The Welsh Assembly Government has published a report setting out how the agriculture and rural land use sectors in Wales can play play their part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining food production. The report was commissioned by the Welsh Assembly and undertaken by the Land Use Climate Change Group, chaired by Professor Gareth Wyn Jones, with representatives from farming, forestry, research and environmental sectors. It is entitled Land Use Climate Change Report To Welsh Assembly Government, March 2010.

The European Environment Agency has published a report which aims to assess whether the current distribution of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) funds is likely to favour the maintenance of farmland with high nature value (HNV). It explores the extent to which CAP funds are likely to support the long-term economic and ecological sustainability of these HNV farming systems.

The Food Standards Agency has published new research looking at people’s attitudes to emerging food technologies, including genetically modified (GM) food, high pressure treatment, gas filled packaging and hypothetical foods that have health benefits. The research found that people’s knowledge of, and attitudes to, food technologies vary considerably. Certain characteristics were found to be in common with people who are more concerned about food technologies, including being older, female, having a low income or generally having a high level of concern about food safety.

The UK Collaborative on Development Sciences has published a new book by Gordon Conway (formerly the Chief Scientific Advisor for DFID) and Jeff Waage (Director of the London International Development Centre).