TO BE PUBLISHED December 2026
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This conference will examine next steps for improving the availability, quality and use of data across the UK food system, and the implications of greater transparency for those who produce, share and rely on information. Areas for discussion include agricultural and supply chain data, standards and interoperability, ownership and access, environmental measurement and reporting, traceability and consumer information, and shared infrastructure and digital innovation.
Taking place as the Food Data Transparency Partnership develops common approaches to measuring and communicating environmental impacts, the conference will examine emerging approaches to shared food data infrastructure, including how these might be tested and governed. Delegates will also discuss priorities if ambitions in England's Farming Roadmap 2050 are to be achieved relating to better data access, more consistent standards and reduced reporting burdens. Relevant developments in the devolved nations will also be examined alongside implications for UK-wide supply chains.
Delegates will assess the practical implications for farmers and land managers, food manufacturers, retailers, technology providers and other organisations that supply or use data. The conference will consider where improved access and interoperability could reduce duplication and support business decisions, and where new requirements may add to costs or administrative demands. Questions around ownership, access, control and commercial sensitivity will also be examined, including contractual arrangements, the terms on which data is shared, and how the costs and benefits of wider use are distributed.
The agenda will assess the practical uses of data in traceability, supply chain resilience, as well as its application to business and investment decisions. Further areas include environmental markets, meeting regulatory and reporting requirements, and the quality and clarity of information available to consumers. The role of AI, remote monitoring and automated reporting will also be considered, alongside questions of data reliability, oversight, skills, connectivity and practical adoption.
Food data infrastructure, governance & innovation
The agenda will consider priorities for developing shared food data infrastructure and the governance needed to support its use across the sector. We expect discussion to draw on emerging models, including the Food Infrastructure and Governance project, and consider how new arrangements might work alongside existing public and commercial systems, alongside questions of access, accountability, investment and the conditions needed for participation.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- data infrastructure: priority datasets and links between existing systems - interoperability across sectors
- governance and accountability:
- roles across agencies and delivery bodies - standards for access and use - responsibilities of data holders and users
- certification and codes of practice for handling farm and business data
- AI and digital innovation:
- predictive modelling, automated reporting and decision-support tools - data quality, provenance and addressing consequences of poor inputs
- reliability and oversight of automated outputs - practical adoption
- digital inclusion: connectivity and capability for smaller farms and food businesses - skills and data literacy - avoiding exclusion from new systems and services
- incentives: lessons from emerging pilots - how value created from shared data is distributed among those who contribute it - encouraging participation across supply chains
- institutional capacity:
- responsibilities across Defra, the FSA, DHSC and the devolved governments
- coordination, funding and continuity - implications of changing programmes and delivery responsibilities
Farming & land use data - access, control & practical use
Delegates will examine priorities for the collection, sharing and use of agricultural and land-use data, including how arrangements can work more effectively for farmers, businesses, government and other users. Discussion will address interoperability and reporting burden, alongside questions of access, control, commercial use, including considerations about costs and benefits for farmers and land managers from contributing and using data.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- data ownership and control:
- who holds and licenses agricultural data - contractual terms, portability and lock-in
- commercial sensitivity and onward use - potential limits of data protection law in relation to farm data
- interoperability and standards: use across government, private sector and assurance systems - common approaches and data standards - reducing fragmented reporting requirements
- digital delivery: geospatial data, soil datasets, remote monitoring and decision-support tools - access through more connected digital services - practical adoption across different farming systems
- administrative burden: evidence and reporting requirements - avoiding duplication - development of digital systems to streamline existing processes rather than create additional work
- data-enabled benefits: farm management and land-use planning - business and production decisions - market access, private finance and opportunities to benefit from commercial use of data
- policy and assurance: agricultural payments, monitoring and assurance - evidence for policy and regulatory delivery - proportionality and reliability of data used in decision-making
Supply chain transparency, commercial data & consumer information
Further discussion will consider how information is shared across the food supply chain and how it reaches consumers. Sessions will address traceability and transparency, alongside questions of commercial sensitivity, responsibility for data and the costs and practical implications of meeting different information requirements across markets and supply chains.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- traceability and digital records:
- improving information-sharing and record-keeping across supply chains
- potential relevance to food businesses of wider UK proposals for digital product records - implications for businesses trading across GB, NI and the EU
- fair dealing: regulations in dairy and pig sectors - extension to eggs and fresh produce - the role of price and market information in commercial relationships and producer returns
- commercial considerations: managing access to sensitive business information - responsibilities for maintaining accurate data - contractual obligations, costs and implications for competitiveness
- supply chain resilience: using shared information to identify risks, improve production planning and respond to disruption - evidence on climate, input costs and single points of failure
- consumer information and trust:
- improving clarity and accessibility of food information - credible and comparable sustainability and provenance claims
- supporting informed choices and avoiding inconsistent or confusing disclosures
- health and sales reporting:
- proposals for mandatory healthier-food sales reporting and targets for large businesses in England
- consistency of metrics - scope, implementation and implications for businesses
Environmental monitoring, verification & sustainability reporting
The conference will consider how trusted environmental data can more effectively support environmental markets, investment decisions and policy delivery. Challenges around methodology, verification, cost and proportionality will also be discussed. Delegates will assess developing requirements for measuring and reporting environmental impacts across food supply chains, including the implications for farmers, businesses, investors and assurance providers, and how different demands for evidence can be met without unnecessary duplication.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- measurement and consistency:
- developing shared approaches for emissions, biodiversity and natural capital data - credible baselines
- comparability between carbon calculators and footprinting methods - use of primary and secondary data
- verification and assurance:
- requirements for trusted evidence - emerging sustainability assurance standards
- costs of measurement and validation - keeping approaches practical for land managers
- sustainability reporting frameworks:
- the UK Standards and the FCA's finalised requirements for listed companies from 2027 - Scope 3 emissions and information requested from suppliers
- relationships with existing reporting requirements and international frameworks
- environmental markets:
- support for carbon, biodiversity and natural capital initiatives - building confidence among investors and participants
- verification of outcomes and implications for participating farmers and land managers
- proportionality:
- taking account of the capacity and resources of farms and smaller businesses - avoiding overlap of reporting requirements across the supply chain
- responsibilities for collecting, checking and maintaining information
- evidence and decision-making: quality and availability of environmental data - supporting farm and business decisions, agricultural and environmental policy, monitoring and assessment
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those already due to attend include a parliamentary pass-holder from the House of Commons and officials from the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade; Department for the Economy, NI; Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, NI; Department of Health, NI; Environment Agency; Food Standards Agency; Food Standards Scotland; Health and Safety Executive; and the Welsh Government.
