UK Agri-Tech Centre chief executive Phil Bicknell welcomed the positive emphasis Defra Secretary Steve Reed placed on the agri-tech sector at the Oxford Farming Conference (OFC).

Opening the conference on Thursday (January 9), Mr Reed told delegates that ‘agri-tech and precision breeding are very important for the future of the sector’ and would receive the backing of the Labour Government.

He added: “Our intention is to support these schemes because the future of the industry is dependent on getting them right.”

Mr Bicknell said the Secretary of State’s focus on food production and sustainable farming businesses was crucial, adding that “It was great to hear him talk about the importance of agri-tech and precision breeding and the complexity and circularity of agricultural production."

“As an evidence-based and science-led organisation, UK Agri-Tech Centre is ideally placed to play a key role given our range of academic expertise and our capabilities which enable on-farm test and trial.”

Mr Reed also announced the imminent launch of ADOPT (Accelerating Development of Practices and Technologies), the primary aim of which is to support on-farm trials of technology, systems and approaches that will improve the profitability, productivity and sustainability of farmers, growers and foresters in England.

Due to be rolled out this spring, Mr Reed said ADOPT would fund farmer-led trials to bridge the gap between new technologies and their real-world application.

For Mr Bicknell and the UK Agri-Tech Centre the announcement of ADOPT, which is part of the Farming Innovation Programme, was a hugely positive step. “ADOPT is so important because unless you can place innovation in the hands of end users, in this case farmers, and accelerate the pace of adoption then we are missing out on the opportunities which are out there,” said Mr Bicknell.

“There are so many great ideas and potential within the agri-tech sphere that it is vital we narrow the gap between research and innovation and farmers themselves.”

Mr Reed also used the conference to announce that secondary legislation would be introduced to Parliament by the end of March this year to ‘unlock new precision breeding technology,’ something which again prompted a positive response from the UK Agri-Tech Centre chief executive.

The OFC is one of the most prominent fixtures in the farming calendar and UK Agri-Tech Centre was yet again a high-profile backer of the event, being one of its gold partners and sponsoring the Thursday afternoon session entitled ‘Adapting to a changing world.’

This session saw a host of engaging and thought-provoking presentations which set the scene about how agriculture was adapting to the myriad of challenges it faced.