The Earl of Wessex gave a ringing endorsement for Agri-Tech Week, saying more events like this were needed if farmers were to “regain the initiative” in their bid to access technology and data analysis.

Prince Edward, this year’s Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association (RNAA) president, was speaking at the “thought-leadership seminar” at Norwich Research Park after hearing the debates on how to translate laboratory science into farming practice.

He said: “We have all seen the rise of the ‘nanny state’ and the growth of agencies that spend their lives telling you how to do it (farming). What comes out strongly is that the agricultural sector has got to regain that initiative.

“The technology is out there and different people are pushing the benefits all the time, but what has come out strong and clear is that we need more events like this Agri-Tech Week. Farmers need to know where they can come and interact with more scientists and start to regain the research and the funding streams back to where we need it to be to make a difference, not what other people are telling you. We need to bring these dying arts back into it.”

On the need to re-connect the science and agricultural worlds, Prince Edward said although the seminar had revealed plenty of informal interactions were taking place, there needed to be more formal link-ups.