Redefining ‘sustainable’: Are climate goals undermining animal welfare in UK livestock?
As emissions targets reshape breeding priorities, UK advisers warn that a narrow focus on efficiency risks sidelining animal health and resilience
Precision agriculture
Mosaic invests in SugaROx to back ‘precision biostimulants’ push
Oxford spinout tackles consistency challenge in biologicals as fertiliser giant doubles down on Biosciences strategy
Glyphosate under pressure: campaigners’ push for restrictions likely to accelerate search for alternatives
As UK campaigners call for a ban on glyphosate as a pre-harvest desiccant, pressure is mounting on regulators – and on the industry – to find viable alternatives. Yet while options exist, none currently match glyphosate’s unique combination of...
War demands faster decisions: KSG Agro turns to AI to navigate Ukraine’s high‑stakes agriculture
With infrastructure under attack, exports disrupted and costs volatile, Ukrainian agribusiness is being forced to make faster, higher‑stakes decisions. KSG Agro’s adoption of a decision intelligence platform highlights how war is accelerating the shift...
Pymwymic backs DAT’s push to bring precision to cereals spraying
Impact investor Pymwymic has invested in Norwegian agtech firm Dimensions Agri Technologies, betting that its AI‑driven precision spraying system can deliver immediate reductions in chemical use – and prove that profitability and sustainability can go...
Start-up profile
Can Arevo reinvent fertiliser for a volatile world?
A Swedish start-up promising near‑zero nitrogen leakage is betting that soaring fertiliser prices, stricter EU regulation and geopolitical instability will finally push farmers to rethink how nutrients are delivered to crops
Why wine can’t keep leaning on tradition alone
Digital tools are creeping into Europe’s vineyards, but real transformation in wine is being held back by culture, connectivity and long investment cycles. According to the WineWayLab organiser Timofey Golovin, the sector risks mistaking optimisation for...
Smart timing, not savings alone: How Agrii’s host farm trials are rethinking fungicide strategy
Can digital tools help farmers spend less on fungicides without sacrificing yield? Agronomy firm Agrii’s latest host farm trials in the UK suggest the real value lies not in cutting chemistry outright, but in using better data to time applications more...
Bayer promises ‘first‑to‑the‑farm’ innovation as shareholders push back
Bayer’s 2026 Annual Stockholders’ Meeting laid bare investor patience wearing thin over the Monsanto acquisition and US glyphosate litigation, even as CEO Bill Anderson pointed to early signs of operational progress. For agriculture, the message was...
Wild Bioscience targets route to market for first climate‑resilient crops after £45m Series A
Oxford spinout Wild Bioscience has raised £45m in new funding and expanded its operations as it accelerates its route to market for its first improved crop varieties, starting with precision‑bred wheat designed to withstand climate volatility
Clarkson’s Farm turns to variable-rate nitrogen as fertiliser crisis tightens
The severe global fuel and fertiliser crisis driven by the conflict in the Middle East will force farmers to rethink how they use fertilisers and accelerate uptake of newer, more efficient techniques, according to Charlie Ireland, agronomist at Jeremy...
Fieldwork Robotics raises £3m to take autonomous harvesting from pilot plots to everyday farm operations
With £3 million in new funding secured, UK-based Fieldwork Robotics says it is entering the most critical phase in its development: moving autonomous raspberry harvesting out of controlled trials and into growers’ core operations, where cost, uptime and...
AgriSound and Importaco put pollination under the microscope to de‑risk almond sourcing
A new European field trial aims to turn pollination from an assumption into a measurable performance indicator – helping almond growers and buyers make better capital decisions, improve orchard reliability and strengthen long‑term sourcing confidence
Agflation tightens its grip – and agtech without clear ROI is first in the firing line
As UK farming faces its sharpest cost squeeze since early 2022, Andersons’ latest agflation data suggests the agtech sector is entering a harder, more forensic phase – where resilience tools become infrastructure rather than innovation, but where...
Fertiliser shock fuels interest in hyperspectral satellites for precision nitrogen use
As fertiliser prices surge following geopolitical turmoil in the Middle East, UK growers are under pressure to cut input costs without sacrificing yields. A new on‑farm collaboration between crop intelligence company Messium and a Northamptonshire grower...
