Warwick’s UK Vegetable Genebank deposits seeds in secret Arctic ‘Doomsday’ vault
286 samples of staple British crops from The University of Warwick’s UK Vegetable Genebank have been deposited into the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.
The University of Warwick’s UK Vegetable Genebank is home to around 14,000 samples of largely root and leafy vegetable seeds. The facility is a treasure trove for plant breeders and researchers who are using cutting-edge technology to develop more sustainable and resilient vegetable crops.
In this latest deposit, 286 samples represent crop genetic diversity in 16 types of staple British crops such as carrots, cauliflower, lettuce, broccoli and parsnips. The samples, originating from 37 different countries, have been handed over by The Foreign Secretary David Lammy to Svalbard Global Seed Vault coordinator Åsmund Asdal.
The seeds are stored there in case national collections should be lost due to natural disaster or conflict and this vital contribution will help futureproof some of the UK’s favourite vegetables for generations to come.
Dr Charlotte Allender, Head of the UK Vegetable Genebank at The University of Warwick said: “Conservation of crop genetic diversity is a vital activity to support a food secure future. We are delighted to continue the process of safeguarding the seed collections we manage at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, ensuring their ongoing availability into the future.”
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is the ultimate insurance policy for crops that make up 80% of the world’s food supply. It contains a unique genetic heritage of over 1.3 million unique varieties of the most important food crops (600 million individual seeds in total) developed by farmers and crop breeders over millennia.
The UK’s contribution to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault is part of efforts to accelerate preparation for and adaptation to the consequences of climate change and biodiversity loss alongside global partners.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: “The climate and nature crisis is putting the natural world and our security at risk- from the food that we eat, to the air that we breathe. We must improve the health of our planet to guarantee stability for future generations.
“As part of our Plan for Change, we are cutting the UK’s emissions by making Britain a clean energy superpower and by storing duplicates of well-loved British vegetables in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, we are preserving the genetic diversity of Britain’s crops, as well as our food security.
“The innovative research done globally is creating stronger crops that can withstand climate change, pests and disease.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault Image - Credit: Michael Major for Crop Trust
About the UK Vegetable Genebank
The UK Vegetable Genebank (UKVGB) at The University of Warwick is supported by the UK Government and works to conserve genetic diversity in vegetable crops.
Vegetable crops are vital to diets that are both healthy and environmentally sustainable. Plant breeders need access to new sources of genetic variation to develop varieties that are able to meet present and future challenges.
The UKVGB collections contain approximately 14,000 samples of vegetable crop seed. This enables plant breeders and researchers to access the widest range of diversity possible.
About the Svalbard Global Seed Vault
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault was inaugurated in February 2008 as a secure backup facility for the world's crop diversity on the Svalbard archipelago of Norway. As of February 2025 it has received seed samples from 123 genebanks in 85 countries around the world. The Seed Vault is owned by Norway and managed in partnership by the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the regional gene bank NordGen and the Crop Trust. The UK funds the Crop Trust to protect this priceless genetic heritage and to help secure future food supplies.
About CGIAR
Through the international research organisation, CGIAR, and the World Vegetable Centre, the UK invests in the development of new crop varieties that are more productive, and resilient and UK government (Defra) supports three national genebanks.
About DEFRA’s Food Security Report
The Department for Rural Affairs’ (Defra) 2024 UK Food Security Report showed that geopolitical and climate volatility have weakened aspects of UK’s food supply stability since 2021 and put global production levels at risk. However, there is continued resilience in food production and the global trading system.