The growing of soya may be one step closer to commercial reality this week following announcement of HGCA support towards a new research project in Hampshire.
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The project, which is the brain-child of farm-supply company Robin Appel Ltd and ADAS, will involve non-GM trials of the crop, looking at the suitability of various pesticides on this new crop for the UK.
Andrew Probert at Robin Appel, who will lead the project, says: “Without the funding we would not have been able to carry out this valuable research, and would have struggled to take the crop forward in the UK.
“The aim of the two-year project is to make soya-growing a much more feasible option for British farmers. One of the key issues holding it back is the cost of re-licensing agrochemicals for a new crop on a limited hectarage.
“An alternative route lies in the off-label system of registration, and our trials will generate the supporting information needed for this. In the longer term, this means that growers will have the option to use a wider range of pesticides on the crop.”
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By GlobalDataThe company introduced new lines of soya – known as ‘northern soya’ – into the UK in 1996. Since then it has seen steady growth, with these new varieties thriving in northern latitudes and at lower seasonal temperatures, where traditional varieties would fail.
Clare Kelly at the HGCA adds: “On a global scale the importance of the soya crop cannot be over-estimated. Of the 80 million tonnes exported from North America alone, the UK imports 2 million tonnes. This, in turn, is used in some 60% of processed foods.
“With such an established market for the crop, soya will offer farmers in suitable areas a valuable alternative to oilseed rape and other break crops,” she continues. “It’s an ideal take-all break, highly effective at nitrogen fixation and has the added advantage of needing little in the way of inputs. With the obvious implications in terms of gross margins and environmental impact.
“We are convinced that soya in the UK has a very promising future,” concludes Andrew Probert.
