Robotic technology is soon to be introduced into fields of daffodils to help combat the labour shortage issues and revolutionise traditional harvesting methods.

Cambridge-based Agritech company Autopickr Ltd is poised to lead the way in automating the daffodil industry.

From machines which can autonomously harvest crops, to “followbots” which shadow a human worker and alleviate some manual tasks – there are many opportunities for technology to work with and help farmers.

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Labour shortages have long been a challenge for daffodil growers across the UK, impacting productivity and operational efficiency.

The manual nature of daffodil harvesting not only requires a significant workforce, but also poses challenges in terms of cost and quality of labour.

Recognising these challenges, Autopickr is set to introduce robotic solutions that will streamline the harvesting process while reducing dependency on manual labour.

“Traditionally, we have needed a vast workforce when it comes to harvesting a large amount of daffodils,” says Adam Cunnington, who farms 60ha of daffodils at Gedney Dyke, Lincolnshire.

“With new technologies entering the space, we are hoping to reduce human labour requirements by 25 to 30%. And of course, a robot can work across many years, keeping this requirement down for the foreseeable future.”

“Our goal is to empower daffodil growers with innovative solutions that address current labour shortages. By automating key processes of the harvest, we can optimise operations in the field – increasing efficiency while decreasing costs,” says Robyn Sands, chief executive officer at Autopickr.

With a focus on innovation and collaboration with British growers, Autopickr is committed to driving positive change in agriculture through new technology.

Funding for this project has come from Innovate UK’s Agri-tech and food technology Launchpad.