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New government research shows that one in four people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are food insecure – the highest level since tracking began in 2020. FSA’s flagship survey shows food insecurity continues to rise | Food Standards Agency But what might this mean for consumer behaviour and the impact on food and agri businesses in this sector?
The latest wave of the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) Food and You 2 survey, conducted between October 2022 and January 2023, revealed that levels of food insecurity reached 25%, an increase from 16% when the first wave of the study was conducted between July and October 2020.
In simple terms, food insecurity means having limited or uncertain access to adequate food.
For the first time, the survey asked people to specify what changes they were making to their eating habits for financial reasons.
The findings show that 80% of respondents reported that they had made changes to their eating habits for financial reasons in the previous 12 months.
The most common changes related to what and where respondents ate, with 46% eating out less; shopping habits, with 42% of people buying items on special offer more; and food preparation, with 29% of people preparing food that could be kept as leftovers more often.
This is likely to cause concern for the hospitality industry that was hard hit by covid. It will also mean increased demand for special offers and basic deals on retail food products, the buy one get one free (BOGOF) aspect would also be utilised but consumers are much more aware of food waste and use by dates.
The research indicated, as expected, that food prices remain the top food-related concern for people (65%), but with food waste only slightly below this (62%), the quality of food (62%), and the amount of food packaging (56%) also featuring amongst the most common concerns when prompted.
Other key findings in the report include:
Read the research The full Wave 6 report is available F&Y2 Wave 6: Executive summary | Food Standards Agency.
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2023 is an exciting year for SRUC; key projects are coming to fruition, bringing with them the opportunity to bring research, education and business closer together to lead the way for progress in all areas of the agriculture industry across Scotland and the North of England.
RAVIC is one of these key projects. The idea began some years ago, before the pandemic hastened the regular use of online learning, as SRUC was seeking to create a way to ensure agricultural education was available across the country. An educational hub was envisaged, which would offer regular online learning from secondary schooling, right up to degree level, and which would be situated in Inverness to provide an accessible physical institutional presence for northern rural locations.
While this function of reaching all students virtually is now an industry standard, the hub that we now call the Rural and Veterinary Innovation Centre remains primed to work towards prosperity in rural Scotland through partnerships and a unique approach to collaboration. Offering flexible, modern working, teaching, research and business spaces, RAVIC has been designed to facilitate close collaboration across all agricultural sectors.
While RAVIC was an idea only just beginning to take shape, the Northern Faculty at SRUC developed CEPH (Centre for Epidemiology and Planetary Health) from its existing epidemiology unit. This research group has been progressing key scientific studies to improve the health of livestock in both agriculture and aquaculture, investigating the health of wild animal populations, and the centre is a major focus for research excellence in disease surveillance including zoonoses (diseases which can be transmitted from animals to humans). CEPH will provide a core function for RAVIC, once the new centre is complete.
RAVIC will also work closely with another of SRUC’s key projects, the new Vet School. Headquartered at our Aberdeen Campus, the Vet School will also have facilities and functions across SRUC, including at RAVIC. The inclusion of veterinary services and specialist equipment makes RAVIC unique among innovation hubs, and offers a particularly strong benefit to farmers in the region. Furthermore, RAVIC is well placed to provide solutions to modern issues, such as climate change, which creates the need to ensure reduced carbon emissions and also find solutions to rapidly evolving animal diseases.
The construction of RAVIC is now well underway, with the building expected to open in Autumn 2023. Not only will the centre become a hub of education and research, but it is currently seeking businesses to reside within the centre.
Following a recent press release issuing a call to businesses to take up residence at RAVIC, the upcoming centre was featured in many titles, including BBC News, Farming UK and The Press & Journal.
Educators, students, research groups and businesses will coexist in this unique space to identify problems faced by the agricultural sector, to develop solutions and to swiftly make them available to agricultural businesses.
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The Processors and Growers Research Organisation (PGRO) has launched its first podcast.
The new podcast, titled ‘Inside the Pod’, will cover all topics related to the growing of pulse crops in the UK and will feature interviews and insights from PGRO’s staff members, as well as guests from across the industry.
The first episode, which is live now, covers PGRO’s vining pea open day that was held in late June in Nocton, Lincolnshire, and features Dr Chris Judge speaking about the Descriptive List trials that were held there involving vining peas. The second episode, covering PGRO’s trials with intercropping, trap cropping and lentils, is also live.
Listen to ‘Into the Pod’ on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts now.
This story has been submitted by an Agri-TechE member.
