£14 million fund to promote innovation in farming

More than £14 million is being made available for the farming sector to drive innovation and develop new practices to boost productivity and sustainability, the Government has said.

It is part of a £600 million investment over three years, with competitions open to farmers, growers, foresters, research organisations and agricultural businesses to allow them to collaborate on new ideas and solutions.

Some of this funding has already gone to projects to improve yield of soft fruit, battery-operated robots harvesting asparagus, and using ultraviolet disinfectant in dairy and poultry.