PROFESSOR SIMON PEARSON HonFRAgS, FRSB and FIAgrE, FOUNDING DIRECTOR AT LINCOLN INSTITUTE OF AGRI-FOOD TECHNOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF LINCOLN – WRITTEN EVIDENCE (HSI0060)

1. Whilst I am the Director of the Lincoln Institute of Agri Food Technology (LIAT) and Co-chaired the recent DEFRA Automation Review for Horticulture, the views presented within this response are entirely my own and do not represent those of any body I work for or have represented. These views were formed following a career working within and for the horticulture sector. This included on our family vegetable farm in South Lincolnshire, higher education and teaching at the University of Reading, employment by Marks and Spencer as a technologist, running a large flower farming company as Commercial and Managing Director that employed up to 900 seasonal workers and lately as the Director of LIAT. Through-out that time I have been fortunate to experience at first hand the evolution of the UK’s highly innovative, productive and nationally significant horticulture sector. This response covers specific areas of interest to the inquiry where I have relevant experience; the UK’s horticultural research and innovation landscape, food security and likely climate change uncertainty and the role of seasonal workers and automation.

Horticulture Research and Innovation

2. Historically, the UK horticulture sector has benefited from “World Class” research and innovation infrastructure and resources, including multiple internationally significant research stations (NVRS, Wellesbourne; GCRI, Chichester; East Malling, Kent). The legacy from the knowledge generated by these stations still impacts UK and global horticulture production businesses today. For example, it helped deliver top-fruit root stocks used across the globe, controlled atmosphere storage to reduce food waste, glasshouse crop production systems with extraordinary productivity (1000T tomato/ha/yr >125 larger than wheat), the primary understanding of crop responses to the environment that underpin the international production of cut flower and pot plant crops, development of hydroponics and growing media, horticulture crop genetics to accelerate plant breeding and the control of many pests and diseases.

3. In 1990, these historic research stations, plus key experimental horticulture stations (EHS’s, Kirton, Stockbridge, Efford) were merged to form Horticultural Research International[1], HRI, yet GCRI was closed in 1995.  Reviewed by the EFRA Select Committee in 2003[2], at that time HRI facilities employed over 500 staff across locations at Wellesbourne, East Malling, Kirton, Efford and Wye.  HRI was funded by multiple sources, not least the Agriculture and Food Research Council (AFRC, merged to form BBSRC in 1995) and DEFRA. These funders provided long term strategic and core funding for people and facilities, plus access to responsive mode funds. Analogous core facilities in Scotland were located at SCRI, Invergowrie, now known as James Hutton Institute and long term partially funded by the Scottish Government.

4. The EFRA select committee review of 2003 reflected upon and accepted the significance of horticulture research to UK society. It also raised significant concerns over the future of and funding for UK horticultural research, calling for DEFRA to continue an annual £5M block grant for strategic horticulture research. DEFRA responded to the 2003 Inquiry by continuing the block grant for 6 years at £5m, with a further £3.5M in year 7 and £2.0M in year 8 (2011)[3]. Unfortunately, at the present time (2023), the 2003 extant infrastructure is now highly depleted, Kirton and Efford have closed, East Malling (EMR) is now operated by NIAB but with c. 80 to 100 staff (c. ½ to ⅔ that reported in 2003). A much-reduced Wellesbourne is now integrated within the School of Life Sciences at the University of Warwick. Both EMR and Wellesbourne still conduct internationally significant horticulture research but at lower than the historic mean scale. In addition, over the same period there has been an erosion of university higher education, and associated research provision, only the University of Reading is globally ranked for horticulture (Edurank @47th in 2022) and no longer provides a BSc qualification in the subject.