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Agriculture is facing unprecedented scrutiny for its social and environmental impacts. Many of the key choices it must make are fundamentally about ethics.
Key issues in agricultural ethics explores key ethical debates surrounding agriculture and agri-food supply chains. These include issues such as animal welfare, use of labour, the effects of new technologies and the overall impact of agriculture on the environment. It considers the ways these ethical dilemmas may be better understood and potentially resolved.
Edited by a leading researcher in the field, Key issues in agricultural ethics will be a standard reference for researchers in agriculture and environmental science, government and other private sector agencies responsible for monitoring good agricultural practice, as well as researchers involved in the social sciences with a focus on ethics.
To hear more, see here
This story has been submitted by an Agri-TechE member.
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Agri-TechE The REAP conference is Agri-TechE ’s flagship event that unites our ecosystem around a topical theme. Our biggest event of the year attracts researchers, innovators and farmers from across the UK, and beyond.
With an overall goal of enhancing the productivity, profitability, and sustainability of agriculture, REAP focuses first on the needs of farmers and the everyday challenges they face.
We are delighted to announce the 2023 sponsors for our 10th REAP Conference!
Event support
Innovate UK is one of the nine research councils within UK Research and Innovation. UKRI creates knowledge with impact by investing over £8 billion a year in research and innovation by working with Government and partnering with academia and industry to help make the impossible, possible.
With a focus on industry led innovation, Innovate UK drives productivity and economic growth by supporting businesses to develop and realise the potential of new ideas, including those from the UK’s world-class research base. We connect businesses to the partners, customers and investors that can help them turn these ideas into commercially successful products and services, and business growth. Within this, agriculture and food is a key sector within our portfolio.
As such, we are delighted to be supporting this year’s REAP conference. We recognise the valuable role Agri-TechE has in connecting key players across the sector while also debating the challenges and opportunities at this important event.
We hope you will come and meet us on our stand to discuss any ideas you may have for innovative solutions and to hear about ways in which we might be able to offer support.
Discover the Farming Innovation Programme.
View member page | ukri.org/councils/innovate-uk | @innovateuk
Sponsor of the Emerging Agri-TechE session
DIGIT Lab is a UK national research centre, accelerating digital innovation and digital transformation in Large Established Organizations (LEOs1). Our 5-year research programme has over £10M in funding from the participating universities, industry partners, and the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC).
DIGIT Lab is led by the University of Exeter, in collaboration with academics from the University of East Anglia, Oxford Brookes University, and Royal Holloway University London. We are also supported by over 20 industry partners. We have an open, coordinated approach, advancing research and supporting the acceleration of digital transformation in the UK. The project works with a broad community of academics, practitioners, and policymakers across multiple domains, delivering new research insights into digital transformation.
The team works with LEOs to reimagine them for the digital age – in ways that go beyond merely digitising current offerings. We address the core transformation challenges which accompany a digital-first approach.
DIGIT Lab takes a multidisciplinary approach; we are a team of computer scientists, designers, engineers, Internet technologists, telecommunications specialists, social scientists and business scholars. The team works with a wide variety of academics across the sectors of agritech (including animal health and animal pharma); automotive, construction; healthcare; manufacturing; professional services; transport; government and public services. For further information contact Prof. Gerard Parr – University of East Anglia g.parr@uea.ac.uk
Field sponsor
A wide range of developments in the agri-tech sector are patentable, and J A Kemp’s attorneys are experienced in obtaining strong and commercially relevant patent protection for agri-tech inventions.
We have expertise across the sector with specialists in: plant science, including transgenic technology, plant breeding and new breeding techniques (such as CRISPR gene editing); herbicide/pesticide chemistry; animal science, including gene editing and animal breeding, feeds and supplements, diagnostics and health monitoring, including AI-based systems; and agricultural engineering.
We also have specialist expertise in Plant Variety Rights. We file applications for protection with the UK and Community (EU) Plant Variety Right Offices, and advise on strategies to secure equivalent protection around the world. We also help our clients with other forms of intellectual property such as trademarks and design rights, which are routinely used to protect developments in the agri-tech sector.
Sponsor of the Networking Reception
New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) works with businesses, academia, and the public sector to drive growth and enterprise in Norfolk and Suffolk.
The Norfolk and Suffolk Agri-Food Industry Council provides strategic leadership for the region’s agri-food sector, reporting to the LEP Board and driving forward projects (around innovation, skills and inward investment) and initiatives such as working with partners in the Eastern region (including Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough).
