Agri-tech cannot operate in a Research and Development silo

Government publishes the highly anticipated farming profitability review

18 months since the election of the Labour government and only now are the food and farming industries getting some sense of direction and strategy from policymakers.

Baroness Batters’ Farming Profitability Review was published just before the Christmas parliamentary recess when MPs return to their constituency for the festive period. The review details the ‘what’ – what needs to be done to make farming profitable again. Cue Baroness Batters’ principal recommendation, a New Deal for Profitable Farming that recognises the true cost of producing food and delivering for the environment.

The verdict is stark. Previous governments have been too relaxed about UK food security since the financial crisis. The farming budget has never increased with inflation as Defra’s £2.4bn figure for farming hasn’t really changed since 2007. The only remaining primary manufacturing sector that exists in every county across the country has been neglected.

Batters’ makes a grand total of 57 recommendations that covers regulations, energy and connectivity, to tax incentives, grants and investment. It is a long-list and if Baroness Batters details the ‘what’, farming minister Angela Eagle will now be leading on the ‘strategy’. The upcoming publication of the Farming Roadmap, a 25-year vision for the farming sector, will form the cornerstone of the government’s response to the farming profitability review.

What does this mean for agri-tech?

One of the six overarching themes to make farming profitable again is ‘raising levels of productivity and incentivising resilience’. To achieve this, Baroness Batters singles out giving farmer and growers access to the latest technology. She recommends a joint partnership between Defra and the industry through a ‘Great British Farm Advisory Board’, to bring advice and technical expertise under one roof.

There is considerable excitement about technological and scientific developments in UK agriculture. However, Baroness Batter sheds light on how too much funding is being directed at universities and on research that does not align with business needs or delivers practical on-farm applications. In turn, smaller businesses are being left behind that do not have the back-office staff to support the take-up of tech-savvy solutions.

The implicit message to agri-tech innovators is to engage with policymaking and farming businesses to drive adoption and improve access to technology. She notes that farmers face a complex landscape of technical advice and support which can be expensive and ‘has often been a blocker to accessing schemes or grant funding’.

If the government address this concern, accept and implement Baroness Batters’ recommendations in full, agri-tech businesses should look to engage a new ‘Sustainable Farm Service’. This entity is expected to consolidate the duplicative work that exists across several entities in government and across the industry. A Sustainable Farm Services would serve as a ‘one-stop-shop’ dashboard for business advice, schemes, grants, knowledge exchange and support. Agri-tech innovators should engage with Defra officials to help take this recommendation forward and ensure that tech-savvy solutions are at the forefront of driving productivity gains and improving farming resilience.

To discuss the Baroness Batters review and how GK can support your organisation, please reach out to James at james.allan@gkstrategy.com

• : *I have permission from the copyright holder to publish this content and images.