To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will provide an update on how they are supporting farmers to adapt to new technologies to improve efficiency of agri-tech businesses.
Answered on
6 December 2022
In October last year, Defra launched the £270 million Farming Innovation Programme that is enabling more farmers, growers, and agri-food businesses to become involved in agricultural and horticultural R&D. This will drive new innovation and accelerate the adoption of new technologies on farms, including by supporting farmers to run their own on farm trials to test new technologies and demonstrate their value to other farmers. In November last year, Defra also launched the Farming Investment Fund which to date will provide over £98 million worth of funding for farmers to invest in their businesses. This provides funding to farmers to invest in the latest technology such as automation and robotics and equipment to enable them to process, diversify and add value to their eligible agricultural products after they are harvested or reared. This will, in turn, help drive new technologies from agri-tech businesses.