The UK is taking a major step forward in agritech manufacturing with the launch of ‘AgriScale’, a new pilot designed to help innovative agritech companies scale up production.
The program, announced by DEFR Minister Dame Angela Eagle at the World Agritech Innovation Summit in September, aims to fill critical gaps in the innovation pipeline by helping companies move from prototypes to market-ready solutions.
Tackling scale-up challenges
Many UK innovators excel at early stage research and concept development, but scaling up production is often difficult.
Agriscale directly addresses this challenge by focusing on accelerating the manufacturing of agritech products rather than funding early research.
The goal of this program is to get promising technologies to farms faster and more reliably with the infrastructure they need to thrive commercially.
Agriculture Minister Angela Eagle explained: “To realize the full potential of automation in agriculture and horticulture, it is essential to have access to the latest technology from proof of concept to product manufacturing.
“The AgriScale pilot builds on the success of the Government’s Agricultural Innovation Programme, leveraging the UK’s world-class creativity to provide farmers with technology that will improve productivity for the future.
“This is about turning bold ambition into real-world impact and helping British agriculture thrive.”
Expertise through strategic partnerships
AgriScale leverages the capabilities of leading institutions such as Innovate UK, High Value Manufacturing Catapult, Manufacturing Technology Center (MTC) and Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) at the University of Warwick.
Through these partnerships, five selected UK companies will receive tailored support to overcome manufacturing-specific hurdles, from automation and system reliability to sustainable design and flexible production methods.
This practical guidance reflects successful scale-up models in sectors such as car manufacturing and will ensure UK agritech companies can grow efficiently and compete on the world stage.
Introducing Agriscale participants
The pilot program will support five UK-based companies tackling a range of challenges in the agritech manufacturing sector.
S&A Produce: Creator of an autonomous modular robot platform. AgriScale can help you scale production and achieve CE certification for broader deployment. UPP: Innovator of new broccoli products. Support will focus on automating harvesters, optimizing components, improving system design, and enhancing sustainability to meet increasing demand. Dogtooth Technologies: Developer of commercial robotic harvesting solutions. Assistance will focus on ease of use, reliability, maintenance strategies, and reducing failure rates for fifth-generation robots. OxDrive: Designer of electric propulsion “e-hubs” for off-highway autonomous machines. The program accelerates hardware and algorithm iterations through test fleet deployment and simulated environments. Earth Rover: Manufacturer of weeding robots that use no chemicals and emit no emissions. AgriScale guides companies in pilot production, supply chain preparation, facility planning, and volume growth strategies.
Building a competitive UK agritech manufacturing sector
Agriscale is aligned with the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy and Manufacturing Sector Plan, applying lessons learned from the advanced manufacturing sector to agritech.
By providing targeted support at the scale-up stage, the program will help ensure the UK develops a globally competitive, sustainable and resilient agritech manufacturing base.
This work will not only benefit individual companies but also strengthen the UK’s advanced manufacturing ecosystem.
It addresses real-world challenges faced by innovators moving from prototype to commercial deployment, ultimately accelerating the adoption of innovative agricultural technologies.
As Agriscale’s pilot phase is underway, selected companies will receive expert-led, hands-on support over the coming months.
If successful, the model could be scaled up to support more innovators in the UK, creating a stronger and more agile agritech manufacturing sector that can meet domestic and international demand while driving innovation across agriculture.
Source link
