Farming groups welcome grants but say money has been recycled from previous underspend
Farmers in the UK will gain access to robots that can harvest crops in the absence of migrant workers, sensors on tractors to measure the nutrient level of soils, and cow mattresses to help prevent lameness in dairy cattle, under government measures announced on Tuesday.
Mark Spencer, the farming minister, hailed the £168m in grants to farmers as a way for farmers to increase productivity and improve animal health. “The role farmers play in putting food on our tables as well as looking after our countryside is crucial. We know that sustainable food production depends on a healthy environment, the two go hand in hand,” he told the annual National Farmers’ Union conference in Birmingham.