UK based hemp biotech company Precision Plants has been awarded £912,000 in grant funding from Defra's Farming Innovation Programme, delivered in partnership with Innovate UK, to accelerate the development of precision-bred hemp varieties specifically designed for British growing conditions.
The company was selected as one of seven winners in the highly competitive Farming Futures R&D Fund: Precision Breeding Competition, which supports innovative projects using advanced breeding techniques.
Precision Plants will use the funding to bring three proprietary gene-edited hemp varieties – optimised for grain, fibre, and dual-use applications – from the laboratory through to being submission-ready for UK National Listing. The varieties are being developed in collaboration with the University of Hertfordshire and Rothamsted Research, combining world-leading expertise in plant genomics and agricultural research.
Solving critical challenges for UK growers
The UK hemp sector has long been held back by seed that isn't well suited to local conditions, leaving farmers exposed to real economic risk. Precision Plants tackles this problem through precision breeding, developing hemp varieties that reliably stay within legal THC limits and remove the threat of a crop becoming unsellable. By focusing on genetics built for UK soils and weather, the company delivers commercial seed that supports higher yields across grain, fibre, and dual-purpose uses, while also improving resilience as growing conditions become more unpredictable.
Precision Plants currently has three varieties in development, each designed for a clear commercial role. BritGrain Auto is a high-yield grain variety aimed at food, feed, and oil markets. LongLine Fibre focuses on biomass and fibre quality for applications such as bioenergy, construction, and textiles. YieldMax Duo combines grain and fibre performance in a single crop, giving farmers the flexibility to maximise revenue per hectare without compromising compliance or reliability.
A foundation built on innovation
Precision Plants was founded following three years of extensive research and development that commenced in 2018 creating the multi-award-winning, 100% natural, Bud & Tender broad-spectrum CBD Oil. Working with hemp growers worldwide, the founders experienced first-hand the extreme challenges of developing products from hemp where regulations and climate severely impact crop survival and downstream processing ability – deep insights that directly inform every aspect of the company's precision breeding strategy.
© Precision Plants
"This funding validates our mission to transform UK hemp cultivation and that the UK is ready to lead global precision-breeding innovation in hemp," said Charles Clowes, Research Director and co-founder of Precision Plants. "We're developing a proprietary, IP-protected, hemp seed pipeline that will give British farmers access to reliable, profitable hemp varieties whilst supporting the UK's transition to sustainable, climate-positive agriculture."
Mark Turner, Product Director and co-founder, added: "This award reflects years of tireless research work and deep engagement with the hemp community. Our precision breeding approach and planned rigorous field trials delivers what farmers have been asking for – varieties that remove regulatory risk, perform consistently in UK conditions, and open up valuable markets in food, feed, fibre and fuel – and downstream market demand is only going to continue to grow."
Supporting growers and the environment
Hemp offers exceptional environmental benefits, capturing up to 22 tonnes of atmospheric CO₂ per hectare during its four-month growing cycle – more than any other agricultural crop. It requires no pesticides or fertilisers, improves soil health, supports farm diversification and is an excellent break crop.
With recent government policy and licensing reforms supporting expansion to 80,000 hectares of hemp cultivation by 2030, Defra has identified hemp as a strategic resource for food, feed, fibre, carbon capture, and fuel. However, with only 136 hemp licences currently in use (as of 2023) against a potential 38,000–48,000 arable farms capable of growing hemp, the opportunity and environmental benefits are enormous.
And yet a critical bottleneck remains: UK farmers currently have no access to domestically-adapted, compliant hemp seed varieties.
Trial program
Precision Plants is inviting British farmers to join a prioritised set of trial farms. Participants receive free trial seeds and complimentary Home Office licensing registration support. Interested farmers should contact Precision Plants to register interest and secure their place on the launch trial programme.
Early adopters will gain competitive advantage as UK hemp cultivation scales from 800 hectares in 2023 to the government-backed target of 80,000 hectares by 2030. Combined with Defra's Sustainable Farming Incentive payments and voluntary carbon credit schemes, hemp offers one of the highest environmental payment potentials of any UK crop – with verified sequestration of up to 22 tonnes of CO₂ per hectare delivering £700-£1,700 per hectare in carbon credit income at premium voluntary market rates, in addition to SFI payments ranging from £129/ha to £853/ha for eligible actions.
© Precision Plants
Backed by expertise
The project is supported by an expert advisory board including Nathaniel Loxley (Chair, British Hemp Alliance), Kyle Esplin (Chair, Scottish Hemp Association), and Varin Marshall (Chair, Northern Ireland Hemp Association), alongside champion farmers, leading academics, researchers and breeders.
Having recently achieved SEIS Advance Assured status, Precision Plants is in active conversations with strategic biotech investors to accelerate its proprietary hemp seed development programme. Qualified investors interested in the remaining opportunities are invited to make contact.
The company has secured over £1 million in non-dilutive funding, including £912k from Innovate UK and £95k from the University of Hertfordshire. The UK hemp market is forecast to reach approximately £1.3 billion by 2030, with the domestic hemp seed market alone projected to reach over £35 million annually at full HEMP-30 scale, based on cultivation targets and current UK seed market pricing.
For more information:
Precision Plants
Email: [email protected]
precisionplants.co.uk/
