T he United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union (EU) brings an inevitable period of flux and uncertainty over precisely what the future holds for British agriculture in terms of support policies, trading arrangements, farming reg- ulations and access to labour. The outlook for the plant breeding and seeds sector will depend critically on the development of these issues and the wider negotiations taking place on the United Kingdom’s (UK) future relationship with the EU. Given the high level of pan-EU activity in plant breeding, variety registration, seeds market- ing and other crop-related research and innovation, the outcome of these discussions will determine the extent to which UK independence marks a significant departure from current trading, research and development (R&D) and regulatory arrangements. Nor is the current maelstrom of uncertainty confined to Britain’s future relationship with the EU. The Scottish National Party (SNP)-led government in Scotland has used the Brexit vote as new grounds to call for a second independence referendum, opening up a new and different set of issues for plant breeders, seed mer- chants and farmers operating north of the border. Furthermore, responsibility for agriculture under the Common Agricultural Policy is currently a devolved issue admin- istered separately by England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Since UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s government has already committed that Brexit will not result in any removal or weakening of devolved powers, the potential development of four separate strands of agricultural policy across the UK simply adds to the layers of complexity and uncertainty involved. But whatever the future holds, there can be no doubt that farmers throughout the UK will need continued access to the benefits of improved crop varieties, tailored to UK conditions, to maintain the agri-food sector’s competitiveness, resilience and sustainability on an increasingly global stage. Working to promote a vibrant and innovative plant breed- ing industry in the UK is the British Society of Plant Breeders (BSPB) overriding objective, and since the EU referendum vote BREXIT PRIORITIES FOR THE UK PLANT BREEDING AND SEEDS SECTOR THE VIEWPOINT FROM THE BRITISH SOCIETY OF PLANT BREEDERS. BY: DR PENNY MAPLESTONE 10 I EUROPEAN SEED I EUROPEAN-SEED.COM