Farming minister Daniel Zeichner has announced Government investment of more than £45 million to help develop ‘groundbreaking technologies’ to boost Britain’s food security.
From 28 April, applications will open for the new Accelerating Development of Practices and Technologies (ADOPT) competition, which will commit up to £20.6 million of funding in 25/26. This grant will support farmers looking to test new technologies on their own farms and bridge the gap between innovation and real-world application.
Farmers can access tailored advice and apply for a £2,500 support grant at the ADOPT Support Hub to help them through the application and trial process.
From May 5, two further competitions will open under the Farming Innovation Programme (FIP):
- £12.5m is available to support collaborative research into ways to reduce on-farm emissions, helping farms to become more sustainable and climate-resilient.
- A second £12.5 million competition will fund R&D using precision-bred crops to improve yield, reduce chemical inputs and enhance disease resistance, aiming to build on the new opportunities enabled by the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023.
FIP, Defra’s flagship innovation programme, is delivered by Innovate UK, as part of UKRI, and forms part of the government’s wider commitment to food production and security, farm productivity and nature.
Defra said the grants will support the development of wide-range projects, from early-stage concepts to on-farm trials, and products to help a large number of farmers. The aim is to bring cutting-edge technologies into real-world use with a particular focus on reducing on-farm emissions.
Mr Zeichner said: “This government is serious about delivering its Plan for Change. That is why I’m delighted to see money getting out the door to British farmers. This £45m will support them with technology to boost food production, profits and the rural economy.”
Since launch, the Farming Innovation Programme has funded over 290 projects, with £150 million awarded and £54 million in private investment leveraged. Previous grants have been awarded to projects such as:
- Hoofcount, a cutting-edge AI system which detects early signs of lameness in cattle which has been funded from the development stage to now being commercially available, helping farmers to reduce vet bills, improve cattle health and welfare, and improve productivity.
- A Platform to Rate Organisms Bred for Improved Traits and Yield (PROBITY), led by the British on Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN), brings farmers, scientists and food manufacturers together to trial precision-bred crops to improve on-farm sustainability.
- BugIoT, a detection system to help farmers manage pests without additional labour, or pesticides by developing a detection system that distinguishes and counts insect species.
- PollenProtect, a sensor technology system to capture population data about pollinators in the field and use AI enabled simulation to create land strategies to improve the productivity, resilience and sustainability of crops.