Agriculture technology, also known as agritech, is a fast-growing industry focused on improving traditional forms of farming through technology. The industry is particularly appealing to investors and very much an on-trend area of investment. According to UK Government figures, the agritech industry currently generates over £14 billion in turnover and employs more than half a…
According to research commissioned by fast-food giant McDonald’s, almost half of UK farmers are prioritising animal welfare over other investments. Retailers and consumers are increasingly demanding high-welfare food and becoming more interested about where their food comes from and the farming practices used to produce it. The survey, carried out by the National Farm Research…
Prime Minister Theresa May visited Fairview Farm, a dairy farm in Bangor this month. She was shown by owners Stephen and Susanne Jackson. After her tour of the farm, Mrs May met with representatives of the Ulster Farmers’ Union for lunch in the farmhouse. They discussed their concerns within the agriculture industry and talked about…
Environment Secretary Michael Gove has indicated that the UK government would support a special deal for EU farm workers post-Brexit. Mr Gove addressed the National Farming Union’s (NFU) annual conference saying that “agriculture needs access to foreign workers to remain productive and profitable.” This comment was seconded by Meurig Raymond, NFU President, who claims that…
Seven additional meat processors across England and Northern Ireland have now been cleared by the Chinese to export their pork to China. This announcement follows a long and thorough accreditation process which involved Chinese inspections of plants by China’s Certification and Accreditation (CNCA) agency and visits to China by several agriculture ministers from Northern Ireland.…
Vertical farming startup Plenty has, so far, attracted $200 million in agriculture-tech investment and plans to use this money to set-up more farms around the world and make the concept of indoor farming more viable and accessible. This huge investment has created more interest around the vertical farming technique which grows food in hanging modules…
Around 700,000 eggs containing an insecticide called fipronil made their way into the UK food chain. While these eggs were not sold directly to consumers, they were used to make things like sandwich fillers and salads. So, what is fipronil? You may be aware that fipronil is a toxic insecticide, often used by vets in…
According to a survey of over 2,000 adults conducted by IronmongeryDirect, those working in the agriculture sector, including farm managers, technicians, mechanics and administrators are among the healthiest workers in the UK. The average agricultural worker is active for four and a half hours per day, with many in the industry being physically active for…
While the use of commercial drones has recently generated interest in the national press, the increasing use of drones in UK agriculture has largely flown under the radar. Agricultural businesses are utilising drones for a wider range of purposes than ever before. From soil and field analysis to the monitoring of arable and pastoral stock,…
Recent figures from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) show that the number of women running farms in the UK jumped by nearly 10% between 2010 and 2013. This trend has continued in the years since and now over 25,000 UK farms are now run by women. What’s more, 28% of the…