New Anglia LEP hosts both the New Anglia Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering (NAAME) and Space East cluster networks. Both of these clusters have worked in collaboration with Agri-TechE and partners to drive innovation in the agri-food sector.
The funding for REAP 2023 has come from New Anglia LEP’s Connected Innovation programme, which connects together 25 innovation hubs, research institutes, universities, and Freeport East to focus on driving cross-sector innovation in Norfolk and Suffolk. Agri-TechE is a key area of focus for this programme working together with regional partners such as Agri-TechE and Norwich Research Park and national partners such as Innovate UK (including Catapult Network, EDGE, KTN) and Government Departments (including the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for Business and Trade).
Sponsor of the Start-Up Showcase
Rothamsted Enterprises is at the heart of agricultural research and is located on the world-renowned Rothamsted Research campus. We’re a unique hub, focused on supporting start-up agri-tech companies, and facilitate introductions with Rothamsted Research colleagues.
On site we offer collaborative laboratory and office space, access to scientific kit and services and have a large conference centre and restaurant on site that can be used by our clients. With over 30 companies based with us we are developing a vibrant community of growing agri-tech businesses.
Nicole Sadd, CEO of Rothamsted Enterprises, said:
“Our links with Agri-TechE are vital to us which is why we are so proud to be sponsoring the Start-Up Showcase at the REAP Conference. The opportunity to meet early-stage organisations at the cutting edge of the agri-tech sector is exciting and really reflects what Rothamsted Enterprises represents. As an organisation, Rothamsted Enterprises is committed to supporting innovation, collaboration and excellence in agri-tech research, particularly in the East of England and through our partners such as Agri-TechE .”
Sponsor of the Bursary
Mark Nicholas MBE, Managing Director of the RNAA, says: “The RNAA is a leading organisation in Norfolk for the promotion of and support to food production, farming and the countryside. Over 175 years we have harnessed the farming community and provided a connection with consumers through events such as the Royal Norfolk Show, the UK’s largest two-day agricultural Show, and the Norfolk Farming Conference. As a membership organisation we facilitate a community of growers, farmers, landowners and industry professionals to showcase the Agri-food sector.
“The RNAA is delighted to support the REAP Conference and the deep dive into the next phase of on-farm digital technology. We see knowledge exchange as a vital means to inform practitioners within the industry and to inspire new entrants. As a sponsor we are particularly keen to ensure that the conference is as accessible as possible to UK growers, farmers and those in full-time education in agriculture.”
Sponsor of the Farmer Breakfast
Savills was founded as a rural surveying business more than 150 years ago. Today it is a global real estate services provider listed on the London Stock Exchange with an international network of more than 600 offices and associates.
Savills offers a broad range of specialist advisory, management and transactional services to clients all over the world. True to their roots, the UK rural economy remains an integral part of their business and their rural teams are focused on the commercial needs of landowners, farmers and agricultural enterprises. In the East of England, specialist advisers based in Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Hertfordshire and Essex work together to provide innovative solutions aimed at adding value and maximising their clients’ assets.
Savills’ wide ranging expertise covers agribusiness advice to meet the changing needs of modern farming; farm and estate agency; estate management and consultancy; professional services and renewable energy projects.
Savills is deeply committed to life and business in the countryside. They identify with their clients’ objectives – Savills’ role is to help their clients achieve them however ambitious they may seem.
Agri-TechE 
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Nature-based solutions podcast series launched
Savills launches a new six part podcast series as part of the wider Savills Real Estate Insights series. The six-part series touches on: water, restoration and rewilding, biodiversity, woodlands, and regenerative agriculture; and includes guests from a wide range of organisations including WaterAid, the Tree Council and Rabobank.
The podcast is hosted by Alex Godfrey Savills joint head of natural capital and Nicky Wightman Savills director of emerging trends, and each episode takes a candid look at some of the issues we are facing, and how they might be solved.
It takes a different approach to the well-established format of the other Savills podcasts and some of the conversations may be deemed controversial. However, with the line-up of guests and topics covered we believe this series helps to position Savills at the heart of many aspects of nature-based solutions.
Each episode will be released at midnight on Wednesdays from 26th July to 30th August and you can find the episodes on Apple or Spotify or via https://www.savills.co.uk/blog/article/349769/podcasts/real-estate-insights–climate-change-is-primarily-a-water-crisis.aspx:
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The merger will secure the long-term future for Writtle University College’s campus
Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) and Writtle University College are delighted to announce a proposal to merge the two institutions.
The proposed merger will secure a long-term, sustainable future for Writtle, and unlock significant opportunities for growth and development by bringing together the two institutions’ strengths across education and research.
