What’s ahead for UK agribusiness? • Agri-tech acceleration: Robotics, AIpowered analytics, and precision systems are becoming central to supply chain efficiency and crop management. The government’s AgriScale initiative is helping scale these technologies from prototype to commercial reality. • Sustainability and net-zero: Businesses are under pressure to reduce emissions, regenerate soils, and meet biodiversity targets. Carbon farming and regenerative practices are moving from niche to necessity. • Supply chain resilience: Post-Brexit and post-pandemic realities have exposed vulnerabilities. Shorter, smarter supply chains and domestic sourcing are now strategic priorities. • Policy reform and funding: New Environmental Land Management schemes, inheritance tax changes, and innovation grants are reshaping business models and succession planning. • Consumer-driven change: Demand for organic, plant-based, and locally sourced products is influencing everything from production to packaging. But talent remains the critical lever. Despite technological progress, many agribusinesses are still waiting for longserving leaders to retire a transition that’s as emotional as it is operational. Succession planning is essential, yet often delayed. We must support these transitions with empathy and strategy, ensuring continuity without stagnation. At the same time, we face acute shortages in key roles: agronomists, feed sales professionals, technical specialists and the pipeline isn’t keeping pace. Too often, we speak to businesses searching for talent in shrinking pools, unaware that the solution may lie outside the sector. 22 25 Years of De Lacy Executive recruitment As De Lacy Executive celebrates 25 years, we do so at a time when British agribusiness is undergoing profound transformation. The next five years will bring rapid developments from automation and AI to sustainability mandates and shifting global trade dynamics. But the question remains: do we have the right people in the right seats to truly flourish? THE FUTURE OF BRITISH AGRIBUSINESS Are the Right People in the Right Seats? PHOTO: RTUN – stock.adobe.com
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