How robotics can help sustain the future of agriculture
- louisegoldsmith1
- 15 hours ago
- 2 min read
According to recent government data, the UK’s agriculture sector employs around 452,900 people, representing just 1.3% of the national workforce. However, despite the initial small percentage, this number continues to decline. In England alone, the number of people working on farms fell by almost 2% between 2024 and 2025, highlighting an ongoing shift in the structure of the rural workforce and the way farms now operate.
Rising operational costs, changing demographics, and increasing pressure to boost productivity are challenging the long-term resilience of the food supply chain. This leaves the UK’s agricultural industry at a pivotal point. Farmers are being asked to produce more with fewer resources, and to do so sustainably, efficiently, and competitively.
The age profile of agricultural operators tells part of the story: around 40% of principal farmers are over 65, while just 15% are under 45. This generational shift reflects broader trends across agriculture, as many younger entrants are drawn toward technology-driven or diversified agricultural models rather than traditional, manual farming roles.
These shifts have a ripple effect across the sector, especially in areas such as horticulture, fruit and vegetable production, and dairy; industries that depend on precision, timing, and consistency. As production models evolve, many farms are rethinking how they deploy people, manage peak workloads, and maintain quality standards in increasingly competitive conditions.
The knock-on effects are already visible across the supply chain:
Nearly half of UK growers have reported reducing output in recent years.
Some horticultural businesses have scaled back production by up to 30% since 2020.
In many sectors, workforce and input costs now represent over 40% of total production costs.
Post-Brexit changes, economic pressures, and a tighter global labour market have amplified these challenges. The result is a growing need for innovation; new tools, smarter processes, and technologies that can enhance productivity while maintaining the quality and care that define British farming.
How Robotics Can Help
This is where robotics and intelligent automation can make a profound impact. Modern agricultural robots are no longer experimental; they’re becoming practical partners in the field. Capable of handling delicate crops, performing repetitive or time-sensitive tasks, and capturing data that helps farmers make better decisions.
By integrating robotics into operations, farms can extend human capability. Robots can perform precision harvesting, monitoring, pruning, and maintenance tasks, allowing skilled operators to focus on higher-value work such as crop management and process optimisation.
In this way, robotics doesn’t just address workforce pressures, it redefines what’s possible on the modern farm. It supports sustainability, boosts productivity, and ensures that British agriculture remains competitive in a rapidly evolving global market.
Automation in agriculture isn’t about removing people, it’s about making farming viable for the next generation. Robotics can:
Reduce reliance on seasonal labour
Lower input and labour costs
Increase productivity per worker
Enable data-driven decision making for better yields and sustainability
Attract younger, tech-savvy entrants into the agricultural workforce
By integrating robotics into farming operations today, Extend Robotics are helping ensure the sector can continue feeding the nation tomorrow, efficiently, sustainably, and intelligently.
Find out more today by contacting us here.
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