The government is offering £20m in funding to help develop robots and automated technology that could support farmers with planting and harvesting crops.
The proposed funding would supporting technology designed to plant seeds, look after crops and pick fruit in a bid to help farms that struggle to find enough seasonal workers during busy periods.
The funding was announced as part of the the government’s Farming Innovation Programme and follows its pledge to invest £200m in farming innovation by 2030.
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The investment would see businesses working on agricultural technology apply for a share of the funding to work with researchers and farmers on new systems.
Farming Minister Stephen Morgan said: “Farmers work incredibly hard to put food on our tables, often battling to find enough seasonal workers when the pressure is on.
“This funding will help put cutting-edge robots and technology into their hands, easing that burden while boosting yields and profits. It’s a vote of confidence in British ingenuity, and a big step towards the kind of modern, resilient farming we set out in our Farming Roadmap.”
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