Polling organisation Polus published a survey this week on behalf of the Agricultural Biotechnology Council, which revealed that respondents aged 18 to 25 were the most supportive towards the use of gene editing and GM cropping technologies, with only 22% of then objecting its use.
Around 50% of youngsters recognised the benefits of GM technologies, agreeing that they play a major role in making UK farming more sustainable for the future. There was a wide acceptance of other advances as well and only 26% of those surveyed objected to the use of self-driving tractors on farms.
The survey was answered by 1,600 millennials in the 18 to 30 years old age group, with those aged 18 to 24 being the most supporting of the latest techniques. The results follow Defra’s conclusion of its public consultation into how agricultural policy should look post Brexit.
“We are delighted to see young people embrace technology as part of the future of farming,” said Mark Buckingham, Chairman of the Agricultural Biotechnology Council. “With Brexit on the horizon, techniques such as editing individual genes in crops to make them more resistant to diseases are going to be essential to help British farmers and scientists lead the world in agri-science.”
The post Brexit proposals were put forward by Secretary of State Michael Gove, who would appear to recognise that developing and adopting the next generation of food and farming technology could reduce the impact of pests and diseases and improve the UK’s competitiveness. In addition, as agriculture is a devolved policy area, the Scottish Government will also have the chance to set out its priorities for the sector post Brexit.