Colin Hassard, International Trade Adviser
Engineering innovation, world-class animal care and GB & EU market access make Northern Ireland’s Agri-tech solutions more attractive than ever
A rich history
With centuries of tradition in farming and a rich heritage of agricultural innovation, Northern Ireland continues to serve as a proving ground for modern, sustainable farming solutions.
Thanks to our engineering DNA, the region has high levels of food production generating eight times more food than it consumes, according to a recent report from KPMG.*
A long-time leader in developing and testing new innovations, County Down’s own Harry Ferguson patented the three-point hitch system – the technology that changed tractor design and farm management forever. Over a century later, the name Ferguson remains part of the global farming fabric with tractors all over the world bearing his name.
His revolutionary invention, as well as other best-in-class equipment, verified to improve efficiency, is engineered and manufactured all over Northern Ireland. In fact, Northern Ireland produces awarding-winning solutions across the entire Agri-sector. Northern Ireland also has world-renowned expertise in food security and traceability, AI-enabled livestock monitoring systems, specialist sustainable animal feeds and world-class veterinary pharmaceuticals.
Innovative, reliable and easy to access
With 75 per cent of land used for agriculture, farming is our biggest industry and so the region is an excellent testbed for innovation.
The sector is supported by leading research centres including The Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s University, ranked no.1 in the UK for agriculture in both the Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022 and the Complete University Guide 2023, with some 94 per cent of its research considered ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’. In addition, Ulster University’s Nutrition Innovation Centre for Food & Health (NICHE) is the largest centre for nutrition research on the island of Ireland and one of the largest in Europe.
Additionally, given that Belfast is Europe’s leading FDI destination for new software development projects (fDi Markets FT, 2023), it is no surprise that our agri-innovators are leveraging that ICT expertise.
Northern Ireland also has a reputation for delivering high quality, on demand, on time components and equipment around the world. That third-party verified reliability combined with innovation means our Agri-solutions are ever increasingly sought after.
Northern Ireland is also the only place in the world with seamless tariff-free access to GB and EU markets. This makes it easy and cost effective for Agri-businesses to buy our machinery.
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