WHILE BREXIT may be muddying the waters, science-based collaborative projects between EU and UK specialists continue to grow.

Recently, legume specialist body, PGRO, has become part of a wider European consortium led by the James Hutton Institute, in Dundee, which has been successful in receiving support from the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme.

Roger Vickers, chief executive of PGRO, commented: “We are pleased to be appointed to a major role in the TRUE project (TRansition paths to sUstainable legume based systems in Europe). Our involvement will be heavily focused upon facilitating knowledge exchange and communication.

“The main aim is to identify and enable mechanisms for the increased adoption of successful legume-supported production systems, feed and food chains.”

As a result of a process started in 2015, a 24-strong consortium has put together a €5m bid for funding under the banner ‘Legumes –transition paths to sustainable legume-based farming systems and agri-feed and food chains.’

The consortium involves citizens and businesses operating in legume commodity production and processing, underpinned by excellence in the natural and social sciences and humanities.

Legume cropping is perceived at governing level to have a large number of significant economic, environmental and social benefits and should be encouraged more widely and extensively, pointed out Mr Vickers.

“Despite this and the well-known agronomic benefits to growers, legume cropping in the UK – and EU in general – remains very much a minor crop sector compared to cereals and oilseeds.

“To better understand the problem and in order to put in place policies that can better facilitate a change to wider legume production, the EU has commissioned collaborative research partnerships to research the existing barriers to increased legume based production systems,” he said.