Delivered in partnership with Innovate UK, FIP supports innovative projects that strengthen farm profitability, creates new market opportunities and drives productivity and sustainable growth of the agricultural sector.
The programme plays a key role in the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, advancing agri-tech as part of the Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan.
Boosting low emissions farming
The eight low emissions farming projects aim to develop ambitious new solutions that accelerate UK agriculture’s transition to low emission practices.
Projects from this portfolio span low emission dairy farming, healthier livestock through improved drinking water, carbon‑negative fertilisers, peatland restoration, and new ways to process agricultural and livestock waste.
Together, these innovations have the potential to boost farm productivity, strengthen business resilience and enhance long‑term environmental sustainability across UK agriculture.
This investment strengthens the UK’s food security while stimulating economic growth, and supports a more competitive, low emission farming sector.
Low emission dairy feed
The dairy sector has a major opportunity to cut emissions by adopting innovative feed solutions that enhance sustainability, strengthen domestic supply chains, and reduce dependence on imported protein sources.
McArthur Agriculture’s project will trial UK‑grown faba‑bean feed ingredients within a regenerative farming approach to improve feed quality, maintain yield and cut greenhouse gas emissions in English dairy systems.
The aim is to cut methane emissions while maintaining yield, with commercial trials providing robust data on performance, cost-effectiveness and implementation.
Replacing soy and reducing methane could cut emissions by over two million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent each year while improving domestic feed resilience and supporting more sustainable crop rotations.
Precision‑bred crop innovation
The seven precision breeding projects will develop new crop traits that enhance sustainability, resilience and productivity, while supporting farmers to diversify future income streams across England’s arable and horticultural sectors.
Projects will utilise precision breeding technologies in several ways including protection against major diseases, developing UK-grown natural rubber, increasing wheat productivity, and creating climate-resilient industrial hemp varieties.
These innovations aim to improve yield, strengthen resistance to pests, diseases and climate stress, enhance nutritional value and shelf life, and deliver a range of other benefits for farmers.
This investment boosts the UK’s capacity for world‑leading crop innovation, helping farmers access leading technologies enabled by the Precision Breeding Act and supporting a more productive, competitive agricultural economy.
Climate-smart hemp
The UK has strong potential to scale climate-resilient hemp, creating new opportunities for sustainable fibre and bio-based materials production.
In a project led by Precision Plants, they will use advanced plant‑breeding techniques to explore improvements of high‑value hemp varieties tailored to UK industry needs.
The new lines aim to improve fibre quality and dual‑purpose performance, supporting flexible rotations and emerging circular economy markets.
This could strengthen domestic supply chains, create new revenue streams for rural communities, and position the UK as a leader in advanced, sustainable crop production.
Driving innovation for a resilient farming future
Andy Cureton, Director of AgriFood Systems at Innovate UK said:
Working in partnership with Defra, we are driving growth in the UK agri-tech sector by accelerating the development, commercialisation, and adoption of transformative technologies that help create a more sustainable and profitable farming sector.
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.
Further information
Low emission farming projects
Innovative faba bean feed ingredients: enteric methane abatement and feed carbon intensity reduction in English dairy systems
Led by: McArthur Agriculture Ltd
The InFaba Project is developing homegrown pulse-based feed ingredients that have the potential to cut dairy methane emissions and replace imported soya bean meal.
Feed less, waste less, emit less: transforming monogastric farming with hyper-oxygenated water
Led by: Oxcel Ltd
The project develops and validates a plug-in water treatment service that helps poultry and pig farms:
- improve animal welfare
- boost productivity
- cut emissions
- increase profits
BIO-PHAGE-UK: applying biological and phage biostimulants for greenhouse gas emissions mitigation in UK agriculture
Led by: Terrafarmer Agriculture Ltd
Bio-Phage UK combines phage technology and biological inputs to:
- cut nitrous oxide emissions
- improve nitrogen efficiency
- support productive, low-emissions farming systems
BioBLEND: carbon-negative fertilisers for UK cereal production
Led by: Cefetra Ltd
BioBLEND turns farm waste into biochar based fertiliser, helping UK farmers:
- cut costs
- reduce synthetic nitrogen and emissions
- improve soils
- deliver permanent carbon storage in agriculture
RePeat
Led by: Pollybell Farms Ltd
HyDigest: a novel pathway for regenerative organic fertiliser and optimised biomethane production
Led by: HydroStar Europe Ltd
HyDigest turns digestate into clean energy and slow-release fertiliser, helping farming:
- cut emissions
- lower costs
- improve soil health
- support renewable gas generation
Large scale electromethanogenic reactor (EMR) technology to process agricultural waste and better manage digestate
Led by: Wase Ltd
The project will scale advanced EMR biomethane technology, helping farms:
- cut carbon
- improve waste management
- accelerate the transition to low emission agriculture
CLEAR-FARM: carbon and livestock emissions abatement via recovery and manure management
Led by: CCM Technologies Ltd
CLEAR-FARM is a project demonstrating novel treatments of poultry litter for next generation fertiliser.
Precision breeding projects
Scaling gene editing induced gene silencing (GEiGS) for virus yellows resistance in sugar beet
Led by: British Sugar PLC
This project aims to implement precision bred solutions across commercially relevant sugar beet varieties, to enable resistance to virus yellows in UK grown sugar beet.
ExtendDNA: solving the #1 problem in plant biology engineering, making long DNA sequences
Led by: Newcleic Ltd
Leading UK plant scientists, bioprocess engineers, and a biotech start-up unite to create flexible tools for making stronger and more adaptable crops faster and cheaper.
QuBOOSTR: quality bioengineering for optimised output and sustainable technologies in rubber producing crops
Led by: QuberTech Ltd
QuBOOSTR is developing high-yield rubber producing crops that grow in the UK, using precision breeding and controlled farming to create a secure, sustainable natural rubber supply for our future.
Light leaf spot enhancing resistance and reducing susceptibility with editing (LLS ERASED)
Led by: Bofin Farmers Ltd
This farmer-led project will bring game-changing, precision-bred oilseed rape technology onto commercial farms for the first time across Europe, with truly risk-based, data-driven disease decision support.
AUTOTOM: reimagining tomato production through precision breeding and automation
Led by: Cambridge Glasshouse Company Ltd
The Autotom project will shrink our best tomato plants allowing high density growing, removing all labour from the greenhouse, significantly improving yields while maintaining quality.
Precision-bred hemp: unlocking sustainable, productive and profitable farming in England
Led by: Precision Plants Ltd
This project is developing highly productive, sustainable and regulatory-complaint hemp varieties, enabling English farmers access to new, high-demand, profitable crops that capture carbon and improve soil health.
Sunshine tomatoes: a farming future through precision breeding
Led by: John Innes Enterprises Ltd
John Innes Enterprises and the John Innes Centre are developing a precision-bred ‘sunshine tomato’ boosted with provitamin D3, which could help address vitamin D deficiency.