²ÝÁñÉçÇø

The O2 in London is not usually a hot-bed of farming, but this week it played host to the World Agri-Tech Summit where I have been speaking to some brilliant businesses and innovators who are developing new technologies which will have a big role to play in the future of farming.

Britain is already a world-leading force when it comes to pioneering farming technology, robotics and automation, and further investment in this area will be vital to help us to address and overcome many of the challenges faced by farmers and growers today.

At the first ever UK Farm to Fork Summit held at Downing Street in May, we re-affirmed our commitment that at least 60 per cent of food we eat in the UK would continue to be produced on these shores.

And at Back British Farming Day earlier this month, we confirmed farmers producing sustainable British food under our Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes will be able to use them to help meet public procurement standards, benefiting our British farmers and allowing the public sector to benefit from more excellent British food.

Our successful £270 million Farming Innovation Programme is already making a difference on the ground: this year alone we have invested over £133 million in grant funding to drive innovation, support food production, and maintain our world-leading animal welfare standards.

Our most recent round focused on automation and robotics, with eight forward-thinking British businesses awarded grants of totalling £12.5 million.

See also: Farming Minister hopes for no more glitches as SFI launches

They included FinerForecasts - who are developing a system for accurately predicting strawberry yields to improve quality, reduce waste and optimise labour and harvesting schedules - and Outfield Technologies - which specialise in precision farming systems for vineyards, using drones, robots and sensors to increase automation.

Both of these companies symbolise the best of British enterprise and are leading the way by putting innovation in agriculture rightly at the forefront of our vision for farming.

See also: Horticulture sector strategy ditched in favour of 'intervention'

Ultimately, farmers know what will work best for their business.

They are out in the fields every day and can identify what we can change to drive up domestic food production and drive down our environmental impact.

See also: Farming couple acknowledged by PM to mark suicide prevention day

This is why next year a new strand of the Farming Innovation Programme will support farmers and growers in leading their own on-farm trials to test the feasibility of these new processes, practices and technologies, supporting all stages of development from lab to farm.

And on Back British Farming Day earlier this month, we announced farmers will have the opportunity to bid for a share of £15 million to install solar equipment on top of a further £15 million to invest in automation and robotics - helping reduce fossil fuel use and improve on-farm energy resilience.

See also: Confidence in Defra crumbles as 75 per cent say they do not feel positive about their future in farming

However, I also recognise farmers need money to invest into their farms right now, as well as investment for the future.

This is why I am pleased the Sustainable Farming Incentive is now accepting applications from the thousands of farmers who have already expressed an interest in the scheme over recent weeks.

See also: Dairy farmers 'cautious' as milk price regulation announcement dominates discussion at Great Yorkshire Show

And we have made sure farmers who have a live agreement before the end of the year will typically receive their first payment in the first month of their agreement starting.

We have committed to maintaining our annual farming budget for England at £2.4 billion over this Parliament which will support farmers through both grant funding and our ELM schemes.

See also: NFU president calls on Government to show 'ambition' by match-funding AHDB's levy rates

It is fantastic to see so many people getting involved with our schemes, with over 33,000 Countryside Stewardship agreements successfully in place across England for 2023 - a 94 per cent increase since 2020 - and thousands of applications already received for SFI 2023.

The enthusiasm with which many in the sector are embracing these schemes is encouraging, and we are listening to make sure our new schemes work for you.

By getting on board with these schemes, and driving forward investment in the development of new technology which could help with the productivity and sustainability of your farm in the years to come, we will continue to build a British farming sector can thrive into the future.

See also: Farming Minister calls on dog owners to keep dogs on a lead