A new agricultural forum has been launched by the UK Government to create a collaborative approach to the issues facing the industry in every part of the country.
The UK Agriculture Partnership (UKAP) will bring together farmers, environmental groups, agricultural colleges, research institutes, farmers’ unions and agri-tech centres to explore topics such as the role of science and technology in supporting food production, and solutions to reduce pollution and carbon emissions in the sector.
Announcing the partnership, UK Environment Secretary George Eustice said it would tackle some of the challenges all four nations have in common, “from enriching our soils and reducing the environmental impacts of agriculture, to how best use technology and science to boost our food production ambitions.”
The first meeting of the partnership took place this week and focused on finding solutions for improving water quality across the farming industry.
Ministers and officials from the devolved administrations will be invited to participate in meetings and hear directly from attendees on the range of technical issues.
The government said the meetings would be topical so bespoke invite list will be created for each event to include stakeholders with relevant expertise and interest in that particular topic.
Scotland Office Minister Malcolm Offord said: “I welcome the launch of the UK Agriculture Partnership and look forward to it helping us lead the way in addressing challenges such as biodiversity decline, helping reach net zero targets and growing the food needed to feed the planet.”