Nearly 60 businesses and partners attended the Agritech and Agrifood Industry event at Pershore College on Wednesday 3 October.

The event brought together leading figures from business, government departments and education to discuss the current industry issues and opportunities for growth within the agritech and agrifood sector. Some of the key themes discussed at the event ranged from the impact of Brexit to the importance of technological implementation and promoting the county’s ‘hidden’ success stories.

Attendees were able to draw upon the insights of Steve Corby, CEO of industry leading company Kanes Foods, before hearing an overview of the direction of the county’s agri sector from Gary Woodman, Chief Executive of Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). The event then focused on the new and existing support available to businesses from Rose Judeh-Elwell of Agri Tech West, Helen Cameron of Worcestershire Food and Drink Association and Professor Roy Kennedy of Pershore College.

The event was hosted by WCG Worcestershire in partnership with Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, Worcestershire Business Central, Agri Tech West and Worcestershire Food and Drink Association.

Gary Woodman, Chief Executive of Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “We were delighted to be able to welcome a good number of leading figures from the agritech industry to the round table event. We are always keen to hear from Worcestershire’s business community about their barriers and opportunities to grow and this event has provided us with some interesting ideas to support this sector with such huge potential.”

Roy Kennedy, Professor in Agri-Tech Research & Development at Pershore College added: “it’s clear from today’s discussions that we are all keen to solve the skills issue in food production. The key now is for us all to work together – employers, schools, local government and colleges – to make sure our young people see food production as an exciting career choice in the future.”

For more information on Worcestershire Food and Drink Association and its plans to promote the county’s foods on the national stage, view their website www.worcestershirefoodanddrink.co.uk

For more information on Agri Tech West and the support it is providing to help grow Agri Tech businesses, visit their website www.agritechwest.com/about