UK agriculture was valued at £7.9 billion in 2022. It’s an industry that keeps growing as the demand for better produce pushes the industry to evolve. If anything, we’d say there’s more of a focus on quality agriculture, with people scrutinising everything from quality to environmental impact.
Read on to learn about five trends shaping UK agriculture.
Better Protection for the Environment and Efficient Resource Use
What we’ve mentioned so far is making the agriculture industry more expensive. There’s more demand to meet new and evolving consumer standards forcing farmers to be more efficient.
Technologies like a precast dock leveller system by Modular Cubed are being adapted to agricultural uses, improving the handling of vehicles and minimising physical and environmental strain.
And, using renewable energy sources like biogas systems is reducing dependence on non-renewable resources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Adoption of Precision Agriculture
Precision agriculture is pushing farming practices in the UK to evolve. It’s driven by integrating advanced technologies like GPS, drones, and IoT sensors. These enable farmers to monitor crop and soil health more closely and precisely. They’re also more interested in the, for want of a better word, volatile UK weather patterns with unbelievable accuracy. That’s leading to more informed decision-making. They’re also applying inputs like water, pesticides, and fertilisers more precisely.
Basically, everything is becoming more precise.
Emphasis on Sustainable Practices
Sustainability is becoming a cornerstone of UK agriculture – it’s one of the things people are concerned about, with voices raising issues of the environmental damage of agriculture. But what do they expect?
Still, farmers are adopting practices that protect the environment and conserve resources. That includes crop rotation, organic farming, and using cover crops to enhance soil health. And, the sector is experiencing a rise in agroforestry. Using trees and shrubs in agricultural landscapes promotes biodiversity, and we need it. Deforestation in the UK is a big issue for environmental activists.
Growth in Plant-Based and Alternative Proteins
The UK is experiencing a surge in demand for plant-based products – woke people think it’s the best diet. There’s also an interest in alternative proteins as gym bros turn against the meat industry in the UK. Thanks to social media, we’re more aware of the food we eat, where it’s coming from, and animal awareness.
This movement is encouraging (forcing) farmers to diversify their crop portfolios to include more legumes, pulses, and specialty grains. Not that it’s a bad thing, but it’s more challenging. Still, there’s tons of money there to make for the farmers.
Increased Focus on Biosecurity
You might have noticed the global outbreaks of animal and plant diseases recently. Biosecurity is becoming a priority for the UK agriculture sector. If you ask us, it shouldn’t ever have been out of the question, but that’s an issue for another article.
Farmers and authorities are using stricter measures to prevent the introduction and spread of pathogens, including enhanced monitoring systems, quarantine protocols, and using disease-resistant crop and livestock varieties. Still, some people would argue this is contaminating our food with chemicals. Again, that’s a discussion for another article.
The UK agriculture industry has no option but to evolve. Our demanding consumers are forcing them to. But these trends are the future. Yes, they’re an investment for agriculture, but these farmers have no choice but to adapt to growing consumer needs.
