Precision breeding companies use genomic data and targeted biological technologies to develop improved traits in crops, livestock and other agricultural organisms. These approaches can accelerate breeding programmes and support more productive, resilient and sustainable food systems.
This category includes companies working on:
Browse 22 UK precision breeding companies below.
World's oldest agricultural research institute studying sustainable farming systems
Rothamsted Research is an agricultural research institute studying crops, soils and sustainable farming systems from gene to field. The institute's work spans crop genetics, gene editing, entomology and agri environmental science, supported by bioscience techniques including proteomics, metabolomics and automated…
Synthetic chromosome engineering for crop plants
Syntato is a plant biotechnology company applying synthetic biology to design and build plant chromosomes. The company aims to make chromosomes modular and reusable so that adaptive traits can be added as single units while the native genome is preserved. It combines synthetic biology, automation and protein design,…
Aquaculture genetics services and genomic selective breeding programmes
Xelect is a Scottish genetic services company providing selective breeding programme management and genomic analysis for aquaculture producers worldwide. The company manages over 30 active programmes across 16 species, including salmon, trout, shrimp, sea bass, and tilapia, combining high-throughput SNP genotyping…
Global crop protection, seed and digital agriculture solutions provider
Corteva Agriscience UK is the British operating subsidiary of Corteva, Inc., a global agriculture company formed from the DuPont Pioneer, Dow AgroSciences and DuPont Crop Protection businesses. The company supplies Pioneer and Brevant seed varieties, crop protection products including herbicides, insecticides and…
BBSRC-funded national institute for animal biosciences research
The Roslin Institute is a BBSRC-funded national institute for animal biosciences research, part of the University of Edinburgh's Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies. Research is organised around three challenge areas: sustainable farmed animal production, infectious disease detection and prevention, and…
Gene editing platform for disease-resistant, climate-resilient tropical crops
Tropic Biosciences is an agricultural biotechnology company developing gene-edited varieties of tropical crops, including banana, coffee, and rice, with a focus on disease resistance, climate resilience, and yield improvement. Its proprietary platform combines gene editing with RNA interference to redirect a plant's…
Quantitative genetics and agricultural breeding decision-support
AbacusBio is a science-led agricultural genetics and analytics consultancy supporting breeding programmes for livestock, crops and aquaculture. Its teams combine quantitative genetics, genomic evaluation, production economics and data science to improve selection decisions and forecast breeding outcomes. The company…
Genetically engineered insects for sustainable pest and disease vector control
Flyttr is an Oxfordshire-based biotechnology company developing biological solutions for sustainable pest management. Its core technology uses genetically engineered insects carrying a self-limiting gene to suppress populations of disease-transmitting and crop-damaging pests without chemicals or harm to non-target…
Aquaculture selective breeding, genomics and genotyping services
Benchmark Genetics is an aquaculture biotechnology company developing improved farmed fish and shellfish stocks through selective breeding and genomics. It supplies genetically selected Atlantic salmon eggs and shrimp genetics and provides genotyping, breeding programme design, genomic selection and genetics services…
Selective breeding of Black Soldier Fly for insect farming
Beta Bugs is an insect genetics company that develops and supplies genetically selected Black Soldier Fly breeds to insect farmers. Using multi-trait selective breeding and genomic selection tools developed in collaboration with the Roslin Institute, the company produces improved strains designed to increase larval…
Global crop protection and seeds R&D and manufacturing hub
Syngenta is an agricultural science company developing crop protection products and seeds for farmers worldwide. Its UK operations include Jealott's Hill, the company's largest crop protection research centre globally, employing over 1,000 people in discovery chemistry, formulation science and seeds research. Syngenta…
AI-guided CRISPR platform developing precision-bred crop varieties
Phytoform Labs is a plant biotechnology company combining artificial intelligence and CRISPR-Cas gene editing to accelerate the development of novel crop traits. Its platform models sequence-to-function relationships across plant genomes to predict beneficial DNA variants, which are implemented as transgene-free…
International centre of excellence in plant science and microbiology
The John Innes Centre is a research institute conducting fundamental, strategic and applied research in plant science and microbiology. The centre studies plant and microbial genetics, genomics and cell biology, applying techniques including CRISPR gene editing to improve crop resilience and food security. It trains…
Interdisciplinary research institute for land, crops and natural resources
The James Hutton Institute is a research institute studying land, crops, water and natural resources. Its work spans crop science, soils, land use and environmental research, combining natural and socio economic sciences. The institute addresses food security, biodiversity and climate change, and operates major…
Gene editing platform restoring disease resistance in crop species
Resurrect Bio is a plant biotechnology company developing disease-resistant crops through a proprietary gene editing platform. Using computational biology and high-throughput plant screening, the company identifies and restores native resistance genes that have been suppressed by pathogens or lost through selective…
Graph AI platform for crop gene target discovery and precision breeding
Biographica is a London agbiotech developing a graph machine learning platform to identify and validate gene editing targets for crop improvement. The platform integrates genomic, transcriptomic, and scientific literature data within knowledge graphs, combining in silico modelling with in vivo validation at Rothamsted…
Institute researching molecular plant microbe interactions and disease resistance
The Sainsbury Laboratory is a research institute studying molecular plant microbe interactions to improve plant health and reduce crop losses. The Laboratory investigates innate immune recognition in plants and the engineering of novel immune receptors in crops. Its work includes developing genome editing tools to…
AI-driven platform engineering better crop varieties
Wild Bioscience is an agricultural biotechnology company developing next-generation crop varieties using a platform that combines evolutionary biology with machine learning. By mining genetic variation in wild plant relatives, the company identifies and designs gene edits targeting traits including nitrogen use…
Gene-edited crop traits for yield under climate stress
ALORA is an agricultural biotechnology company developing gene-edited crop traits that redirect plant energy from stress defence to yield. Using multiplex gene editing, the company targets regulatory pathways controlling how plants respond to heat, salinity, and drought, aiming to increase productivity across growing…
Animal genetics company applying genomics and gene editing to livestock
Genus plc specialises in the genetic improvement of livestock through genomic selection and gene editing. Its commercial divisions supply semen and embryos from elite cattle and genetically superior breeding pigs to producers globally. Its R&D programme applies CRISPR-based precision breeding to improve disease…