Growing an agri-tech business overseas takes more than a strong product. It requires market insight, trusted partnerships and the ability to demonstrate value in unfamiliar farming systems.
On day four of our UK Agri-Tech Centre Growth Week, we explored what it takes to enter and succeed in international markets, focusing on Australia and New Zealand. Drawing on insights from AgriTech New Zealand, Agnition Ventures, UK Government trade teams and real-world experiences from UK agri-tech businesses, we unpacked how to navigate new ecosystems, build credibility and accelerate adoption abroad.
We have recently launched the Global Growth Accelerator (GGA), a new programme designed to give UK businesses exactly this kind of support. Registrations are now open for businesses interested in getting involved in New Zealand’s dairy and livestock systems.
Start with deep market understanding
Both Australia and New Zealand present major opportunities for UK agri‑tech: sophisticated farming systems, ambitious sustainability goals and high demand for practical, scalable innovation. But as our speakers emphasised, they are not the same as the UK.
In New Zealand, agriculture is pasture-based, seasonal and subsidy-free. Farmers are commercially driven and highly pragmatic. As Wilson Wang of Agnition Ventures explained, “farmers often expect a 3:1 return on investment and they want proof.”
In Australia, vast distances and state-level regulatory differences mean market entry requires careful targeting. As AgriTech NZ’s Brendan O’Connell noted, “if it can grow on the planet, it can grow in New Zealand, but you still need to understand the local system you’re entering.”
What this means for UK innovators
- Don’t assume your home-market use case translates directly
- Shape your proposition to local farming methods, climatic conditions and regulations
- Expect to provide clear ROI, verified locally
- Build extra time into your plan
Work through trusted local partners
One message came through repeatedly: credibility flows through trusted networks.
Farmers in Australasia rely heavily on advisers, co-operatives and industry bodies. Agnition Ventures (Ravensdown’s innovation arm) outlined how their Farm Innovation Network acts as a bridge between innovators and early-adopter farmers, providing real-world trials, feedback loops and in-market validation. This type of local partnership is invaluable for reducing risk and accelerating trust.
UK Government teams in Australia and New Zealand also play a major role, from connecting innovators with regulators to providing diplomatic platforms for launches, networking and profile-building.
Leverage the networks that already exist: farmer groups, co-operatives, innovation hubs, research organisations and UK trade specialists. They open doors that cold outreach never will.
Demonstrate value in real farming conditions
Whether it’s emissions reduction, productivity gains, water management or animal health, Australasia’s priorities mirror global trends, but the solutions must prove themselves locally.
Our speakers were clear: field trial data is the currency that unlocks adoption.
UK companies shared this first-hand:
- Ostara retrofitted a greenhouse with advanced environmental and irrigation automation, demonstrating how precision control reduces water use while boosting yields.
- PolySolar installed flexible solar panels on polytunnels, powering on-farm automation while increasing crop productivity — a critical gain in high-temperature climates.
- Xanadu deployed its seed-priming system to accelerate germination and improve crop resilience, then brought farmers in to see the results firsthand.
These examples show the same pattern: test, trial, demonstrate — then scale.
Key takeaways for global scaling
- Adapt your value proposition to local farming systems, economics and regulations
- Build credibility through partners
- Prove your impact with in‑market trials and real‑world data
- Be patient and realistic
- Use the support available from the UK Agri-Tech Centre, Innovate UK and UK Government teams
How the UK Agri-Tech Centre helps you go global
To help UK agri-tech businesses build this evidence and enter new markets with confidence, we’ve launched the Global Growth Accelerator (GGA).
Applications are now open for our New Zealand programme, built to fast-track technologies for dairy and livestock systems by validating them in New Zealand’s innovation-driven farming ecosystem.
Delivered with Agnition Ventures (Ravensdown) and AgriTech NZ, the programme provides structured, in‑market support including:
- early adopter farms
- farmer feedback loops
- third‑party validation
- access to strategic partners and investors
We’re seeking technologies that address:
- biosecurity, animal health and traceability
- farm system productivity
- climate volatility, drought and water security or
- environmental compliance and nutrient efficiency.