Agentic AI in the spotlight at World Agri‑Tech as industry grapples with new power dynamics
At San Francisco’s flagship ag innovation summit, excitement over agentic AI mixed with urgency around data quality, decision intelligence, and the shifting role of human expertise
Ecorobotix invests $50M to scale US assembly of its ultra‑precise ARA sprayer
Swiss precision‑ag specialist Ecorobotix will assemble its flagship ARA sprayer in Kansas as part of a $50 million expansion, creating 80 jobs and accelerating the rollout of plant‑level crop protection technology tailored for the demands of US specialty...
Precision ag adoption forecasts have been wrong for 20 years, landmark study finds
New analysis reveals systemic overestimation of digital farming adoption and warns adoption hinges on technology that easily fits into modern cropping systems with a “well presented and consistent” ROI for farm operations
Bordeaux estate becomes first vineyard to be operationally monitored by hyperspectral satellites
Château Puybarbe teams up with Finland’s Kuva Space to bring next‑generation space imaging into everyday vineyard management
Start-up profile
Rainbow Crops: The VIB spin‑off using genome editing and AI to reinvent crop breeding
Belgium’s VIB institute, known for generating world‑class plant biotech companies, believes it has found its next success story in Rainbow Crops; a start‑up combining multiplex genome editing, AI and advanced phenotyping to deliver climate‑resilient,...
Investor profile
Xinomavro Ventures wants to drag the wine industry into the digital age
The world’s only wine‑focused tech investment fund says vineyards are facing agricultural challenges sooner – and more severely – than other sectors. Xinomavro Ventures believes that makes them the ideal proving ground for new ag innovations
Why OEMs are betting on precision weeding: Kubota leads €6.5M round in Kilter to tackle labour scarcity, residue limits and ROI
With many farmers postponing equipment purchases and manufacturers cutting production, Kubota’s €6.5 million investment in Kilter shows where equipment makers still see near-term value: autonomy that reduces labour risk, slashes chemical use and offers a...
The next five years will eclipse the last 25: Steve McLean on agriculture’s defining decade
New UK Agri-Tech Centre CEO Steve McLean says the industry is entering a defining period that demands bigger thinking, harder commercial focus, and technologies proven on real farms, not just in labs
Can new incentives accelerate precision agriculture adoption in the UK?
The UK’s flagship farm‑payment scheme has been overhauled into a more streamlined, delivery‑focused model. But will SFI26’s push toward measurable, on‑farm action transform precision agriculture into a practical necessity for British farmers?
Start-up profile
Agtech’s biggest bottleneck isn’t hardware – It’s skilled people
As ag equipment becomes more advanced, the skills gap in rural regions is widening. Questr believes training local technicians, not new tools, will unlock the next wave of agtech adoption
Hungary creates first clear EU pathway for legal drone spraying, SynTech Research says
New national guidelines position Hungary at the forefront of drone‑based biocontrol regulation, opening the door for next‑generation pest‑management solutions
EU machinery makers told to rethink strategy as farmer needs, tech shift and Asian competition reshape market
Rabobank warns Europe’s machinery industry faces a decisive decade, requiring sharper tech choices, new market priorities and a stronger global mindset
Syngenta breaks ground with Europe’s first scalable hybrid wheat
Whole‑genome screening, precision trait mapping and hybrid‑breeding advances have enabled Syngenta to deliver Europe’s first commercially scalable hybrid wheat, marking a pivotal moment for a crop long considered too genetically complex for hybridisation
Investor profile
Better Food Ventures: Silicon Valley’s playbook can work for ag
As agtech investment cools and AI dominates attention, Better Food Ventures is betting on digital tools, physical AI, and smarter data governance to unlock real value for the farm sector
What the U.S. farm bill could mean for the future of precision agriculture
The draft of the 2026 farm bill includes a provision to develop a precision agriculture standard, but will that be enough to boost adoption?
MyEasyFarm launches €1.6m ‘MyEasyAI’ project to fast‑track low‑carbon sugar beet farming
With sugar beet under pressure in France’s climate‑stressed Grand Est region, the French MMRV specialist teams up with beet producer Cristal Union and the University of Reims to harness AI, primary data and a farm ‘digital twin’ to accelerate the...
Ten trends that will shape farming in 2026
Carbon markets to mature, data spaces to scale and robotics to accelerate as over 8,000 industry professionals gather in Spain
Kubota’s 2026 strategy: How the OEM is commercialising automation, moving beyond prototypes
Kubota embraces the physical AI moment, as the original equipment manufacturer accelerates its automation commercialisation efforts
Trinity AgTech’s Agrimetrics acquisition: Lifeline for UK agri-tech or the death of a national data dream?
