Agriculture and Crop Science

BC&A Innovation

R&D Spotlight

The UK agriculture sector is facing constant pressure to feed a growing population while improving sustainability, reducing environmental impact, and increasing efficiency. From traditional farming to advanced agritech solutions, businesses across the agricultural supply chain are investing in research and development (R&D) to tackle these challenges.

R&D tax relief is available to agricultural businesses that are advancing science or technology by developing new products, processes, or systems, or by improving existing ones in ways that go beyond routine practice. To qualify, you must be seeking to overcome technical or scientific uncertainties — situations where the outcome is not known at the outset and requires testing, experimentation, and problem-solving to resolve.

In agriculture and crop science, this kind of work is more common than many businesses realise. From experimenting with crop resilience to developing new growing methods or agricultural technologies, many UK farming and agritech businesses could be missing out on claiming R&D tax relief.

Here are some examples of qualifying activities:

Developing New Crop Varieties or Plant Breeding Techniques

Researching and developing crops with improved yield, pest resistance, drought tolerance, or nutritional value. This could include traditional breeding methods or advanced techniques like genetic modification or gene editing.

Improving Soil Health and Fertility Management

Developing new methods or products to improve soil structure, increase nutrient retention, or reduce dependency on chemical fertilisers through natural alternatives.

Advancing Precision Agriculture Techniques

Implementing and improving GPS-guided equipment, sensor-based monitoring systems, or data-driven decision-making tools to optimise planting, fertilising, and harvesting operations.

Reducing Water Usage or Improving Irrigation

Developing more efficient irrigation systems, moisture monitoring technologies, or crop management techniques that reduce water consumption while maintaining or improving yield.

Introducing Sustainable Pest and Disease Control Methods

Creating or improving biological control methods, environmentally friendly pesticides, or integrated pest management systems that reduce reliance on chemicals.

Adapting to Climate Change and Extreme Weather Conditions

Researching and trialling new farming methods, crop varieties, or environmental control systems that help protect yields against changing weather patterns and extreme conditions.

Developing or Testing New Agricultural Machinery or Technologies

Working with engineers or tech companies to develop or adapt machinery, drones, robotics, or automation systems that improve farm operations and reduce manual labour requirements.

Improving Post-Harvest Storage, Processing, or Packaging

Developing better storage methods, processing techniques, or packaging solutions that reduce waste, improve shelf life, or meet new food safety or environmental standards.

If your agricultural or crop science business is involved in any of these activities, you could be eligible for R&D tax relief. This financial support can help you recover a portion of your investment in innovation, allowing you to continue improving productivity, sustainability, and profitability.

Our Process

What to expect when working with
BC&A Innovation

1. Discovery Call

Book your FREE 15 minute discovery call today to discuss your R&D activity and we'll guide you on best next steps and estimated claim value.

2. Information gathering

Our technical experts and industry specialists will work with you to uncover all areas of work activity eligible under the R&D scheme, ensuring we have everything we need to support a robust, defensible and maximised claim.

3. Create R&D Tax Claim

Our technical experts will write your claim and supporting documents with a clear assessment of your eligible activity and costs, ensuring compliance with the scheme's governance throughout.

4. Approval & Submission

We'll share, for your approval, the claim draft and supporting documentation. We'll explain in detail how we have arrived at our assessment of your claimable activity, costs and claim value. When you're happy, your claim can be submitted as part of your standard end-of-year processes.

5. Liaising with HMRC

Should HMRC require any further information or have queries regarding your claim, we'll liaise with them to ensure speedy payment without any reduction in claim value.

6. Payment

Once your payment is received, we'll send it across the same working day and advise you on processes that can be put in place to make future claims even more hassle-free. Don't worry about claims going forward, we'll be in regular contact to remind you what is needed and when.

About BC&A Innovation

We've helped hundreds of businesses like yours secure millions in Research & Development tax relief

Our team recognises the importance of R&D in advancing UK businesses, big and small, and we understand the time burden, resources and complexities of claiming tax relief for that R&D. These constraints often leave companies failing to get the tax relief they’re entitled to or underclaiming significantly due to unclear, often confusing guidelines about what constitutes R&D. As experts in R&D tax relief, we’re here to unblur the lines and create robust, defensible and maximised claims on your behalf.

We’re experienced tax professionals, accountants and technical experts with a deep understanding of the R&D tax relief regulations. We’ve worked in many of the industries we now serve and are ideally placed to understand your business’ R&D Activities. As part of HMRC’s panel on R&D, we stay up-to-date with the latest developments in the guidance, to provide our clients with the most accurate and up-to-date advice.

At BC&A Innovation we take the burden of claim generation away from the business so you can do what you do best, while we do what we do best. We pride ourselves on our integrity, professionalism and commitment to our clients.

Not sure if you qualify for R&D tax relief? Book a FREE discovery call today.

Many of the businesses we work with were unsure if they qualified for R&D tax relief at first. A few had even been told by other agencies that they could not claim. Yet, with our help they were able to correctly identify eligible R&D projects and claim back vital funds.

As experts in HMRC’s definitions of Research & Development, we’ll be able to tell you if you should make a claim or not. We’re success fee based, which means it isn’t in our interest or yours to take forward claims that won’t pass HMRC’s stringent checks. If we say it’s worth doing, you can take that to the bank.

Ready for a discovery call? Think of it as a no-obligation chat where we can discuss the work you’ve undertaken and identify tax-saving opportunities. Our expert consultants are keen to speak with you.