Sustainable production and management of biological resources from land, forest, and aquatic environments

• Enabling research on the key long-term drivers of sustainable production and management of biological resources (micro-organisms, plants and animals) including the exploitation of biodiversity and of novel bio-active molecules within these biological systems. Research will include 'omics' technologies, such as genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and converging technologies, and their integration within systems biology approaches, as well as the identifying varieties within species groups.

• Increased sustainability and competitiveness, while safeguarding consumer health, decreasing environmental impacts, and taking account of climate change, in agriculture, horticulture, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture through the development of new technologies, equipment, monitoring systems, novel plants and production systems, crop management through selected plant breeding, plant health and optimised production systems, the improvement of the scientific and technical basis of fisheries management, and a better understanding of the interaction between different systems (agriculture and forestry; fisheries and aquaculture) across a whole ecosystem approach. Research into maintenance of autochthonous ecosystems, development of bio-control agents, and micro-biological dimension of biodiversity and metagenomics will be undertaken.

• For land-based biological resources, special emphasis will be placed on low input (e.g. pesticides and fertilisers), and organic production systems, improved management of resources and novel food and feeds, and novel plants (crops and trees) with respect to their composition, resistance to stress, ecological effect, nutrient and water use efficiency, and architecture. This will be supported through research into bio-safety, co-existence and traceability of novel plants systems and products, and monitoring and assessment of impact of genetically modified crops on environment and human health as well as the possibility of their broader benefit for society.

• Plant health and crop protection will be improved through better understanding of ecology, biology of pests, diseases, weeds and other threats of phytosanitary relevance and support to controlling disease outbreaks and enhancing sustainable pest and weed management tools and techniques. Improved methods will be developed for monitoring, preservation and enhancement of soil fertility.

• For biological resources from aquatic environments, emphasis will be placed on essential biological functions, safe and environmentally friendly production systems and feeds of cultured species and on fisheries biology, dynamics of mixed fisheries, interactions between fisheries activities and the marine ecosystem and on fleetbased, regional and multiannual management systems.

• Optimised animal health, production and welfare, across agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture, inter alia, through:
  • the exploitation of genetic knowledge, new breeding methods, improved understanding of animal physiology and behaviour; and
  • the better understanding and control of pests, parasites and infectious animal diseases and other threats to the sustainability and security of food production, including zoonoses.

The latter will also be addressed by developing tools for monitoring, prevention and control, by underpinning and applied research on vaccines and diagnostics, studying the ecology of known or emerging infectious agents and other threats, including malicious acts, and impacts of different farming systems and climate.
New knowledge for the safe disposal of animal waste and improved management of by-products will also be developed.

Providing the tools needed by policymakers and other actors to support the implementation of relevant strategies, policies and legislation and in particular to support the building of the European Knowledge Based Bio-Economy (KBBE) and the needs of rural and coastal development. The common fisheries policy will be supported through the development of adaptive approaches supportive to a whole ecosystem approach for the harvesting of marine resources. Research for all policies, including the common agricultural policy, will include socioeconomic studies and cost-benefit analysis, comparative investigations of different farming systems including multifunctional ones, costeffective fisheries management systems, the rearing of non-food animals, interactions with forestry and studies to improve rural and coastal livelihoods.