Farmers and brewers are working together to identify and grow disease resistant hops in the UK, to accommodate the growing demand for environmentally friendly beer with locally sourced ingredients. Hops are vulnerable to disease and pests in the UK’s temperate climate, leaving conventional growers heavily reliant upon a dwindling number of agro-chemicals. In the case of organic growers, two in five crops fail. To find a solution, the Innovative Farmers programme, is bringing hop growers together with Organic Research Centre to co-design practical on-farm research.
