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Nick Eccles of Sudells Farm, Lancashire.

From RATS to CATS: Overcoming the barriers to agri-tech adoption

Leading agri-food consultant Martin Collison discusses some of the reasons why farmers and growers are being held back on tech.

Nick Eccles, of Sudells Farm, Lancashire, who has overseen the roll-out of a new automated dairy parlour.

Martin Collison (right) discusses the obstacles which farmers and growers like Nick Eccles (left) have to overcome when looking to strengthen their business through technology.

15/07/25

Investment in agri-tech has been growing, with government and industry increasing research and innovation investment, but many of these technologies fail to make it onto farms.

As a result, many agri-tech businesses also struggle to bridge the so-called ‘Valley of Death’ to commercialise their innovations, leaving farms unable to access to these new technologies.

Make no mistake, whatever some in the media say, farms are businesses and most farmers are aware of, or have tried, new technologies which failed to live up to their promises. New technologies have to deliver clear commercial benefits, be easy to integrate into farming systems and need support – such as skills provision – to ensure farms can use them effectively.

It is easy to blame farmers for failing to adopt technology, but my experience is they are among the most progressive businesses there are and, if a technology produces tangible benefits, it spreads quickly. Instead, I suggest our model of funding research and development needs further change.

New direction for govenment policy on agri-tech investment

Shortly after I finished my agriculture degree in 1987, government began to privatise ADAS and signalled it would only invest in basic science, with an expectation that industry would take new scientific discoveries, commercialise them and promote them to farmers.

In my view, this retreat by government from knowledge transfer and dissemination failed and so I was delighted to support the government in 2012 to help steer the development of the UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies, which was launched in 2013.

Farmers have to be engaged at every stage of the process, defining the problem, designing solutions, inputting to research and innovation, and helping promote successful innovations.

Martin Collison

Director - Collison Associates

Since 2013 we have made a lot of progress – with a big increase in innovation funding and more effort to get farmers involved in collaborative research projects - and we have consequently seen an increase in commercial investment in agri-tech.

But I think we still need to go much further and faster with agri-tech adoption if we are to truly deliver its potential on farms across the country.

Why CATS is important for farming and growing

We need to move away from a research-led agri-tech strategy, also known as RATS, to a commercial agri-tech strategy, otherwise referred to as CATS, which prioritises solving farmers’ real problems, with farmers, for farmers.

Farmers have to be engaged at every stage of the process, defining the problem, designing solutions, inputting to research and innovation, and helping promote successful innovations.

We also need skills systems, industry organisations and finance providers to align with government programmes, so that together we help farmers secure the technology they need.

If we can make these changes and put farmers at the heart of process, I truly believe we can deliver more agri-tech, faster and with more benefits for farm profitability and sustainability.

Martin Collison is a leading voice in the development of government's agri-tech strategy and will be hosting our upcoming webinar Overcoming barriers to tech adoption. Find out more about the webinar and book your place for FREE now.