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The privatisation of Britain’s wheat-breeding programme under Thatcher means we now trail other countries’ productivity when we used to be world-leading, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and JOEL HELLEWELL

IN BRITAIN, there is no better way to understand the place of scientific endeavour in food production than by looking at the breeding of wheat. 

Wheat is grown on more of the world’s surface than any other crop, due to its versatility. 

Given the high density of wheat growing in Britain, we may not be surprised at a former Tory prime minister’s famously destructive childhood pastime. 

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