5. However, since 2014 and following the Beddington Foresight review[4], horticulture has attracted new funding from UK government investment in agricultural innovation (AgTech) including the AgTech Catalyst and the more recent DEFRA Farming Innovation Programs (FIP). Details of awarded grants are available from Innovate UK and this respondent’s own analysis[5] suggests that since 2014 horticulture (fresh produce and ornamentals) projects have attracted £25.8M (£2.9M/yr) of public support, matched with £21.8M (£2.4M/yr) of private sector co-investment across 82 projects. Of the public funds awarded for projects £9.2M were allocated to academics and research organisations. This included 29 different Universities and 5 Research Organisations, the three largest “project” recipients were the Universities of Lincoln (£1.6M), NIAB EMR (£1.5M) and James Hutton (£1.4M). The AgTech centres (CHAP and Agri-EPI) received £0.5M funding between them across 8 projects. Horticulture growers and trading companies (66 separate organisations) received £5.4M of that funding support and provided £5.7M of match.  However, a single award to vertical farming company InFarm (£1.87M public plus £1.87M) accounted for a significant proportion of the industry funding. Berry Garden Growers were the most active industry partner, receiving £0.5M of public support (£0.6M match) across 13 awards. The remainder of the public funding (c.£11.2M) was largely awarded to technology or supply chain partners. Of all the awards, the funding foci has been on technology development, not least the development of robotic systems, AI and data platforms as well as new production systems including vertical farms. Innovate UK projects demonstrate some of the key innovation vectors driving change in horticulture; the need to use data to drive productivity (labour, yield, waste reduction and environment) and next generation production systems (e.g., vertical farms). As such the projects are highly interdisciplinary and attracted new investors and technology developers to the sector. This is highlighted by LIAT at the University of Lincoln that specialises in interdisciplinary research, it was only founded in 2015, but has received significant peer reviewed Innovate UK funding (£1.6M).

6. There has also been some significant capital funding, in 2020 NIAB-EMR and the Universities of Kent and Greenwich were awarded a UKRI Strength in Place Bid (Growing Kent and Medway) that included a public allocation of £11.7M for capital at EMR and support for university infrastructure. In 2018 James Hutton received £62M from the Tay Cities Deal for their Advanced Plant Growth Centre which supports research for the vertical farming sector, as well as other agricultural and horticultural crops of regional interest. Lincoln also benefitted from £6.3M of UKRI-Research England support that underpinned the creation of Lincoln Agri Robotics. An award that provided £2.3M of capital facilities with the remainder to build human resource capacity and projects. This supports horticulture as well as wider agricultural (crops) research. All three of these capital awards were funded from non-traditional horticulture funding sources, two (NIAB-EMR and James Hutton) were from “place-based funds”. These “place-based” initiatives leveraged the local strength of the horticultural industrial sector to secure funding from UKRI-BEIS and Scottish Government.

7. It is clear that the recent Innovate UK “AgTech” activity has drawn in a wider range of public and private funding stakeholders and enabled the diversification of the underpinning research base. In the respondents’ view, this diversity expansion (note the number of HEI’s funded) has delivered much higher levels of interdisciplinary innovation (e.g., robotics, artificial intelligence, vertical farming) for the horticulture sector. An interdisciplinary focus creates a responsive and resilient innovation culture necessary to underpin complex sectors, such as horticulture. In particular, interdisciplinarity enables research to respond within sectors (horticulture) with high levels of niche requirements or where high-speed adaption is required in response to new market, legislation and environmental challenges. An interdisciplinary focus also maps to the inherent nature of most horticultural businesses; workers and managers deal on a day-to-day basis with advanced engineering technologies, digital challenges whilst optimising biological and economic systems.

8. Horticulture has always received support from UKRI basic science as well as devolved nation funding, unfortunately there does not seem to be any publicly available evidence to show how and if this support has changed over the last 20 years.

9. Of specific and pressing concern, until 2021 the sector also paid £8.1M/yr into the now ceased statutory AHDB levy which supported £5.2M of research and knowledge exchange activity[6]. Much of this activity will now be lost, although some of the AHDB’s activities, not least those associated with off label pesticide approvals, will be transferred to Horticulture Crop Protection Ltd (HCP Ltd) but likely at a lower levy rate and scope (EAMU’s, off label approvals and regulation compliance).  Whilst the reasons for the AHDB cessation are well versed, the net loss of funding is of significant concern.

10.         Of note, AHDB funded activities were openly directed to support all statutory levy payers and designed to prevent market failure. This fundamentally differs to Innovate UK funds which supports delivery of both private and public goods. In effect, the AHDB model asked growers to fund the up-front costs and risk of innovation, whilst under the Innovate UK model the assumption is that growers should be able to purchase and exploit proven, derisked, IP funded by third parties.  The Innovate UK model works well where the market can provide innovation to secure private goods required by horticulture companies. It is not necessarily designed to prevent general market failures, or provide a long term and skilled strategic research infrastructure that expands underpinning basic knowledge or specific public needs. Pre 2003, HRI had that strategic remit, backed by core DEFRA and UKRI long term and responsive funding.  In addition, the now ceased AHDB (formerly the HDC) had a key role working with DEFRA to inform strategic research priorities.

