Themes

In January 2015, a new MoU between the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and Chinese Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) was signed in Beijing to replace the one signed in 2008.  The new MoU brings the cooperation between the two governments to a new phase of knowledge sharing and innovation.

The MoU outlined seven areas for cooperation and knowledge sharing:

• Agricultural policies
• Animal and plant health
• Quality and safety management of agricultural products
• Organic agriculture
• Aquaculture
• Sustainable agricultural intensification
• Transformation and use of innovation outcomes from agricultural research

In November 2016, a MOU was signed between Innovate UK and the China Rural Technology Development Centre (CRTDC). In the MOU both parties agreed to explore mutual collaboration in the following areas:

• Big data in agriculture
• Precision agriculture
• Intelligent agricultural equipment
• Prevention and control of crop and animal diseases
• Agricultural biotechnology to explore improvements in crop health and protection
• Nutrition and health developing high quality nutritious foods which meet the needs of future consumers