Scotland announces £200m to boost food security and tackle climate change

It will invest in projects including greenhouse gas reductions in agriculture and livestock

The Scottish Government has announced more than £200 million of investment for projects that boost food security and address the biodiversity and climate crises.

The funding will be provided for innovation in agriculture until 2027 under the government’s Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture Strategic Research Programme (SPR).

It will invest in projects including greenhouse gas reductions in agriculture and livestock, crops for vertical farming that will help produce a wide range of economically-valuable crops and vaccine research into animal diseases.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “The Scottish Government provides significant funding to our major research institutes to explore issues such as planet and animal health, and food security. In total, we are investing more than £200 million in the next five years, which will support over 150 projects.

“They cover issues which are of central concern to the agriculture sector such as the resilience of livestock to climate change; how to reduce climate change emissions from farming and livestock; and the way in which anti-microbial resistance and pathogens spread into the food chain, and then into humans.

“The support confirms our determination, in a tough financial climate, to ensure that Scotland continues to make an important contribution to research on agriculture and the environment, contributing to the success and sustainability of our farming and food sectors.”

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