Experts in agri-tech to highlight new technologies amid labour shortages

Topics will include sensors, data use and connectivity, vertical farming, soft robotics for delicate crops and precision weed control
Topics will include sensors, data use and connectivity, vertical farming, soft robotics for delicate crops and precision weed control

Leading experts in agri-tech, robotics and automation are set to highlight new technologies in light of current labour shortages in horticulture.

Farmers are experiencing losses due to the shortage of migrant labour. In 2017, some horticultural businesses were left with food rotting in fields after more than 4,300 vacancies went unfilled.

In order to confront this issue, experts in technology are set to talk at SmartHort 2019, a two-day conference taking place on 6 and 7 March.

The event will witness labour saving technologies from automated harvesters to lettuce peeling robots.

Improving production systems through innovations in product handling, intelligent production systems and novel crop protection techniques will be explored on day two.

As well as leading UK experts such as Dr Simon Pearson, University of Lincoln, research specialists from around the world, including Wageningen University and Research – Netherlands and the Australian Centre for Field Robotics will be sharing new international developments.

Topics will also include sensors, data use and connectivity, vertical farming, soft robotics for delicate crops, precision weed control and state of the art packhouses.

Gracie Emeny, knowledge exchange manager at AHDB, said: “Labour shortage is a critical issue for our industry. While we recognise most technology currently available won’t directly off-set the immediate challenge, we are committed to exploring potential solutions for the future.”

The UK horticultural sector has a heavily reliance on Europe's migrant pool, with 99 percent of seasonal farm workers coming from eastern Europe. The sector employs 60,000 seasonal staff from the EU annually.