Monthly Archives: July 2025

From farm to fork: An ambitious food strategy published by Defra

The government has published its food strategy, setting out a vision for a healthier, more affordable, sustainable and resilient food system. It is ambitious in scope and designed to reconcile often competing objectives from farm to fork.

The food strategy identifies three interlocking dynamics of the UK food system: i) a junk food cycle driven by our appetite for highly processed, energy dense foods and the strong commercial incentives this creates to produce foods high in sugar and fat, ii) the invisible cost to nature which fails to reward sustainable and environmentally friendly food production, and iii) a resilience gap that means the UK is highly exposed to multiple and increasing risks, such as climate change.

The next step for ministers and officials is to develop an implementation plan, as well as metrics and indicators to measure progress towards achieving the strategy’s ten priority outcomes. This will take time and require ministers to engage with industry and business to ensure the government’s transition to a ‘good food cycle’ is achievable. It will also need to align with forthcoming strategies in Defra’s to-do list to deliver real, joined-up change across the entire food system. To name a few – the Land-Use Framework, the Food and Farming Decarbonisation Plan, the Farming Roadmap and Farming Profitability Review, and the Circular Economy Strategy.

What does the food strategy mean for agri-tech?

There is a huge opportunity for businesses in the space to engage with government off the back of the publication of the food strategy. Ministers clearly see innovation as critical to resolving system challenges in everything from public health to food security. Agri-tech businesses should take note: the government is not only signalling interest but actively investing in solutions that can deliver measurable impact.

To maximise this opportunity, businesses should look to demonstrate how they can support the government in achieving the food strategy’s core objectives – boosting productivity, enhancing resilience and delivery environmental sustainability. Collaborating with early adopters to demonstrate real-world use cases can help build a compelling evidence base that convinces policymakers of a solution’s viability and impact. Engaging with policymakers means staying ahead of regulatory change and shaping policy and market reforms to establish pathways to commercialisation.

Agri-tech may well represent the silver bullet policymakers are searching for but unless the sector speaks up and showcases its impact, those solutions risk going unnoticed.

Sky’s the limit: Why agri-tech should engage on drone law reform

Drones and autonomous flight technologies are set to revolutionise how we travel, deliver goods and produce food, and the government has taken note. As part of a comprehensive three-year review into the regulatory framework of autonomous flight and the use of drones, the Law Commission has launched a second consultation. Its three-year review is nearing completion with recommendations expected to be published by early 2026 and will shape how this fast-moving sector evolves. For innovators in agri-tech and beyond, the opportunity to help design the rules that will govern a sky filled with commercial drones is now.

Flying free from EU constraints

Legislative agility to facilitate innovation is the ambition and ties into the government’s wider economic growth agenda. Aviation law in the UK is prescriptive and duly geared towards the passenger aviation sector. With the UK no longer bound by EU aviation rules, policymakers can now craft a more bespoke, agile regulatory environment that encourages experimentation, accelerates innovation and attracts investment.

However, the government has identified a possible post-Brexit dividend as the current regulatory regime is largely a carryover from current EU law. This presents a unique opportunity to break away from legacy constraints and design a tailored regime for UK-specific innovations and ambitions. A more flexible regime could fast-track the safe deployment of cutting-edge drone technology and give UK-based companies a first-mover advantage, enabling them to export innovations globally.

Drones on farms: Unlocking agri-tech potential

Commercial applications of drone technology are wide ranging. For the food and agriculture sectors alone, drones could revolutionise farming operations:

  • Precision agriculture from monitoring crops based on thermal sensors to scanning fields and accurately predicting crop yields.
  • Agricultural sprays deploying pesticides, fertilizers and herbicides thereby reducing labour costs, use of chemicals and their environmental impacts, and identifying diseases or pests to prevent wider outbreaks.
  • Irrigation management by identifying drainage issues to drought stressed areas and enabling the more efficient use of water and real-time crop water requirements.
  • Crop insurance and assessment by providing accurate, unbiased and detailed imagery required by insurers to speed up claims processes.
  • Harvesting assistance by providing crop maturity assessments to more effectively plan harvesting schedules and boosting the quality of crop yields.
  • Forestry and orchard management by measuring canopy growth, quantifying tree populations and aiding pruning schedules.

The economic case for drone-powered agriculture

There are many economic benefits – from reduced labour and input costs through more precise allocation of resources, to increasing crop yields via data driven decision making. Lower chemical and water usage not only cuts costs but also supports environmental sustainability. For businesses able to make the capital investment, drone technology is set to become a core component of modern agricultural management, policymakers should be engaged on this.

Government support signals lift-off

There is clear momentum in government to embrace drone technologies. The aviation minister has confirmed £20 million in funding for new flight technologies, including £5m earmarked for the Future of Flight Challenge. These initiatives could create government-backed testbeds for agri-tech solutions and help de-risk businesses ready for investment. For innovators in the sector, this is a moment to engage directly with policymakers, to shape the regulatory framework and unlock the commercial potential of drone led farming. The Law Commission’s second consultation is open until 18 July 2025, and alongside a wider engagement programme, this is a key opportunity to have your voice heard and set the direction of travel for the sector.

Food standards or economic growth? A very British trade-off

Recent months have been busy for Prime Minister Keir Starmer, having secured trade agreements with the EU, USA and India which promise to rewrite the future of the food and agriculture sectors. With these agreements having largely been welcomed by the UK food industry, attentions will now turn to ensuring the UK remains firm in a turbulent geopolitical environment to uphold future protection of UK food production.

UK-US

Among the most headline-worthy agreements is the revised trade policy for the beef and bioethanol sectors between the USA and UK. The Prime Minister allayed tariff concerns and secured reciprocal access to US beef markets, permitting British farmers to export up to 13,000 metric tonnes of beef per year. In return, the 20% tariff on US beef imports has been removed, as have tariffs on US ethanol and bioethanol.

