Tesco has named the Swiss crop technology company AgroSustain and the livestock technology developer Herd Advance as winners of its 2026 Agri-tech Challenge, giving both a chance to test their technologies on commercial farms within the retailer's supply chain, AgNavigator reports.
AgroSustain won the early-stage category with Tornado, a treatment that uses edible ingredients to form an invisible physical barrier over a plant's surface. The company says it makes crops more resilient to stresses such as drought and salinity, which can cut losses and the use of conventional treatments while supporting yields. It will receive fast-track introductions to Tesco's suppliers and a trial with one of its supply-chain partners.
"Winning the Tesco Agri-tech Challenge is a fantastic recognition of our technology and validates the strong need for it within the UK," said Olga Dubey, AgroSustain's chief executive and co-founder.
Herd Advance took the late-stage award with Stockman, an automated cattle monitoring and management system. As cattle drink, it records their weight, water intake and temperature in real time, and farmers can use it to sort and move animals between pens remotely. The company says this reduces labour and handling risks and lowers stress on the animals. It will trial Stockman in Tesco's beef supply chain and receive mentoring from a Tesco supplier.
Jilly Grant, Herd Advance's chief executive and co-founder, said the company looked forward to demonstrating Stockman on farms and showing its benefits to producers.
Both winners get direct access to Tesco's Sustainable Agriculture and Fisheries team and to supplier partners through the innovation marketplace Leading Edge Only. AgNavigator notes that such retailer programmes help close one of agtech's persistent gaps: moving a technology from successful testing into use by farmers and supply chains.
Source: AgNavigator
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