11.         However, with the loss of the AHDB, the sector might lose strategic research and innovation leadership. Leadership is required to foresight future challenges (e.g., digitisation, response to climate change, abiotic and biotic threats, gene editing, wider market failures, response to wider government policies including Immigration and Net Zero) and ensure the research base has sufficient scale (human resources), skills and infrastructure to respond to those challenges. The current Innovate system whilst it has merits is highly market led.  Yet, market failure within the horticulture sector could lead to direct and nationally significant food security issues. Such a food security issue was manifest in March 2023 (fresh produce rationing). In addition, sector labour constraints as a result of post Brexit Immigration policy have significantly increased business risk and uncertainty. This uncertainty will increase, not least as we have to deal with climate change and the drive to net zero. Long term strategic research funding is essential to mitigate these risks and potential impacts.

12.         More positively, the DEFRA Food Strategy[7] recognised the role of an expanded fresh produce sector to improve healthy diets for society and reduce food imports. Growth of the sector to deliver these goals will be dependent upon UK growers achieving concurrent world class economic and environmental productivity. Research and innovation have to be a key policy driver to deliver this objective. Many of the challenges now facing the sector are globally significant, resolution will likely require international collaboration (whether in the EU or elsewhere), but this will only be delivered if the UK science base is credible to other partners. 

13.        It is clear that over the last 20 years the funding and innovation landscape for horticultural research and innovation has changed. In the respondent’s opinion, in 2003 EFRA rightly acknowledged that UK horticultural science was “World Class”. However, in 2023, despite encouraging initiatives such as the AgTech Catalyst and Defra FIP programs, the last 20 years have seen a vector of decline in UK horticultural science. This will be accelerated by the loss of AHDB funding, however, the research and innovation required to support sector challenges remains significant, in some cases daunting (climate change, automation, abiotic and biotic threats, energy costs, inflation, changed regulations).  The industry faces the next 20 years without the underpinning science base of 2003. In addition, the extent of the funding landscape and future direction is now highly complex and needs comprehensive review. In the view of the respondent, the case should be considered for the re-establishment of DEFRA strategic funding, or a realignment of existing long term UKRI budgets, towards horticulture research.  This would support the long term vibrance of a critical and innovative sector of the UK economy whilst underpinning food security for all. In the respondents’ view, UK horticultural science can no longer be claimed to be “world class”, it has “elements of world leadership”. Relatively modest government investment or re prioritisation could quickly reverse a 20 year vector of decline and provide the science base to support our critical horticultural industry.

Seasonal Migrant Workers, Robotics and Automation

14.         I was pleased to Co-Chair the recent independent DEFRA Automation in Horticulture Review, published in July 2022[8]. The review was commissioned following the widely reported and significant labour supply challenges driven by changes to post Brexit immigration policy. These were highlighted by the EFRA Inquiry into “Labour Shortages in the Food and Farming Sector”[9]. The review was commissioned since automation technologies and investment would provide a permanent solution to the labour supply issues. It could drive productivity, especially within key horticultural sectors that have a high dependency upon seasonal workers. These workers are typically required to selectively harvest crops or work in packhouses.

15.         The review was commissioned to take a balanced multi-perspective view as to why horticultural producers might not have adopted an innovation and when, whether and how advanced technologies such as robotics might be available at scale. The review made 7 key recommendations across three themes (“Mind the Gap”, “Collaboration” and “Technology Alone is Not a Solution”) which were; 

1: Defra should consider pursuing a long-term Seasonal Workers Scheme for edible and ornamental horticulture starting in 2022.

2: Defra should consider convening a consortium that brings together UK government departments, horticulture industry and technology companies to drive significant adoption of available and proven technologies by growers.

3: Defra should consider launching a robotic crop harvester mission to fast-track innovative research and development of systems currently in the 'valley of death'.

4: Defra should consider leading a review of financial and fiscal support for automation in horticulture.

5: The sector should identify, develop, and share automation infrastructure best practice among growers to help them transition from labour-intensive to technology-intensive operations.

6: The sector should develop its future skills pipelines and consider ways to attract and retain skilled staff.

7: The sector should seek greater representation for horticulture and technology supply chain delegates at regulatory-legislative working groups on next generation robotics.

16.         The formal response to the review has yet to be published, but some progress has been since the review, including the award of 45,000 rather than 35,000 seasonal agricultural workers for 2023. This new policy partially supports “Recommendation 1” of the review. Whilst this response is encouraging in the short term, it is still very clear that automation technologies are urgently needed to address the longer-term response to the labour supply issues, these require the delivery of “Recommendations 2 to 7”.  Delivering Recommendations 2 to 7 will require private and public sector leadership over the long term and significant underpinning innovation investment in the development of robotic systems by government and the private sector. The returns from such investment would be significant, not least the decoupling of the horticulture sector from seasonal migrant workers, some relief for the associated societal immigration issues and also the potential export of UK manufactured robotics systems to overseas markets.