The government has assured the food industry that closer ties to the US market will not be to the detriment of UK food standards. Concerns over chlorinated or hormone-treated meat, which is legal in the US but banned in the UK, have frequently been raised by British farmers and consumers. Defra secretary, Steve Reed, clarified that British standards will be upheld and agricultural food imports must still adhere to UK standards. The UK has previously come under pressure from the USA to dilute these standards.

While the UK appears firm in its resolve this time around, some in the sector are concerned that competition with cheaper and lower quality international products might push British farmers out of the market and force the government to revise its standards. The National Farmer’s Union has expressed concern that US beef might undercut British beef as it is often cheaper, making it an attractive product to hospitality and catering groups but putting British meat at risk. The food sector should be vocal about holding the government to account on food safety and standards, and promoting British products, in order to insulate the sector from potential risks.

While the agreement presents a series of opportunities for British farmers to capitalise from profitable US beef markets, the industry must closely monitor the UK’s dedication to strict food standards.

UK-India

The UK has signalled its interest in forging closer economic ties with India, with the IMF predicting it to be the third largest economy by 2030. The UK-India Free Trade Agreement commits India to reduce tariffs on 90% of UK exports, with the UK in return scrapping tariffs on 99% of Indian exports. Similarly to the US agreement, it is hoped that this will reap long-term benefits for British farmers.

Lamb exports to India, which had previously been subject to a 33% import duty will now face no cost, increasing British competition in Indian markets. Other UK goods including chocolate, salmon and cod will also be tariff free, and alcohol including whisky and gin will see their tariffs halved to 75%.

Following the deal, the government has confirmed that British food standards will be upheld. However, Indian use of pesticides has been raised by farming and environmental groups who have suggested this could cause risk to UK consumers. The Pesticide Action Network has labelled the deal a ‘toxic trade’, given the higher number of highly hazardous pesticides that India permits on its produce. As concerns have been mounting following both the India and USA agreement, businesses operating in the food and farming sector should consider how they best communicate their concerns to government.

UK-EU

Rounding off a busy month of trade negotiations was the agreement with the EU. A natural ally on the importance of high food standards, the EU deal was a slightly simpler process given there was no pressure to dilute the UK’s position on food and welfare standards. The deal removes some routine checks on animal and plant products, easing the flow. Additionally, the deal enables raw meat including burgers and sausages to be sold back to the EU for the first time following Brexit under new sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreements.

While the trio of trade agreements will significantly broaden opportunities for British farmers and help boost UK competition, many fear they will ultimately dilute the government’s commitment to food and welfare standards. The government has signalled that it is not willing to jeopardise its commitment to health and food standards – yet. However, food and farming businesses must remain alert to the threat that cheaper overseas products can have on British markets and the potential for costs to be saved through lower food safety regulations.

Despite the government’s commitment to “Back British” produce so that 50% of food supplied in catering contracts comes from British farms, it is essential that Defra is held to account on this. Keeping on top of government policy and actively communicating the importance of food standards to policymakers will be key to protecting British food.

The case for agri-tech in public health

The public health problem: Over one in four adults are obese, with an additional 36% classified as overweight in England. The prevalence of obesity has been steadily rising since 1993, with little evidence to suggest this trend is slowing. This is not solely an adult issue. The sharpest increases in obesity have recently been observed among children. Currently, 15% of children aged 2 to 15 are obese, and a further 27% are overweight. Projections from the Royal Society of Public Health suggest the situation will get worse. 39% of children are expected to be obese or overweight by 2029–30, rising to 41% by 2034–35.

The cost: The government estimates that obesity is costing the NHS £11.4bn a year and is the root cause of diabetes and heart disease and the second biggest preventable cause of cancer after tobacco smoking. Less conservative estimates that account for wider consequences suggest that poor diets cost the UK £126bn a year. There is a strong rationale for public health intervention and the Labour government is demonstrating a willingness to intervene. One of health secretary Wes Streeting’s big three healthcare shifts set out in this week’s NHS 10 Year Plan is a shift from treatment to prevention, and for public health this means intervention.

Government action: Trailing the publication of the NHS 10 Year Plan alongside an obesity strategy, the government has announced a new standard for food retailers to make the average shopping backet of goods healthier. Big food businesses will be required to report on healthy food sales and will be overseen by the Food Strategy Advisory Board. This builds on a government consultation launched in May on plans to tighten the sugar levy by reducing the minimum sugar content level from 5g to 4g and remove the exemption for milk-based drinks. This signals a clear appetite within government for more interventionist policies. Such an approach will undoubtedly incur backlash from anti-nanny state politicos and big industry actors. However, it also creates an opportunity for innovators.

Agri-tech innovators: A contested political environment driven by a firmer stance on obesity and healthy foods by ministers, creates a window for pragmatic, science-driven solutions. Crop biofortification to increase the nutritional profile of foods. Precision fermentation to produce low-fat dairy and bioactive compounds. Modified starches with a lower glycaemic index. The agri-tech sector is well-placed to engage and support the government to achieving public health outcomes. Junk food advertisement bans might grab the political headlines, but ministers will need solutions that measurably change health outcomes and improve the health of the nation.

What next: The NHS 10 Year Plan and the obesity strategy will feed into Defra’s set piece item due for publication later this year: the national food strategy. Broadening access to healthy foods dominates the political discourse around this food strategy. Improving public health and tackling obesity have shot up the political agenda and joining this up with food and farming policy is the key to successfully achieving these policy aims. Aligning with the government’s thinking and offering solutions to public health priorities will strengthen the agri-tech sector’s positions to shape policy and work alongside ministers and policymakers.