The demise of the Small Robot Company has thrown investment into agritech into sharp focus. A lack of funding meant the company was forced to stop work on its trio of crop monitoring and spraying robots with a loss of 30 jobs.

The boom in agritech investment has certainly cooled. Website CropLife calculated that global agritech companies attracted $1.5 billion (£1.19bn) in funding during the third quarter of 2023, which was 6 per cent less than the same three months in 2022 with a 42 per cent drop in the number of deals.

Analysis of Defra figures for beef, sheep meat, pork, poultry, milk, cereals, oilseed rape and potatoes revealed falls in UK output for every product apart from milk, which was similar to 2022.

The biggest drop in production was in oats at 17.6 per cent, but there was a reduction of more than 10 per cent for pork, OSR and wheat. Longer-term figures also showed that agricultural production of most products was not keeping up with the growth in UK population, which was at 0.3 per cent per year.

Between 1984 and 2023, the UK population grew by 19.6 per cent, but beef, sheep meat and pork production was down 22.0 per cent, 5.8 per cent and 3 per cent respectively. Last year, wheat production was 6.5 per cent less than in 1984, with barley output 37.1 per cent lower.

A new campaign group called 'No Farmers, No Food' says it will put pressure on the government to ensure British farming remains viable into the future.

The group, which has attracted thousands of followers on social media after it was launched last month, says it is a "collection of farmers who are concerned that the future of farming is currently under threat."

Some of its asks include a fairer price for farmers, an end to cheaper, lower-quality imports and an end to restrictive legislation. Others include to move away with the government's 'obsession' with net zero, which is having a 'devasting impact' on farming.

At the NFU Conference in Birmingham, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made a landmark announcement, setting out a near £430 million grant support to revolutionise the UK farming industry. This substantial package is aimed at enhancing productivity and incorporating cutting-edge technology into agricultural practices.

The government’s grant offer, which is the largest to date, includes a significant £220 million earmarked for future-focused schemes. These funds are intended to facilitate investments in automation and energy-efficient measures such as rooftop solar, ensuring that land remains available for food production.

Norfolk-based scientists have launched a £1m project to explore how "gene editing" techniques could protect sugar beet crops from a devastating virus threat.

British Sugar, biotech firm Tropic and Norwich plant science institute the John Innes Centre (JIC) have jointly been awarded £663,443 towards the total project costs from Defra's Farming Innovation Programme.

The research, also supported by the Norwich-based British Beet Research Organisation (BBRO), aims to develop plants with natural resistance to virus yellows infections - thereby protecting East Anglia's beet farmers from potentially catastrophic crop losses.

Presence of cereal volunteers in oilseed rape fields and direct drilling could lead to a marked reduction in damage caused by cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB), a new study says.

The results suggest that relatively simple changes in crop management could help control this ubiquitous pest which, in recent years, has led to many famers abandoning the crop altogether.

The trials, conducted by Rothamsted Research on a farm in Hertfordshire, assessed oilseed rape (OSR) crop damage caused by adult CSFB feeding and larval infestation when sown with different companion plants.

The UK’s leading agricultural research facility is facing a funding crisis with its future work in jeopardy, it can be revealed.

Rothamsted Research in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, is one of the oldest agricultural research institutions in the world, having been founded in 1843, and its research has been credited with preventing crop failures across the globe.

A letter from Rothamsted’s director, Prof Angela Karp, seen by the Guardian, has warned staff they will have to pause “non-essential” work, announcing a hiring pause and warning of pay freezes.

For a more sustainable and resilient food system, MEPs support a simpler process for NGT plants equivalent to conventional plants, while others must follow stricter rules.

Parliament adopted its position for negotiations with member states on the Commission proposal on New Genomic Techniques (NGTs), which alter the genetic material of an organism, with 307 votes to 263 and 41 abstentions.

The objective is to make the food system more sustainable and resilient by developing improved plant varieties that are climate resilient, pest resistant, and give higher yields or that require fewer fertilisers and pesticides.

The contentious sustainable use of pesticides regulation (SUR) proposal aims to slash the use and risk of pesticides in half by 2030, as set out in the EU’s flagship food policy, the Farm to Fork strategy.

It seemed it was game over for the file after it was rejected outright by the European Parliament back in November. But, against the odds, work was continuing – albeit slowly – over in the Council, with the Belgian Presidency putting together a SURvival strategy in efforts to save some remnants of the file.

Any remaining hopes were officially dashed after Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed to put an end to the file once and for all on Tuesday (6 February).

Further spread of the fungal disease wheat blast could reduce global production of the key crop by 13% until 2050, researchers warn.

An international group of scientists has produced new modelling for the first ever time, showing how wheat blast will spread in the future.

With a global cultivation area of 222 million hectares and a harvest volume of 779 million tons, wheat is an essential food crop.

England's hedgerows would stretch almost ten times around the Earth if lined up end to end. That's according to a new map - the most comprehensive to date - of these historic features of the landscape.

Ecologists hope the data will lead to better protections for the much-loved lines of trees and shrubs that provide food and shelter for wildlife, and store large amounts of carbon.

Laser scanning from the air reveals a total of 390,000 km of hedges.

Farm businesses wishing to invest in solar panels, robotics or automated equipment on-farm can now apply for grant funding through Defra’s Improving Farm Productivity scheme.

Funding of between £25,000 and £500,000 will be available for investment in robotic and automated equipment, with grants covering up to 50% of the total cost. For solar projects, grants of up to £100,000 will be up for grabs and these will cover 25% of the total project cost.

The funding is intended to help aid crop and livestock production and increase renewable energy generation on farm. Projects will be prioritised based on whether they can improve productivity, the environment or innovation, or introduce technology to address labour shortages.