The UK government has injected £1.34 million into a host of cutting‑edge projects aiming to slash emissions, strengthen domestic supply chains, and accelerate precision-bred crop development. Delivered through DEFRA’s Farming Innovation Programme in partnership with Innovate UK, the funding supports 15 low‑emission farming and precision breeding projects spanning feed innovation, soil health, regenerative systems, and climate‑resilient crops.
Methane‑cutting dairy feed: pulse power replaces soy
One recipient is McArthur Agriculture’s InFaba Project, which is developing UK‑grown faba‑bean feed ingredients to cut dairy methane and replace imported soy.
The team will trial regenerative, pulse‑based feed formulations designed to maintain milk yields while reducing greenhouse gases. Commercial trials will test performance, cost‑effectiveness and practical implementation – data that could help the dairy sector move towards over two million tonnes CO₂e in potential annual emissions reductions by displacing soya meal and lowering methane output.
The project also supports domestic feed resilience by embedding pulses into crop rotations, improving soil structure and reducing fertiliser dependence.
Precision‑bred crops: hemp, tomatoes, rubber and virus‑resistant sugar beet
Several precision breeding projects in the cohort highlight the UK’s ambitions in climate‑smart crops:
- Precision Plants’ climate‑resilient hemp programme is developing high‑value hemp varieties tailored to UK conditions. Improved fibre quality and dual‑purpose performance aim to unlock new bio‑based materials markets while expanding sustainable rotations and strengthening the UK’s circular economy.
- British Sugar’s precision‑bred virus‑yellows‑resistant sugar beet seeks to integrate gene‑edited traits across commercial varieties, addressing one of the UK beet sector’s most persistent disease threats.
- Newcleic’s ExtendDNA project focuses on scalable tools for constructing long DNA sequences, enabling faster development of more resilient crops.
- QuberTech’s QuBOOSTR initiative is pioneering precision‑bred, UK‑grown rubber‑producing crops to create a home‑grown, sustainable natural rubber supply.
- Bofin Farmers’ LLS ERASED project is farmer‑led, aiming to bring precision‑bred oilseed rape with enhanced light‑leaf‑spot resistance into commercial use for the first time in Europe.
- Cambridge Glasshouse Company’s AUTOTOM project aims to redesign tomato greenhouse production through precision breeding and automated greenhouse systems, including conveyor-based harvesting. The project targets labour reductions and yield boosts by integrating smaller plants suited to automation.
- John Innes Enterprises’ Sunshine Tomato aims to boost provitamin D3 to help address UK vitamin D deficiency through precision breeding.
Together, these projects reflect the government’s push to position the UK as a leader in advanced, sustainable crop genetics and commercialisation pathways.
Biochar-based fertiliser: cutting nitrogen, carbon and input costs
A major tranche of the funding supports A Healthier Earth and Cefetra’s BioBLEND initiative, which is scaling a biochar‑based, low‑carbon fertiliser originally developed by Biochar Innovations.
Previous Innovate UK‑supported trials showed 23% lower applied nitrogen with no loss in yield, creating potential value through nitrogen‑avoidance credits, carbon credits, and reduced liming and fuel use. The fertiliser is produced by converting farm residues into biochar and blending it with poultry fly ash – locking carbon away for centuries.
The project will optimise formulations, run farm‑scale trials and validate agronomic benefits to boost farmer confidence in biochar, one of the most promising carbon‑removal technologies yet to achieve mainstream adoption.
Waste‑to‑energy, biostimulants and water innovation
The wider set of projects also includes:
Biology‑driven emissions cuts
- Terrafarmer’s Bio‑Phage UK, integrating phages and biological inputs to reduce nitrous oxide emissions and improve nitrogen efficiency.
Hyper‑oxygenated water for monogastrics
- Oxcel’s water‑treatment system for poultry and pig farms aims to improve welfare, productivity and emissions.
Advanced waste‑to‑energy systems
- HydroStar’s HyDigest converts digestate into clean energy and slow‑release fertiliser.
- Wase’s EMR technology scales electromethanogenic reactors to turn agricultural waste into low‑carbon biomethane.
- CCM Technologies’ CLEAR‑FARM pilots next‑generation fertiliser made from treated poultry litter.
Many of these combine emissions reduction with operational savings, mirroring government priorities in productivity, soil health and energy resilience.
‘Delivering productivity and climate wins’
Andy Cureton, director of agri-food systems at Innovate UK, said the funded projects show how innovation can deliver both environmental and economic benefits:
“These innovations have the potential to reduce emissions, strengthen domestic supply chains, and boost productivity across UK agriculture, supporting long‑term food security and helping farmers adapt to a changing climate.”
A Healthier Earth’s chief R&D officer, Alastair Collier, stressed the importance of providing farmers with proven, economically compelling tools. “Biochar is one of the most promising forms of carbon removal available today,” he said. “The funding will help us engineer a fertiliser that works agronomically, reduces emissions, and creates clear economic value for farmers.”