17.         Some progress to secure funding has been made, this includes the allocation of £12.5M of DEFRA FIP grants[10] for collaborative research to drive agricultural robotic innovation. In addition, the recent award of the £3.8M Defra FIP AGRI-OPENCORE project[11] is encouraging. This seeks to deliver robotic systems for strawberry and tomato harvesting that are at human cost parity in three years. The AGRI-OPENCORE consortium is led by APS Salads, along with robotic companies Dogtooth, Xihelm and Wootzano and academic input from the University of Lincoln11. The programme meets several of the review recommendations, it is highly collaborative and focussed, though not at the “mission” scale anticipated in “recommendation 3”. To truly deliver robotic systems at pace and scale probably requires a significant project akin to the “Ventilator Challenge” delivered as a response to the COVID pandemic. It should draw in a much wider pool of expertise from industry and academia, working in step with the horticulture industry. The key technical challenges are to develop the underpinning artificial intelligence (AI) that can understand complex biological diverse systems, as well as low cost and reliable robotic platforms that reduce capital and operational costs. Reliability can only be established after many months of operational performance on farms.

18.         Whilst AGRI-OPENCORE is encouraging it is only developing solutions for two horticulture crops, strawberries and tomatoes. However, since the publication of the review we are now aware of projects either in the UK or globally that are developing platforms to harvest apples, asparagus, broccoli, cucumbers, peppers, lettuce, grapes, raspberries, mushrooms, blueberries and courgettes. This level of innovation is encouraging and reflects the global need for horticulture automation robotics. The risk though is that there are too many small projects, many of which may fail. The robotics sector as well as the horticulture sector needs commercial adoption and success to drive onward investment in systems and research. The respondents’ contention is that all would gain by delivering the Reviews recommendations in full and at pace.

19.         Whilst selective harvesting is an ultimate challenge, robotic systems are already being commercialised as technologies to control pests and diseases. In the UK, Saga Robotics working with the University of Lincoln eradicated powdery mildew across 35ha of commercial table-top strawberries by autonomously applying UVC at night with a robot[12]. This replaced the use of all fungicide treatments for the crop, but for UVC safety the treatment can only be deployed with an autonomous robot. In addition, weeding robotic systems are now being deployed at scale across the globe. These systems have been developed to control weeds with minimal use of herbicides, using cameras with AI to precisely target specialist hoes or even lasers.

20.         The first camera guided platforms emerged following UK innovation that included funding from MAFF-LINK research programs conducted at Silsoe Research Institute (BBSRC-SRI). The research started in 1993[13] and was commercialised by Garford Farm Machinery in 2004.  This SRI research took >10 years for commercialisation. SRI was the UK’s world leading agricultural engineering research institute until its closure in 2006.  Since then, multiple robotic weeding platforms have been developed globally, and received >$500M in VC and corporate funding (John Deere acquired the start-up Blue River Technology Inc for $305M). Technologies entering the market include camera guided hoes, laser weeders and precision sprayers. By directly targeting weeds with herbicide or crop plant with insecticides or fungicides, a recent review showed precision sprayers can reduce chemical use by 23 to 89%[14]. These technologies were pioneered for UK horticulture but are now being commercialised across all arable crops worldwide[15].

21.         The worldwide reach of this technology reflects the global reduction of available synthetic chemicals to agriculture (no new herbicide mode of action has been discovered in over 40 years), resistance in the global weed population to glyphosphate (so weeds are beginning to defeat genetically modified organisms such as RoundUp ReadyTM crops) and environmental pressure to reduce use of pesticides (note EU Farm to Fork calls for a 50% reduction in chemical use by 2030). This robotic and AI innovation emerged from UK science and will have global reach not just in horticulture but all of agriculture. It fully articulates the need for strategic UK science working in tandem with growers and technology partners.

22.         SRI has now been lost, but our proposition is that AI and robotics can lead horticultural as well as agricultural transformation. These systems can drive economic and environmental productivity and assure the availability of UK grown affordable and healthy food for all in society.   The UK is in the vanguard of international agri-robotic development.  A globally leading position, and impact delivery for all in society, would be secured by delivering the recommendations of the Defra Automation for Horticulture Review in full.

10 May 2023