  Agri-Food is the largest manufacturing sector in the UK. It supports a food
chain that generates over {\pounds}108bn p.a., with 3.9m employees in a truly
international industry and exports {\pounds}20bn of UK manufactured goods.
However, the global food chain is under pressure from population growth,
climate change, political pressures affecting migration, population drift from
rural to urban regions and the demographics of an aging global population.
These challenges are recognised in the UK Industrial Strategy white paper and
backed by significant investment via a Wave 2 Industrial Challenge Fund
Investment ("Transforming Food Production: from Farm to Fork"). Robotics and
Autonomous Systems (RAS) and associated digital technologies are now seen as
enablers of this critical food chain transformation. To meet these challenges,
this white paper reviews the state of the art in the application of RAS in
Agri-Food production and explores research and innovation needs to ensure these
technologies reach their full potential and deliver the necessary impacts in
the Agri-Food sector.
