Wild Bio takes on Big Seed with acquisition of UK wheat breeder

Wild Bioscience, an Oxford spinout, has acquired independent breeder F1 Seed to create Britain’s first independent precision-breeding wheat business, integrating gene editing, artificial intelligence, and commercial breeding. This move aims to address longstanding challenges in agricultural biotechnology by enabling the company to discover, develop, and market new wheat varieties without relying on multinational seed companies, broadening the UK’s narrow wheat gene pool and improving disease and climate resilience. The acquisition leverages recent UK legislation supporting precision breeding and is seen as a significant step for domestic innovation in a sector facing stagnant yields and increasing climate pressures.