Now in its 130th year and located on the outskirts of Chelmsford, Writtle University College is one of the UK’s leading institutions for land-based studies.
It offers postgraduate, undergraduate, further education and short courses in the areas of agriculture and animal sciences, with students benefiting from a working farm, a specialist small animal unit and an equine centre based on campus. Writtle has also developed a range of degree programmes in applied life sciences, sport, and health subjects.
ARU’s campus in the heart of Chelmsford has grown strongly over recent years, and is now home to over 10,000 students, mainly studying a range of health, business, engineering, and law courses. The campus houses the School of Medicine, one of the UK’s newest medical schools.
ARU’s academic expertise in fields including health sciences, animal science, sport science and sustainability will help to support and grow both education and research at Writtle, improving the experience and outcomes for students and creating opportunities for new courses.
The Writtle estate will operate under the campus name ARU Writtle, taking its place alongside ARU Chelmsford, ARU Cambridge, ARU Peterborough, and ARU London. Writtle’s full range of Higher and Further Education courses will continue to be delivered on site, supported and enhanced by the wider resources of ARU.
Professor Roderick Watkins, Vice Chancellor of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said:
“We are delighted to announce our intention to merge with Writtle University College. With our shared values, considerable resources and geographical proximity, we are uniquely positioned to sustain and build on Writtle University College’s excellent reputation and vision. I look forward to achieving sustained growth and continued success at both Higher Education and Further Education levels.”
ARU and Writtle University College are working together to produce a comprehensive implementation plan, and will be consulting widely with staff, students and stakeholders. Subject to the approval of education regulators, the two institutions intend to enter a legally binding agreement to proceed with the merger.
Professor Tim Middleton, Vice Chancellor of Writtle University College, said:
“This proposed merger will provide a sustainable future for Further Education and Higher Education at the Writtle campus. It ensures continued provision of our specialist courses and a commitment to support the development of the estate for the benefit of students, staff, and the wider community. ARU has extensive expertise and resources, and is able to promote Writtle’s unique strengths to a wide, international audience.”
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The merger will secure the long-term future for Writtle University College’s campus
Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) and Writtle University College are delighted to announce a proposal to merge the two institutions.
The proposed merger will secure a long-term, sustainable future for Writtle, and unlock significant opportunities for growth and development by bringing together the two institutions’ strengths across education and research.
Now in its 130th year and located on the outskirts of Chelmsford, Writtle University College is one of the UK’s leading institutions for land-based studies.
It offers postgraduate, undergraduate, further education and short courses in the areas of agriculture and animal sciences, with students benefiting from a working farm, a specialist small animal unit and an equine centre based on campus. Writtle has also developed a range of degree programmes in applied life sciences, sport, and health subjects.
ARU’s campus in the heart of Chelmsford has grown strongly over recent years, and is now home to over 10,000 students, mainly studying a range of health, business, engineering, and law courses. The campus houses the School of Medicine, one of the UK’s newest medical schools.
ARU’s academic expertise in fields including health sciences, animal science, sport science and sustainability will help to support and grow both education and research at Writtle, improving the experience and outcomes for students and creating opportunities for new courses.
The Writtle estate will operate under the campus name ARU Writtle, taking its place alongside ARU Chelmsford, ARU Cambridge, ARU Peterborough, and ARU London. Writtle’s full range of Higher and Further Education courses will continue to be delivered on site, supported and enhanced by the wider resources of ARU.
Professor Roderick Watkins, Vice Chancellor of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said:
“We are delighted to announce our intention to merge with Writtle University College. With our shared values, considerable resources and geographical proximity, we are uniquely positioned to sustain and build on Writtle University College’s excellent reputation and vision. I look forward to achieving sustained growth and continued success at both Higher Education and Further Education levels.”
ARU and Writtle University College are working together to produce a comprehensive implementation plan, and will be consulting widely with staff, students and stakeholders. Subject to the approval of education regulators, the two institutions intend to enter a legally binding agreement to proceed with the merger.
Professor Tim Middleton, Vice Chancellor of Writtle University College, said:
“This proposed merger will provide a sustainable future for Further Education and Higher Education at the Writtle campus. It ensures continued provision of our specialist courses and a commitment to support the development of the estate for the benefit of students, staff, and the wider community. ARU has extensive expertise and resources, and is able to promote Writtle’s unique strengths to a wide, international audience.”
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As the UK’s leading rural insurer, we understand the true impact of rural crime.
Our Rural Crime Report provides a unique insight into trends and the cost of rural theft.
