UK Agriculture & Technology: 2025 in Review

2025 was an informative year for UK agriculture, marked by a series of influential reports that mapped out the sector’s challenges and opportunities.  

Climate, Nature, and Resilience 

The year began with a clear message: climate change and nature loss are deeply interconnected. The Parliamentary Office Science and Technology’s summary explained how biodiversity loss worsens climate change, and vice versa, highlighting nature-based solutions such as peatland restoration and afforestation as essential strategies for carbon storage and adaptation. However, gaps in carbon measurement and the long-term impact of these solutions remain, and stronger integration into climate policy is needed. 

The AHDB’s Climate Change Adaptation report warned that climate change threatens farm assets and productivity, but also pointed to new opportunities: alternative crops, lower winter costs, and the need to prioritise UK food security as global supply chains become more volatile. 

Innovation & Commercialisation 

A major Agri-tech sector report mapped the UK’s strengths in biotechnology, remote sensing, management platforms, and automation. Despite leading research, commercialisation is hampered by funding gaps, misaligned expectations, and policy coordination issues. The report calls for infrastructure support, flexible funding, and collaborative models to bridge the gap between science and industry – a space where Ceres Research is well placed to contribute. 

Regulation, Policy, and Adaptation 

A review of the regulatory landscape in April argued that environmental regulation should protect nature while enabling innovation and growth. The current system is seen as ineffective, with recommendations for more discretion, cost-effectiveness, and a balanced approach to environmental and economic priorities. 

The UK’s Third National Adaptation Programme was assessed as needing better objectives, improved coordination, integration of adaptation into all policies, and robust monitoring and evaluation. 

Sustainable Practices & Market Shifts 

A global fertiliser report stressed the importance of redefining success metrics in agriculture, balancing yields with environmental costs, and collaborating across the food value chain. 

The Independent Water Commission’s interim report in June called for a clearer, long-term strategy for the water system, better asset health assessment, and industry-wide benchmarking to protect customers. 

A POSTnote on Regenerative Agriculture found that regenerative practices can improve biodiversity, soil health, and water quality, but come with trade-offs and require context-specific application. Policy instability and administrative burdens remain barriers, while new income streams from private schemes bring risks and uncertainties. Notably, this report was supported by farmers, with contributions from the Ceres Research team at a Royal Agricultural University workshop. 

Farm Profitability & Economic Trends 

The year ended with the Farming Profitability Review 2025: an independent review, led by Baroness Minette Batters, which examined the drivers of farm profitability and resilience. The review made clear that UK farm businesses are under sustained pressure from rising input costs, volatile markets and policy uncertainty, with no single fix for restoring profitability. The review calls for a long-term national plan for farming, fairer and more transparent supply chains, improved access to finance, and stronger support for innovation, skills and productivity. The key message is to plan for uncertainty, prioritise technologies that cut costs and improve resilience, and use data to manage risk and inform decisions. It also strongly emphasises collaboration, better market intelligence and smarter financial structures as practical ways to strengthen margins and create more sustainable, competitive farm businesses. 

Ceres Group contributed to this review, sharing insights and recommendations to support the sector’s future (see our response here). 

Looking Ahead 

The reports from 2025 collectively point to a sector in transition: adapting to climate change, embracing innovation, and navigating complex regulatory and market landscapes. The need for joined-up action and resilient food production is clear. As organisations provide new food strategy processes (AFN Roadmap) and sustainability frameworks (Global Farm Metric), the role of knowledge exchange, advisory support, and collaborative models will be critical. 

For Ceres Research and their members, the challenge—and opportunity—is to help shape these changes, ensuring that science, technology, and practical farming experience come together to build a more sustainable, profitable, and resilient agricultural future.  

Joining Ceres Research as a member gives you direct access to timely insights on emerging reports, research breakthroughs, and key policy developments through our Monthly Digests—keeping you informed and ahead in a rapidly evolving sector. 

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