Farming Innovation Programme
DEFRA’s £270m Farming Innovation Programme delivered by Innovate UK, funds projects that benefit farmers, growers and foresters in England.
Research Starter Competition opening soon – assisting farmers at the initial stage of the innovation process, who have bold, ambitious, early-stage ideas that aim to solve significant problems affecting their farming operations.
Join a free online briefing seminar on 12th December 10am to 12noon – click here to find out more
Digital Dairy Chain
Digital Dairy Chain have awarded £2million in 2023 to innovative and groundbreaking dairy projects across Cumbria and south & west Scotland.
The projects are focused on improving dairy production and the supply chain, and will have significant implications for dairy productivity and sustainable production on a national level.
Click here to read more
UK dairy industry to be boosted by new export programme
The Department for Business and Trade has launched the Dairy Export Programme designed to help grow agri-food exports in overseas markets.
Innovate UK Launchpads
Eight more Launchpads funded by Innovate UK are opening for applications, in close collaboration with local leadership. These include an Agri-tech and Food Tech Launchpad.
Government launches review to increase fairness in the egg supply chain
A new review, launched on 31 October, is set to promote fairness, transparency and accountability across the egg supply chain, delivering on key commitments from the Farm to Fork Summit.
Delivering on a commitment made in May this year by the Prime Minister at the Farm to Fork summit in Downing Street, the review will seek input from industry stakeholders on issues such as transparency, clarity of contractual terms and conditions, and data from the supply chain.
The consultation closes at 11:55pm on 22 December.
Japan opens doors to British cooked poultry meat
British cooked poultry meat products will soon reach Japanese tables thanks to a new market access deal that will benefit UK farmers, meat processers and exporters. The industry estimates that this market could be worth over £10 million in the next 5 years.
Simpler recycling collections to reform waste systems
On Saturday 21 October, the Government announced reforms to household and business bin collections to help increase recycling rates and protect the environment.
A new, simpler common-sense approach to recycling means every household and non-household municipal premises across England will be able to recycle the same materials in the following core groups: metal; glass; plastic; paper and card; food waste; garden waste (households only).
By 31 March 2025, businesses in England, except for micro-firms, will be required to recycle all the recyclable waste streams, excluding garden waste and plastic film. Micro-firms (businesses with fewer than 10 full-time equivalent employees) will have until 31 March 2027 to comply with the new requirements.
As well as applying to all homes in England, similar measures will apply to non-household municipal premises, including businesses, hospitals, schools and universities. In addition to these measures, the government has also launched a four-week public consultation on expanding the definition of non-household municipal premises – so that places of worship, prisons, charity shops and residential hostels could also be covered by the rules. Responses to the consultation, which closes on 20 November 2023, are encouraged.
These plans will be supported by increasing background checks for firms who move or trade waste in a major new effort to clamp down on untrustworthy waste operators through introducing a new system for digital waste tracking.
Reminder: EU Exit related labelling changes applicable 1 January 2024
Last year, UK Government delayed the food labelling rule changes that were due to apply from 1 October 2022, until 1 January 2024. The delay had the effect of permitting the use of EU Exit legacy labelling terms on the GB market for a further 15 months. EU Exit legacy labelling terms will no longer be permitted on the GB market after 31 December 2023.
The changes relate to Food Business Operator (FBO) addresses, origin labelling of specific commodities (including beef and veal, minced meat, honey blends, olive oil, fruit and veg, eggs), labelling of quick-frozen foods, extraction solvents and caseins and caseinates, and ID marks on products of animal origin.
Further information can be found here.
Farmers and growers to be given continued access to crucial plant protection products
British farmers and growers will continue to have access to important pesticides to support resilient and profitable food production and cut input costs.
Following feedback from farmers and industry, these plans will ensure farmers and growers can continue to buy and use seeds treated with EU-approved pesticides, and more cost-effective pesticides identical to those authorised in Great Britain can continue being imported.
£2.5 million on offer in latest round of Countryside Stewardship Facilitation Fund
On 23 October, the government announced the eighth round of the Countryside Stewardship Facilitation Fund opened for applications.
The £2.5 million fund encourages collaboration between groups of farmers, foresters and other land managers to improve local environmental outcomes, such as enhancing wildflower and grassland, or protecting meadows and woodlands.