The transfer of Agrimetrics’ satellite analytics technology to Trinity AgTech has been hailed as a victory for innovation continuity – but critics argue it signals the collapse of the UK’s ambition to build an open, national farm data platform akin to...
FCC ban to spark shake-up in US ag spray sector
The Federal Communications Commission has barred new foreign-made drones from operating on US communications infrastructure, citing national security risks – a move set to reshape the agricultural drone landscape
Sleighing the challenge: How smart tracking is boosting efficiency for Finland’s reindeer herders
In Finland’s Arctic wilderness, where 300,000 reindeer roam beyond cellular reach, herders face a race against time every winter. With up to 10% of animals disappearing, Finnish map-technology company Mapitare is using real-time monitoring to turn blind...
American Autonomy targets US data-security fears as NDAA deadline puts Chinese ag drones on notice
Rebranded from Rantizo, American Autonomy is launching a US-built software platform that promises farmers full control of their drone data – and a practical path off proprietary Chinese ecosystems – just as a new federal audit deadline threatens market...
Exclusive: Agreenculture banks €6m to fast‑track ‘plug‑and‑play’ autonomy – and the ROI to win over farmers
French start-up Agreenculture has raised €6 million to industrialise its certified, retrofit autonomy kit for tractors and implements. By emphasising quick payback and a simple integration path for OEMs, the company says it can turn autonomy from a...
From reactive to predictive: How Ceres AI aims to redefine risk intelligence in agriculture
Global investment in agri-AI has surged past $1 billion annually, but beyond the hype, US-based Ceres AI wants to prove that artificial intelligence can do more than monitor crops – it can predict risk, transform insurance and lending, and help farmers...
Rigid loan rules ‘risk killing UK innovation’ warns Wootzano as it fights for survival
Despite growing orders, British agri-robotics firm Wootzano is facing imminent closure after a Scottish court froze its bank accounts following a winding-up petition filed by Innovate UK Loans Limited
Higher tech, lower costs: Netafim to roll out digital farming system for smallholders in Q2 2026, targets Asia
Netafim is set to launch a new version of its digital farming system GrowSphere tailor-made for smallholder farmers, with a commercial launch targeted for the second quarter next year.
European Digital Innovation Hubs: Why agri-food is missing out on the digital revolution
A new review reveals that Europe’s agri-food sector is barely tapping into the potential of Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs), despite their promise to accelerate digital transformation
Irish firm gets ESA backing to bring satellite-powered fertiliser tool to grassland farmers
Proveye wins European Space Agency funding to deploy ProvVari – a precision fertiliser platform designed to cut costs, boost yields, and curb emissions across Europe’s pasture-based dairy and beef systems
Drone Ag’s Skippy upgrade promises farmers sharper crop insights with on-demand drone imagery
The UK firm has revamped its Skippy Scout platform with a redesigned interface and new indexing tools – aiming to give farmers and agronomists higher-resolution crop data than satellites can deliver
Willis Towers Watson harnesses satellite tech to boost farm risk protection
As climate volatility intensifies, insurer Willis Towers Watson is deploying cutting-edge data and crop simulation models to deliver parametric insurance solutions that promise faster payouts and broader coverage for farmers and agribusinesses worldwide
Tesco urges national farm data framework to safeguard UK food security
The UK’s largest supermarket is expanding its environmental baselining programme and calls for consistent standards to help farmers capture soil, water, and nature data at scale – critical for resilience and sustainability
Kubota partners with Kilter to pilot ultra-precise weeding robot AX-1
The collaboration, unveiled at Agritechnica 2025, aims to transform vegetable farming with AI-driven spot spraying that slashes herbicide use by up to 95%
Bosch’s smart sprayer project promises precision weed control for UK cereal farmers
A project led by Bosch has successfully demonstrated how AI-powered sprayers can detect and treat Black-grass infestations with pinpoint accuracy – cutting herbicide use and boosting long-term weed control
‘We want a progressive relaunch’: How Naïo Technologies plots its comeback
After a tumultuous 12 months, French ag robotics pioneer Naïo Technologies is charting a gradual reintroduction to the market as it adapts to the ongoing crisis in wine production
Start-ups
‘Satellite data is a climate action gold mine:’ GreenAnt’s AI mines radar data to predict floods and boost yields
As climate volatility threatens global food security, GreenAnt’s AI-powered platform Desidera aims to turn radar satellite data into real-time insights that help farmers boost productivity and anticipate disasters – even when the skies are clouded