The UK government has launched a £20 million funding programme to accelerate the development of agricultural robots and automation systems, as farmers look to technology to address labour shortages and improve productivity.
The latest funding round, delivered through the Farming Innovation Programme, will support collaborations between agri-tech companies, researchers and farmers developing automated systems for tasks including planting, crop monitoring and harvesting.
The investment reflects a growing push to bring industrial automation technologies into more complex, unpredictable environments outside traditional manufacturing settings.
Applications are open to technologies across both crop and livestock production, including autonomous harvesting systems, robotic cultivation tools and connected monitoring solutions.
Farming Minister Stephen Morgan said the investment would help farmers adopt new technologies while addressing workforce pressures. “Farmers work incredibly hard to put food on our tables, often battling to find enough seasonal workers when the pressure is on,” he said. “This funding will help put cutting-edge robots and technology into their hands, easing that burden while boosting yields and profits.”
Unlike factory automation, agricultural robots must operate in unpredictable conditions, navigating uneven terrain, changing weather and biological systems that vary between crops and animals. This makes farming one of the most challenging environments for robotics developers.
Chris Danks, Head of Agrifood at Innovate UK, said automation would become increasingly important as farmers seek more resilient and productive operations. “Robotics and automation are becoming increasingly important tools to help farmers improve productivity and build more resilient businesses,” he said.
The latest funding round expands on a previous automation competition launched in 2023, with this year’s programme also including applications covering forestry, ornamental plant production and woodland monitoring.
One company which has already benefitted from UK government grant funding is Fieldwork Robotics, which has created a raspberry-picking robot designed to automate one of the most labour-intensive tasks in horticulture.
In April, the company was awarded the Innovate UK Farm ADOPT grant.
David Fulton, CEO of Fieldwork Robotics, said: “Fieldwork is now entering its scale-up phase, moving from technology validation to full commercial adoption. We are excited to demonstrate how our autonomous raspberry harvesting robots can boost productivity, protect grower margins, and deliver sustainable harvesting solutions in the UK and globally as we build our international traction.”
The investment reflects a wider global push to bring robotics and artificial intelligence into agriculture, as governments look to strengthen food production, reduce reliance on seasonal labour and improve the resilience of farming operations.
Agricultural automation has become a strategic focus in several major economies. The European Union has invested in robotics and digital agriculture projects through programmes including Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe, supporting large-scale pilots involving robotics, IoT platforms and precision farming technologies.
Japan has also been accelerating smart agriculture initiatives, including work on autonomous agricultural machinery and safety frameworks for robot-enabled farming. Meanwhile, the US agricultural technology market has seen growing investment in autonomous machinery, precision farming and robotics, driven by labour shortages and pressure to improve efficiency.
