A long-awaited technology fund for farmers will launch this spring, but the government has not confirmed if it will commit the previously promised £44 million.
The 'ADOPT' fund was first announced in November 2023 as part of the Farming Innovation Programme, by former Defra Secretary Steve Barclay.
Accelerating Development of Practices and Technologies (ADOPT) promises farm businesses the opportunity to apply for a share of £44m.
The aim of it is for farmers to test and trial new technology and techniques, however, the Labour government put it on hold.
Speaking at Oxford Farming Conference, Defra Secretary Steve Reed confirmed the fund would go ahead this spring.
He said would fund farmer-led trials "to bridge the gap between new technologies and their real-world application."
However, when questioned, Mr Reed failed to confirm the value of the total fund, saying that the Treasury would confirm this in subsequent announcements.
“Our intention is to support these schemes and innovation because the future of the sector is dependent on getting that right,” he said.
Oxfordshire farmer and founder of the British On-Farm Innovation Network Tom Allen-Stevens said the fund was 'desperately needed'.
"[It] should never have been put on hold, so it is welcome news that it is now finally being rolled out," he explained.
“Farmers need access to the latest technology and innovation which is most appropriate to their businesses.
"ADOPT is a very exciting programme which should make it possible to bring new tech onto farms to thoroughly test what does and doesn’t deliver.
“However while Reed acknowledged the role of innovation in agriculture, he failed to commit to restarting other measures of the Farming Innovation Programme, importantly the Farming Equipment Technology Fund.
“This stimulus is desperately needed as we have already seen manufacturers diverting investment in innovation away from the UK since it went on hold last year.”
