Tag Archives: Agri-tech

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.

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.

Labour’s new era for agriculture: Can political stability drive agri-tech innovation?

GK Senior Adviser James Allan analyses the government’s agriculture policy plans and the opportunities that could arise for investors.

With the Labour government now in power, some may wonder if the food, farming and agriculture sectors are about to see a major shift – a shift from being an important constituent of the then Conservative administration of 14 years to lower down the political list of priorities within Labour’s “mission led” government.

The Autumn Budget on 30 October will partly address this concern and end the speculation about potential changes to agriculture property relief and Defra’s agricultural budget. But with a Party of a different political hue now occupying the corridors of power, it’s worth considering whether Labour’s pro-growth messaging of “political stability” to attract private sector investment extends to the food, farming and agriculture (FFA) sectors, and if so, to what extent.

Why Labour must harvest more than just political stability

To attract private investment, ‘political stability’ alone is not sufficient – it needs to be backed up by policy substance and public investment, and with long-term strategic thinking. From aquaculture to viticulture, solar farms to biodiversity, food pricing and standards to foods high in fat, salt and sugar, there are many agendas and issues at play. These will all be playing out against a political backdrop with a renewed sense of momentum, a government with a greater willingness to intervene in the name of public health, an entire mission focused on decarbonisation, and a tight fiscal environment impacting the potential for significant public investment.

The first 100 days for the new government have proved that governing isn’t easy. Political pinch points and missteps aside, a common thread in the criticisms levelled against Labour ministers has been the absence of a defining vision for the sector to provide the framework for policy thinking and development; not least for food security which is set to become one of the defining political issues of the parliament. Without this overarching vision for the sector, the ability for businesses to plan their own investment and growth strategies becomes much more difficult and limits the ability of government to ‘crowd in’ private capital to drive growth.

The sowing of early seeds positive for UK investors

There are a few positive and recent developments of note. First, the Farming Minister, Daniel Zeichner, has confirmed the government’s intention to introduce secondary legislation which will bring to reality the regulatory regime of the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023.[1] This will help to simplify the authorisation process for bringing new products to market from 1o years to an estimated 12 months.[2] Investors should note the government’s familiar caveat of “as soon as parliamentary time allows” which means the introduction of secondary legislation is unlikely to be imminent and will compete with an already packed legislative calendar. Speeding up routes to market will be welcomed by investors backing early-stage or growth-stage companies involved in gene editing, crop efficiency technologies, or those innovating in climate-resistant crop varieties. The streamlined regulatory environment lowers barriers, creating the potential for significant returns more quickly. Zeichner has also confirmed 43,000 Seasonal Worker visas for the horticulture sector and 2,000 for the poultry sector for 2025. Accompanied by a few additional measures to simplify free-range labelling requirements, this signals that the Defra ministerial team is actively listening to the sector and willing to flex policy to meet operational challenges and remove barriers to growth.[3]

Secondly, the government has secured access to the US market for British beetroot farmers, boosting export opportunities and attributed to the efforts of DEFRA’s agri-food attaché in the US.[4] This establishes an interesting precedent for securing market access outside of more formal and comprehensive free trade agreements, and creates attractive investment opportunities in companies that produce export-ready, high-quality British agricultural goods. Crucially, produce by produce access deals averts the political tightrope of negotiating comprehensive trade deals, not least one with the US which has long been the envy of previous Conservative Prime Ministers. For investors and argi-businesses on the lookout for export opportunities, engaging with DEFRA’s eleven attaches located in British embassies and consulates in Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Kenya, The Gulf, India, Japan, China, Thailand and Vietnam will be important to replicate this success.

Thirdly, there is recognition in government of the long and fraught dissatisfaction among farmers concerning the future viability of the agricultural sector.[5] The Labour ministerial team perceives a lack of confidence among farmers as the rationale for needing to optimise Environmental Land Management schemes as part of a wider new deal for farmers. The precise details of this new deal have yet to be clarified but the government has signalled a focus on:

Trade deals undercutting low welfare and low standards
Maximising public sector purchasing power to back British produce
A land-use framework to balance nature recovery and long-term food security

A latter focus on food security will be important for investors seeking opportunities which align with Labour’s aim to make the UK more self-reliant in the food and energy sectors, but especially where technological innovation contributes to more efficient and resilient farming processes and produce. Defending their record in government and playing in safe political territory, this was a focus of a recent opposition day debate in Parliament where several Conservative MPs made the case for greater public investment in new farming technologies to safeguard the nation’s food supply.[6] However, as noted by DEFRA Secretary, Steve Reed, the government’s ability to do so is up for consideration in the upcoming Budget and next year’s Spending Review and therefore competes with other public spending priorities.

A wet start for the farming sector

This year’s harvest of the five key crops – wheat, winter and spring barley, oats and oilseed rape – saw a decrease of 15% compared to the 2023 harvest with an estimated loss of £600m in revenue for English farmers due to considerable wet weather.[7] The impact has extended beyond these core crops with a south Devonshire winemaker reporting a 70% decrease in expected volumes compared to 2023 and another winemaker noting heightened disease pressures due to constant rain. For the British viticulture industry, the wet weather year of 2024 follows a boom in capital investment and overseas wine producers buying into the UK as a hedge against climate change. Rural and farming communities might not be this government’s traditional supporter base but neglecting the sector – with its sub-sector growth gems like viticulture – risks undermining long-term food security and economic growth not just farmers but the broader economy and consumers alike.

[1] DEFRA, New legislation to support precision breeding and boost Britain’s food security (Sept-23 link)

[2] DEFRA, Impact Assessment – Impact Assessment – Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill (Mar-22 link)

[3] DEFRA, Government provides certainty to horticulture and poultry businesses (Oct-24 link)

[4] DEFRA, British beetroot growers to put down roots in US market (Sept-24 link)

[5] DEFRA, Government to restore stability for farmers as confidence amongst sector low (Aug-24 link)

[6] House of Commons, Opposition day debate on farming and food security (Oct-24 link)

[7] Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit, England has second worst harvest on record with fears mounting for 2025 (Oct-24 link)