Environmental analysis news: Innovation 'key to future of agriculture'

Technological innovation is the key to the future of UK agriculture, it has been claimed.

Speaking last week at the annual conference of the National Farmer's Union, Environment Agency chairman Lord Smith said climate change will create new challenges for people working in this sector.

"The reliance on seasonal weather patterns means that farming will follow climate change too. My own personal view is that we probably need to be readier to explore genetically-modified options, coupled of course with proper environmental safeguards, in adapting to the changes that the climate will bring," he commented.

Lord Smith noted that it is also important to improve water storage techniques during the winter months.

In related news, a recent study carried out by the UK's Centre for Ecology and Hydrology found that the number of organisms living in British soil has risen by 47 per cent over the last decade, the Guardian reports.

Written by Joseph Hutton