CropLife UK hopes that these changes will focus attention on key issues such as food security, affordability, Net Zero and innovation.
Following last week’s UK Government reshuffle the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has been split into three new departments;
- Science, Innovation and Technology led by Michelle Donelan as Secretary of State
- Energy Security and Climate Change led by Grant Shapps
- Business and Trade led by Kemi Badenoch
CropLife UK hopes that these changes will focus attention on key issues such as food security, affordability, Net Zero and innovation.
Although some might argue that splitting responsibilities could potentially cause clashes in priorities and delays in decisions making. This however does not need to be the case.
Together with Defra, we hope the new departments for Science , Innovation and Technology, and Energy Security and Climate Change recognise the crucial role of crop protection solutions in delivering healthy, safe, affordable food, whilst reducing impact on the environment. This is essential if we are to meet the challenge of producing sufficient safe, healthy, affordable food in the face of climate change and growing food insecurity.
We would like these changes to lead to a greater focus on science and innovation, delivering an evidence-based approach to government decision making. We believe that the government should be encouraging investment and commercialisation of new technologies in the UK, supporting our farmers and growers by giving them earlier access to the latest agricultural technologies.
Dave Bench, CropLife UK’s CEO, said, " I would like to welcome Michelle Donelan, Grant Shapps and Kemi Badenoch to their new positions. We look forward to working closely with their new departments on the challenges facing us.”
15/02/2023
