The UK Government has announced a new £21.5 million investment to back 15 agricultural innovation projects across England, aimed at helping farms cut emissions, boost productivity and strengthen resilience. This funding is part of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs’ (Defra) Farming Innovation Programme, delivered with Innovate UK and UK Research and Innovation. It moves cutting-edge research into practical tools that farmers can use on the ground.
Projects span both precision breeding and low-emissions farming, and include innovations that could deliver tangible environmental and economic benefits. One flagship initiative is the ‘Sunshine Tomato’, a precision-bred tomato enriched with provitamin D₃ to help improve nutrition and address vitamin D deficiency.
Another project focuses on low-emissions fertilisers for dairy, aiming to replace 50 % of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser with biological alternatives to cut nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions, improve soil health and strengthen nutrient management.
The programme also supports the development of climate-resilient industrial hemp varieties that can grow on poorer land, offering potential new income streams while contributing to sustainable food, fibre and biomaterials production.
Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme aligns with the government’s wider commitment to invest at least £200 million in agricultural innovation by 2030, under the Plan for Change to support rural growth and long-term food security.
In addition to precision breeding projects, the funding is supporting initiatives that target methane reduction in dairy systems, development of carbon-negative fertilisers for cereal production, and technologies that convert livestock waste into nutrient-rich products.
Defra and Innovate UK say these projects will help farmers adopt new technologies more rapidly, unlocking economic opportunities and enhancing the sustainability and competitiveness of the UK’s food and farming sector.
