UK businesses can now bid for a share of £20 million in government funding to develop the next generation of agricultural automation and robotics.
Announced by Farming Minister Stephen Morgan, the competition aims to support technologies capable of planting, tending and harvesting crops while helping farmers address persistent labour shortages, improve productivity and build more resilient businesses.
The funding forms part of Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme and contributes to a wider £123 million package available this year for agricultural research and technology.
The latest round, delivered with Innovate UK, is broader than previous competitions, extending beyond arable and horticulture to include livestock and forestry.
“Farmers work incredibly hard to put food on our tables, often battling to find enough seasonal workers when the pressure is on,” said Morgan.
“This funding will help put cutting-edge robots and technology into their hands, easing that burden while boosting yields and profits.”
Robotics firms welcome support
While £20 million is modest compared with the investment often required to commercialise agricultural robotics, industry participants say government backing has already proven crucial in helping UK innovators move from concept to market.
One beneficiary is Fieldwork Robotics, developer of an autonomous raspberry-picking robot that is being prepared for commercial rollout.
Fieldwork Robotics CTO Sid Shaikh told AgNavigator that support from Defra and Innovate UK has been instrumental in transforming the business from a start-up into a scaling company.
“Through a combination of Defra and IUK grant funding, we have progressed our technology from prototype development to a production-ready robotic harvesting system,” he said.
The company has now secured a UK manufacturing partner with the capacity to produce up to 5,000 robots annually as deployment accelerates.
According to Shaikh, government support has evolved alongside the business.
“It has moved beyond supporting innovation and product development to helping companies like Fieldwork Robotics with certification, commercialisation, scale-up and technology adoption.”
He added that such support is particularly important because agricultural robotics firms face substantial costs long after the initial R&D phase.
“Developing and commercialising complex autonomous systems requires significant investment well beyond the initial R&D phase.”
Capital-intensive journey from prototype to scale
That sentiment was echoed by RootWave, the UK company developing electrical weed-control technology as an alternative to chemical herbicides.
Welcoming the new competition, Tom Archer, head of sales & marketing at RootWave, said funding remains particularly valuable during the transition from prototype to commercial deployment.
“Taking products from prototype to commercial scale is a capital-intensive phase as companies complete testing for usability, performance and durability in real-world conditions,” he told AgNavigator.
“The £20m can make a meaningful difference, but care should be taken not to divide the pot in too many ways by focusing on fewer, higher-quality projects to maximise impact and value for money.”
Focus on adoption as well as innovation
Innovate UK says the programme is designed to help bridge the gap between promising technologies and practical on-farm deployment.
“Robotics and automation are becoming increasingly important tools to help farmers improve productivity and build more resilient businesses,” said Chris Danks, head of agrifood at Innovate UK.
“This competition will help accelerate innovations from concept to on-farm application.”
