We’re learning about organisms at the molecular level and creating tools to speed up research.

Every organisms has thousands of genes, and we want to know what’s happening at the genetic level to understand the organism better.

We study the genes and genetic interactions of a wide range of organisms involved in food production – not just the plants and fish that we eat, but the insects, fungi, viruses and other organisms they might interact with in the wider ecosystem. We also want to understand how food interacts with the human body, right down to how different genes might impact on food preferences.

We use cutting edge technologies to identify, sequence and map genes, as well as understand how genes interact with each other and the wider environment. We use this knowledge to identify individuals in our plant and fish breeding programmes, as well as helping us create new technologies to detect and manage pests and diseases.

Our human genetic research helps us understand how food affects the body, and how our individual genetic make-up influences our smell, taste and food tolerances.

We’re also investigating the potential of new breeding technologies, such as gene editing, to make sure we keep all the options open for our industry partners.