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New Farming Innovation Programme funding for growers
DEFRA recently announced two new funding competitions under the Farming Innovation Programme (FIP) opening this Autumn for farmers and growers. Firstly, there is Small R&D Partnerships (Round 4) – worth £7.8 million – and secondly is Feasibility Studies (Round 4) – worth £4.8 million. Both grant opportunities are focused on innovative projects but at different…
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Energy Market Update – August 2025
July Recap Hot and windless weather caused some issues for renewables and imported power during the month. Whilst domestically, gas was the majority source of electricity, high river temperatures in France saw some reductions in output from their nuclear fleet in response to cooling reactors. For the most part, prices decreased for gas, however…
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GrowSave Workshop 2025: Take the Lead in Carbon Reporting
Experience a full demonstration of horticulture-specific carbon reporting tools with expert presentations and interactive sessions. Venue: Warwick Crop Centre, University of Warwick Innovation Campus, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV35 9EFTime & Date: Wednesday 17 September 2025 | 10:00–16:00 Welcome to the GrowSave Summer Workshop on Carbon Reporting! Join us at University of Warwick Innovation Campus on Wednesday 17 September, 2025 at…
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Energy Market Update – July 2025
June recap In the wake of the US’s part in bombings in Iran, prices soared before quickly eroding. Curiously in the wake of these strikes, ceasefires were observed in both the Ukraine/Russia and Iran/Israel/Palestine conflicts, albeit these were short lived. Trade wars between the US and other nations, mainly China also played a part in…
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New CCA Scheme set to launch in January 2026 for Pig, Poultry, and Horticulture Sectors
The UK Government has confirmed that a new phase of the Climate Change Agreements (CCA) scheme will begin in January 2026, offering businesses in the Pig, Poultry, and Horticulture sectors a valuable opportunity to reduce energy costs and support net-zero goals. This blog provides a quick overview of what’s coming and what you should be…
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Energy Market Update – June 2025
May recap An interesting month in Energy, the EU outlines plans to sanction any remaining Russian gas and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) into member states. LNG was targeted by the end of the year which is ambitious. Hungary and Slovakia in particular objected to the initial plans but the roadmap set a clear state of…
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Robotics & Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Horticulture
Introduction It seems that one cannot attend a conference or read a trade publication without hearing the terms ‘robotics’ or ‘artificial intelligence’. Although their overuse occasionally enters buzzword territory, there is genuine innovation happening in the sector with value which is worth exploring. Broadly, Robotics refers to physical systems designed to carry out tasks with…
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Energy Market Update – May 2025
April Recap A relatively tepid month in energy news. Gas outperformed wind in electricity generation, for context in April 2024 wind produced over twice what gas managed. UK gas storage diverged from last year’s position. During April 2024 injections were commonplace in the lead up to the 1st of the annual Norwegian maintenance windows. However,…
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Energy Market Update – April 2025
March Recap Overall, March turned out to be a relatively stable month price-wise. Although gas outperformed wind by 1.1TWh, overall power demand was down by around the same amount from February. Positive steps were seemingly made towards peace in the Ukraine with the commencement of peace talks. However, nothing solid materialised in the talks between…
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Energy Market Update – March 2025
February Recap February saw a mix of conditions in both gas and power pricing. The first 10 days saw sharp price rises with continued momentum from January. Prices then swiftly decreased, settling back to levels seen in mid-December before the price hikes. Three main factors drove these price increases: Firstly, the fall out of Donald…
