MTC Partners with UPP and S&A Produce to Accelerate Agri-Tech Innovation

MTC will work with both SMEs to accelerate the development and commercialisation of their solutions. From now until March 2026, MTC's team will continue to develop the prototype of S&A Produce's EVE - an autonomous robot that carries out key soft-fruit husbandry tasks. They will help the company with scalability and CE certification to ensure the technology can be commercially deployed.

UPP has partnered with MTC to develop the design for manufacture and assembly of its pioneering automated broccoli harvester. Unlike conventional systems that harvest only the heads, UPP's technology captures much of the nutritious stalk - a part of the plant that's usually left to waste in the field. The broccoli stem and stalks can then be separated at a later stage, and transformed into hypoallergenic, plant-based protein and fibre ingredients - unlocking new value from every broccoli plant and helping build a more sustainable food system.

First unveiled by Defra Minister Dame Angela Eagle at last month's World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit, MTC will be delivering the AgriScale pilot in conjunction with the High Value Manufacturing Catapult and Warwick Manufacturing Group.

MTC's Andy Barnes, MD of civilian sectors at MTC says, "We're excited to be part of this pilot programme. By teaming up with UPP and S&A Produce, we can apply our robotics and scale-up expertise to strengthen UK food supply chains and boost food security through smarter, scalable solutions."

Edward Palmer, Group Technical Director at S&A Produce says, "We are very grateful to have been considered and selected for the AgriScale pilot. This support will enable us to complete an important step in our journey towards early commercialisation."

"Broccoli is one of the UK's most valuable crops, yet up to 70% of each plant goes to waste," said Mark Evans, CEO at UPP. "Our automated harvesting technology changes that. By automatically capturing more of the plant in a single pass, we can reduce labour costs, increase productivity, and improve harvest quality. Crucially, we help a high-value, low-margin crop become a high-value, high-margin crop for UK farmers, removing a key barrier to growing more of the crops they want to grow.

"This collaboration marks a major step toward delivering the world's first automated selective harvest and side-stream processing solution - one that enhances the efficiency, sustainability, and resilience of UK vegetable farming, and helps move the horticulture sector closer to net zero. Looking ahead, this technology will also enable a digital 'wrapper' for the seed, providing full traceability from planting to packhouse - and ultimately, from seed to store."