The critical importance of agri-tech to agriculture and food is a key topic which will be discussed at the upcoming new South West AgriTech Showcase next month.

Mel Squires, South West director at the NFU, will be a keynote speaker at the event, to be held on 20 April. “I will be reflecting on how critical agri-tech is to our farming and food supply chains, from farmgate to marketplace,” she says.

“Given the significance of farming to this region, both economically and environmentally, it is crucial that we continue to collaborate. We must work with researchers, practitioners and other stakeholders to enable the sector to be sustainable, productive, profitable and resilient. This is for the benefit of our communities, consumers, business owners and workers, and to help us achieve our ambitions for the environment and reaching net zero,” she adds.

“This event will shine a bright light on all the fantastic effort and work taking place in this part of the world, and beyond. It will inform, connect, inspire and, I hope, encourage people to learn more and see how agri-tech can help their own businesses, which will invite further interest and investment.”

Event themes

Other topics covered at the South West AgriTech Showcase will include the future of regenerative food and farming, with speaker Dr Robin Jackson, director at Agri-tech Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Project. Also, there will be a national agri-tech funding update from Innovate UK, and ‘Agri tech – Addressing the Perception’, from the Gloucestershire Agri tech Partnership – delivered by Ben Thompson at Hartpury and Sarah Carr at the Royal Agricultural University.

Sustainability is a hot topic in both the food and agriculture sectors, and will also be discussed on the day.

Industry collaboration

The event will serve as a chance to bring people together to see the latest advances in agri-tech. “It’s a great opportunity for people involved in the agriculture sector and agri-tech to come together and see some of the technology that’s commercially available in the region as well as the research and development that’s being undertaken,” says councillor Rufus Gilbert, Devon county council cabinet member for economic recovery and skills. “This event aligns with our commitment to farming in the county which we’re demonstrating through the Devon Agri-Tech Alliance (DATA) project and our Future Farming Resilience Project.

“Devon’s agriculture sector plays an important role in our local economy and harnessing the use of technology can help to ensure that it enjoys a sustainable future.”