that are putting people out of work. From new roaming seeding machines to factory glassware production for product bottling, they are not taking the local communities into consideration.
One of the government’s top agricultural scientists, Professor John Beddington, has responded to the Royal Society’s claims and even elaborated on them. He has stated that “a number of solutions” are required to not only solve some of the problems that UK farming currently has, but also to be able to share knowledge and resources with those countries than follow the UK’s lead when it comes to agriculture.He said that national demand for agricultural commodities is definitely on the increase, largely as a result of the rise in the amount of dairy and meat products we are eating causing increased demand for livestock feed. Beddington went on to say that early predictions indicate that by 2030, we will have seen a rise in demand for food by around 50%.
On top of the £60mil that the UK currently invests in food sciences, a further £2bn is recommended by the Royal Society. The recommendation has been made on the basis that not only does the UK need to stabilize its own farming, but also look to help those less developed countries find feasible farming options that are sustainable. These are the places that have the most limited resources and knowledge to implement sustainably farming methods, and often do not understand the long term damage that they are doing to their farming land and agriculture in general
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