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Paid To Test, Learn And Advise: Why Veterinary Practices Should Explore ADOPT Funding
2 days ago 
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By supporting clients through ADOPT-funded on-farm trials, veterinary practices can help answer important farm-level questions, test new approaches under commercial conditions, and be funded for the time they invest.
Delivered by Innovate UK on behalf of Defra, ADOPT (Accelerating Development of Practices and Technologies) funds collaborative on-farm trials that enable farmers, growers and foresters to test new ideas under commercial conditions.
For veterinary practices, this creates an opportunity to be funded for contributing technical expertise, facilitating projects and helping clients generate practical evidence that improves animal health, productivity and welfare. Along the way, practices deepen their own knowledge, strengthen client relationships and help shape best practice across the industry.
Thomas Slattery, ADOPT Lead at the UK Agri-Tech Centre, explains:
“Veterinary practices are often among the most trusted advisers on farm. They understand farmers’ day-to-day challenges and are ideally placed to help them develop practical innovations. Whether that’s supporting an application, contributing specialist expertise or acting as a project facilitator, there’s enormous scope for practices to become involved in ADOPT.”
He stresses that projects don’t need to begin with fully formed research proposals.
“Many of the strongest projects start with a straightforward question from a farmer. If your clients have an idea they’d like to test, now is the time to start that conversation. ADOPT provides funding and support to help turn those ideas into robust trials that generate practical evidence not just for that farm, but for the whole industry.”
One practice already demonstrating the value of this approach is Synergy Farm Health, which is currently supporting several ADOPT projects across the livestock sector.
Rachel Hayton, Research Lead at Synergy Farm Health, said:
“As vets, we’re on farms every day. We see the challenges producers are facing and the gaps where there simply isn’t enough evidence to support decision making. ADOPT gives farmers the opportunity to answer those questions properly, with the support of people who understand both the science and the realities of commercial farming.”
Unlike traditional research, Rachel says ADOPT enables projects to be designed around practical challenges identified by farmers themselves.
“We’re not interested in theoretical research for its own sake. Everything we do is about finding answers that will genuinely improve animal health, productivity or welfare on commercial farms. That’s why ADOPT has been such a natural fit for us.”
Current projects include evaluating data-driven selective worming in lambs, assessing anti-inflammatory treatments for dairy beef calves after arrival at rearing units, and developing practical guidance for safely recovering down cows in collaboration with farmers and animal rescue organisations.
Rachel says participating in farmer-led trials benefits veterinary businesses as much as the farmers they support.
“It puts us in the best possible position to give evidence-based advice because we’re involved in generating that evidence. Even where a particular technology isn’t right for every client, we’ve developed a much deeper understanding of how to support farmers in making better decisions.”
She also believes collaboration between practices, farmers and specialist organisations is one of ADOPT’s greatest strengths.
“Every project brings together different expertise. Farmers understand the practical realities, vets contribute clinical knowledge, while other partners bring technical or scientific expertise. Together you end up with solutions that are much stronger than any one organisation could develop on its own.”
Farmers can receive up to 80% funding for practical on-farm trials with project costs between £50,000 and £200,000, alongside a separate £2,500 facilitator support grant to fund a facilitator to develop the initial grant proposal and manage the application process. Free guidance is available throughout the process via the ADOPT Support Hub, helping farmers develop ideas, build partnerships and deliver successful projects.
For more information about ADOPT, upcoming funding rounds and the free support available, visit farminginnovation.ukri.org/adopt.
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