UK government pledges £15m to transform food industry

The UK government has launched a £15m scheme in order to find cutting-edge technology that increases efficiency and reduces waste in farming, food and drink manufacturing.

Big businesses will be offered grants as part of a government-driven initiative to support research and development to unlock the potential of the farming, food and drink sectors and boost the country’s economy.

A further £500,000 will be provided to small- and medium-sized businesses, with grants of up to £25,000.

Food and Farming Minister Jim Paice said the UK has a world class reputation for innovation, and this strength can be used to the economic advantage of the whole country.

"By getting businesses innovating and enhancing the UK’s reputation as a world class pioneer of new production and manufacturing techniques, the food and farming sector can be a real engine for growth," Paice added.

Food and Drink Federation (FDF) director of competitiveness Angela Coleshill said that the grants could be particularly helpful for small and medium-sized businesses.

"Amongst other things, this funding could help businesses invest in the new infrastructure needed to meet overseas demand for great British-made brands, which in turn not only creates new jobs here in the UK, but also helps to safeguard existing ones," she said.

As a part of the initiative, the government will launch two competitions at the Farming, Food and Drink Innovation Summit held on 19 March 2012, to attract researchers and businesses to present their ideas.

To promote the competition a series of seven workshops will be held in Belfast, Edinburgh, Leeds, Peterborough, Reading, Exeter, and Cardiff, following the summit.

The competitions will be funded by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Technology Strategy Board (TSB), the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Scottish Government.