Every year we gather claims statistics, survey people in the heart of our rural communities and seek views from experts from across police, farming unions and charities to provide a detailed picture of rural crime’s financial and social impact.
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M&S is expanding its partnership with agri-tech start-up AgriSound to provide 18 more farms with in-field noise sensor technology.
This will allow farmers to track the number of pollinators visiting their farm in real-time and target specific interventions, such as differing wildflower densities, to improve crop yields and maintain quality of crops, as well as benefitting the wider environment.
Specialist listening devices combine acoustic technology and environmental sensors to monitor the density of key pollinators, including bumblebees and honeybees.
The devices collect and send data, with users able to see results via a smartphone or web app.
Following two successful trials last year, the technology will now be rolled out to M&S Select farms such as East Seaton in Arbroath, which supplies Red Diamond strawberries to the retailer.
The wider launch will cover a range of M&S’ fruit, veg and salad farms and will make up 8% of its British growers, with monitors covering 120 habitats and over 1000 hectares.
The collaboration also forms part of the supermarkets Farming with Nature programme which launched in 2021 to support its Select farmerms to be more resilient to environmental challenges.
M&S Food technical director, Andrew Clappen, said: “At M&S, our Plan A target is to become a net zero business by 2040. M&S Food makes up the majority of our emissions, with 72% of this coming directly from agriculture. Sustainable farming is not just a nice to have but a necessity for our business.
“Improving biodiversity is at the forefront of our plans to help farmers become more resilient to the impact of climate change. Pollinators are the unsung heroes of British farming – helping to improve yields and quality while benefitting the wider environment.
“By expanding out our partnership with AgriSound, farms like East Seaton will have real-time data and valuable insights into what’s working and what’s not.”
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A new research project aims to explore the potential for domestic production and pump-prime the UK’s first chickpea breeding programme.
‘Cicero – developing chickpea as a novel source of domestic UK protein’ is a two-year, £500,000 feasibility study led by the crop science organisation Niab, with collaborators from across the agri-food supply chain. Cicero has been awarded funding by Defra under the ‘Farming Futures R&D Fund: Sustainable farm-based protein’ competition, part of Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme managed by Innovate UK, and starts with immediate effect.
Research will focus on the cool-season legume, chickpea (Cicer arietinum). In common with other nitrogen-fixing legumes, the crop has the potential to reduce on-farm fertiliser requirements and the high greenhouse gas emissions associated with fertiliser production and application. Current domestic legume production is mainly restricted to field beans and combinable peas, which are not necessarily optimised for human consumption, with a large proportion destined for animal feed. In contrast, chickpea is familiar to our food industry but is rarely grown in the UK, largely due to the scarcity of adapted varieties and the lack of knowledge both growers and advisors have of the crop. UK food companies annually import 60,000 tonnes for products including stand-alone tins, pouches of cooked chickpeas and packets of dried pulses, alongside use as ingredient in ready meals and bakery products. Cicero will explore the possibility of displacing imported chickpeas through domestic production.
Project lead and Niab’s Head of Breeding Dr Phil Howell explains that Cicero will take a muti-faceted approach. Variety trials and agronomy testing will be carried out by Niab and specialist seed company Premium Crops, ranging from small plots up to field-scale evaluation. End-use quality assessments will be undertaken by Norfolk-based grower Place UK, who has successfully grown chickpea crops to sell through its vertically-integrated food ingredients business.
“Whilst the two-year project timescale prohibits a full breeding cycle, new populations will be advanced rapidly through the glasshouse, with selections ready for their first field evaluation by spring 2025. Niab has already assembled a diverse collection of chickpea material, which will be evaluated in field nurseries over the project duration. These will be complemented by a unique population of novel induced variants developed together with biotechnology start-up Viridian Seeds. These new sources of diversity will all feed into a second cycle of new crosses to kickstart the development of UK-adapted material,” says Dr Howell.
“Chickpeas are a classic example of the challenges the legume sector is facing. Manufacturers must often rely on imports to service the increasing demand for healthy plant-based foods. While this crop can be grown in the UK, its yields and quality are unreliable because current varieties are not well-adapted. Ultimately, we need better varieties bred specifically for UK conditions, but we also need to improve our agronomy know-how to get the most out of varieties – now and in the future,” finishes Dr Howell.
Mills & Reeve LLP
SRUC
Processors and Growers Research Organisation (PGRO)
Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing Limited
Savills Limited
ARU Writtle
NFU Mutual
AgriSound Ltd
Niab