Key Takeaways
- Dame Angela Eagle emphasizes the UK government’s commitment to agricultural technology, aiming for growth and sustainability in the sector.
- The launch of a new pilot program, AgriScale, is designed to assist businesses in overcoming manufacturing challenges.
- The minister’s presence at the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit signals a push for collaboration between government and industry in agri-tech innovation.
Government Focus on Agricultural Technology
Dame Angela Eagle, recently appointed as Minister of State for Food Security and Rural Affairs in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), reaffirmed the UK government’s commitment to the agricultural tech sector during her speech at the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit. She characterized the current moment as “exciting,” highlighting its potential for increasing growth and profitability for farmers while ensuring resilient food systems amidst global volatility.
Eagle introduced a new pilot program named AgriScale, designed to assist businesses within the agricultural technology sector. This initiative aims to help companies tackle specific manufacturing challenges as they transition from startup to scaling up. The program is a collaboration between multiple governmental and private organizations, including DEFRA, Innovate UK, the High Value Manufacturing Catapult partners, the Manufacturing Technology Centre, and Warwick Manufacturing Group.
In her remarks, Eagle urged the agricultural sector to maximize growth opportunities by investing and collaborating with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as international businesses based in the UK. She emphasized the necessity of building a sustainable future for the country’s food and farming systems, positioning agtech on par with other major technology sectors in the UK.
Tracy De GRoose, the chief executive of the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit’s organizing body, William Reed, noted the significance of Eagle’s presence at the summit. She described it as a strong indication of the UK’s intent to lead in agri-tech innovation and expressed optimism for impactful collaboration between the government and the industry amid unprecedented change in the sector.
The content above is a summary. For more details, see the source article.