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<p>Defra’s investment in agricultural research over the past 10 years can be categorised
as follows:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td rowspan="2"><p>Financial year</p></td><td
colspan="5"><p>Research spend (£million)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Farming</p></td><td><p>Agri-environment</p></td><td><p>Soils</p></td><td><p>Animal
health & welfare</p></td><td><p><strong>Total</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2004/2005</p></td><td><p>37.0</p></td><td><p>2.7</p></td><td><p>1.2</p></td><td><p>38.5</p></td><td><p><strong>79.4</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2005/2006</p></td><td><p>35.7</p></td><td><p>2.8</p></td><td><p>1.3</p></td><td><p>37.9</p></td><td><p><strong>77.8</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2006/2007</p></td><td><p>29.1</p></td><td><p>2.7</p></td><td><p>1.1</p></td><td><p>38.6</p></td><td><p><strong>71.5</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2007/2008</p></td><td><p>25.0</p></td><td><p>1.6</p></td><td><p>1.0</p></td><td><p>37.3</p></td><td><p><strong>64.9</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2008/2009</p></td><td><p>22.7</p></td><td><p>1.8</p></td><td><p>0.8</p></td><td><p>34.1</p></td><td><p><strong>59.4</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009/2010</p></td><td><p>26.0</p></td><td><p>1.8</p></td><td><p>1.4</p></td><td><p>31.9</p></td><td><p><strong>61.1</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010/2011</p></td><td><p>23.0</p></td><td><p>1.9</p></td><td><p>1.3</p></td><td><p>32.9</p></td><td><p><strong>59.0</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011/2012</p></td><td><p>23.5</p></td><td><p>2.1</p></td><td><p>1.6</p></td><td><p>30.7</p></td><td><p><strong>57.8</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012/2013</p></td><td><p>21.1</p></td><td><p>2.0</p></td><td><p>1.7</p></td><td><p>27.4</p></td><td><p><strong>52.1</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013/2014</p></td><td><p>16.2</p></td><td><p>1.1</p></td><td><p>1.8</p></td><td><p>24.5</p></td><td><p><strong>43.5</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>
</p><p>The majority of this investment was in applied research.</p><p> </p><p>The
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council’s (BBSRC) investment in agriculture-related
research has steadily increased over the past 10 years. The expenditure can be broken
down as follows:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td rowspan="2"><p>Financial Year</p></td><td
colspan="3"><p>Research spend (£million)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Basic</p></td><td><p>Applied</p></td><td><p><strong>Total</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2004/05</p></td><td><p>16</p></td><td><p>42.2</p></td><td><p><strong>58.2</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2005/06</p></td><td><p>22</p></td><td><p>45.1</p></td><td><p><strong>67.1</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2006/07</p></td><td><p>26.5</p></td><td><p>44.7</p></td><td><p><strong>71.2</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2007/08</p></td><td><p>28</p></td><td><p>47.1</p></td><td><p><strong>75.2</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2008/09</p></td><td><p>33</p></td><td><p>50.8</p></td><td><p><strong>83.8</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009/10</p></td><td><p>33.3</p></td><td><p>56.4</p></td><td><p><strong>89.6</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010/11</p></td><td><p>30.7</p></td><td><p>57.5</p></td><td><p><strong>88.2</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011/12</p></td><td><p>30.9</p></td><td><p>60.6</p></td><td><p><strong>91.6</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012/13</p></td><td><p>23.1</p></td><td><p>66</p></td><td><p><strong>89.2</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013/14</p></td><td><p>27.7</p></td><td><p>67.1</p></td><td><p><strong>94.9</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>
</p><p>Department for International Development (DfID) has invested the following
amounts in agricultural research over the past decade:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Financial
Year</p></td><td><p>Research spend (£million)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2004/2005</p></td><td><p>37.1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2005/2006</p></td><td><p>38.6</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2006/2007</p></td><td><p>35.9</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2007/2008</p></td><td><p>38.3</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2008/2009</p></td><td><p>40.6</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009/2010</p></td><td><p>65.1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010/2011</p></td><td><p>67.9</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011/2012</p></td><td><p>86.9</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012/2013</p></td><td><p>69.2</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013/2014</p></td><td><p>94.9</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>
</p><p>As with Defra, the majority of this investment was in applied research.</p><p>
</p><p>Together, Defra, BBSRC, and DfID’s investments in agricultural research account
for more than three-quarters of the total spend by public bodies in this area. Smaller,
but significant investments are made by the devolved administrations and other research
councils., The Scottish Government, for example, annually invests around £50 million
in research on rural affairs, food, and environment. A substantial proportion of this
investment is focussed on both basic and applied agricultural science research.</p><p>
</p><p>Figures on the total government spend on research across all categories are
held by the Office of National Statistics. However, information regarding total public
investment in agricultural research and development (R&D) as a proportion of total
Government spending on R&D across all categories is not readily available.</p><p>
</p><p>Defra is currently working with the Department for Business, Innovation and
Skills (BIS) to deliver Action 1 of the Agri-Tech Strategy: a comprehensive mapping
and evaluation of both private and government funding for research into agricultural
technologies. This exercise will determine the total spend on agricultural R&D
in the UK, categorise agricultural research investments by topic and identify the
relative proportions of funding for basic and applied agricultural research in the
UK. The findings of this work will be published next year.</p>
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