Agriculture
The farming and agricultural sector are constantly forced to evolve to survive in this industry. R&D tax credits can help to sustain this innovation.
Examples of eligible R&D activities:
- Reducing energy use and becoming more environmentally-friendly
- Developing new types of crop varieties / breeds
- Optimising crops to improve quality and resistance to environmental threats
- Improving machinery & harvesting processes to retain high quality produce
- Introducing bespoke software / hardware to automate or streamline operations
- Diversifying into untried areas, such as packaging, alternative produce, etc.
Case study
Based in East Yorkshire, a potato farmer has received just over £100,000 in R&D tax credits for a first claim covering two years. The company have developed, packaged and distributed new potato varieties.
Research and development is carried out to achieve the quality standards set by the British Retail Council (BRC), developing handling and traceability procedures, controlling production with performance charts, developing customer weight grading facilities, and more. New technology will ensure that UK farmers can continue to grow world-class produce in an environmentally-friendly way. The dedicated team are working to develop top-range harvester machinery and bespoke in-house software to manage all aspects of operation.