Defra launches latest £13m farming innovation round

Millions of pounds of new funding will back technologies designed to tackle labour shortages, animal disease and crop pests – with developers challenged to turn research into solutions farmers can actually use.

A £13m Defra funding competition has opened today (Tuesday 1 September) to accelerate promising agricultural innovations from the lab to the farm.

Delivered in partnership with Innovate UK, part of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the latest round of the Farming Innovation Programme will give selected projects grants of between £1m and £3m to develop and test new products and services.

See also: Defra adds another £53m to farm innovation pot

The focus is firmly on practical solutions, with previous projects including robotic tomato harvesters, natural pest control using hoverflies and a new vaccine designed to protect pigs against streptococcus suis.

Defra secretary Dame Angela Eagle said the funding would help turn ideas into technology that works in the real world.

“This funding will take brilliant ideas off the drawing board and put them to the test on farms, turning cutting-edge research into practical solutions that farmers can use,” she added.

The £13m pot is part of a wider £123m investment in agricultural innovation this year, following a £53m boost announced in June.

It also forms part of the government’s commitment to invest at least £200m in agricultural innovation by 2030, with the aim of improving productivity, resilience and food security.

Farming resilience

Chris Danks, head of agrifood at Innovate UK, said innovation was vital to keeping UK farming competitive and resilient.

“By bringing together farmers, researchers and agri-tech businesses, this competition will help turn cutting-edge ideas into practical solutions that address the challenges facing agriculture today,” he added.

“Working in partnership with Defra, Innovate UK is supporting the development and commercialisation of innovations that can drive growth, improve sustainability and strengthen UK food production for the future.” 

Projects can run for up to three years, with applications now open.

The announcement comes just days before the NFU’s annual Back British Farming Day on 9 September and alongside a separate £30m Farmer Collaboration Fund aimed at helping farmers cut costs, share knowledge and build resilience.