Farmers urged to use a Royal robot

Monday 13 November 2017

Could one of Jersey's most traditional sights be set to change, with robots replacing farm workers on the steep slopes of the island's côtils?

Although it still sounds far-fetched, a UK tech expert has urged the island’s farmers to make more use of new tools such as robotics. Dr Charles Fox was one of a number of guest speakers at this year’s Jersey Farming Conference which was held at La Mare Wine Estate on Friday.

According to Dr Fox, the human input involved in planting and picking potatoes on the island’s côtils seems outdated, and could be done much more efficiently using computer programmes and slightly modified equipment.

He says this wouldn’t necessarily lead to job losses but could free up staff to do more interesting and rewarding work. People will still be needed to program, maintain, and manage the equipment, but with more time on their hands he believes they could find more fulfilling tasks. According to Dr Fox many believed bank cashiers would be made redundant when ATMs were introduced, but in fact banks took on more staff. Dr Fox believes modern technology can make previously uneconomic projects viable.

Pictured: Dr Charles Fox, who says that technology could revolutionise the way farming is done.

Robots are currently being used in various countries around the globe to plough fields and to pick fruit.

Locally mechanisation has also lead to cows ‘milking themselves’ – something Dr Fox says shows the versatility of modern technology.

He also believes the island makes a very good test bed and many farmers approached him after the conference to find out if any joint projects could be established.