Over 57 industry professionals attended the first United Oilseeds OSR Reboot session earlier this month.
It included representatives from 41 companies and organisations, including beekeepers and conservationists, joined the call to instigate change for a sustainable increase in OSR production in the UK.
Hosted by industry expert Dr Julian Little on behalf of United Oilseeds, representatives of the AHDB, the AIC, the John Innes Centre and ADM Erith joined United Oilseeds Managing Director James Warner to present their thoughts on the state of OSR and potential future developments.
James opened the meeting with a brief review of the current OSR situation, as outlined in the initial OSR Reboot open letter. He highlighted the lowest hectarage in 40 years, declining yields, challenging establishment, and most importantly the offshoring of neonicotinoid usage and the unfairness of the unlevel playing field this creates for UK farmers. He also mentioned a negative net trade swing of 2 million tons, equating to nearly £1 billion, and a drop in food security for edible oils to less than 20%, down from 40%. Additionally, he touched on reduced pollen and nectar supply, animal feed shortages, and increased carbon emissions linked to imports.
Following James’ introduction, the meeting went on to discuss the impact of increased OSR imports on the crushing sector, IPM strategies, research, and breeding, including gene editing and concluded with a discussion on potential policy change proposals including SFI, deforestation legislation, and seed import barriers.
Rose Riby, Agricultural Industries Confederation’s (AIC) head of combinable crops and seed, said. “It was good to be a part of this valuable industry-wide discussion, as we seek to collaborate on ways to bolster oilseed production in the UK.
“The ideas shared in this meeting complement the policy work led by AIC to advocate ways to increase the area grown domestically in the face of current challenges, and we look forward to ramping up these efforts over the coming months.”
