Growing skills and innovation.

The UK fresh produce sector is highly labour-intensive, relying heavily on manual harvesting and packing. To ensure the sector has the right skills and workforce, and to support the transition to automation, the government will: 

Extend the Seasonal Worker visa route for another five years (2025-2029) with 43,000 visas available in 2025. Details for 2026-2029 quotas will be determined after sector discussions in 2024. 

Boost automation in horticulture with up to £50 million in funding for packhouse automation, increasing support for agri-innovation within the farming innovation budget. This includes grants for robotic and automatic equipment through Defra FIF schemes. 

Accelerate automation adoption by collaborating with the Food and Drink Sector Council’s (FDSC’s) Automation Project Group and enhancing government, industry, and education collaboration through the FDSC’s Future Skills Project Group. 

Assure investors of government support for the horticulture sector to encourage investment. 

Invest an additional £15m in the Genetic Improvement Networks (GINs), establishing a new GIN for soft fruits, and confirming research contracts from July 2024 to June 2029. 

Implement the Precision Breeding Act with secondary legislation, enabling faster development and market introduction of new products, with commercial varieties potentially ready by 2027. 

Facilitate market routes for precision-bred varieties by working closely with industry and plant breeding sectors, and hosting collaborative events like the UK Agri-Tech Centre event in 2024.