THE lack of action to improve rural connectivity is holding UK food production and farming back, the National Farmers' Union reports.

The NFU's new Digital Technology Survey reveals that greater broadband and mobile connectivity is needed to meet the needs of modern food and farming businesses.

Respondents stressed rural areas should have access to the same level of digital service and infrastructure as urban areas, including better speed, coverage and reliability. This reinforces the NFU’s call for government to prioritise digital connectivity in rural areas as part of its plan to level up the country.

NFU Vice President David Exwood said: “This survey makes for very disappointing reading. It shows that very little progress has been made over the past year to increase levels of broadband and mobile access in rural areas despite government promises to level up the country. This lack of digital connectivity puts a huge drain on time and efficiency as we’re effectively working with one arm tied behind our backs.

“Farming, like every other business, needs access to reliable broadband and mobile connections. They are vital to running modern day food and farming business, impacting everything from accessing data and utilising technology to communicating with suppliers and keeping workers safe on farm.

“Yet poor connectivity remains a real issue for farmers across the country at a time when they are working hard to boost efficiency and productivity in the face of rising costs. It puts farm businesses at a disadvantage, ultimately preventing us from increasing production of sustainable, affordable British food for markets both at home and abroad.

“If the government is serious about levelling up the country, it needs to ramp up efforts now to deliver better digital services to rural areas and bridge the digital divide which will in turn support rural communities to thrive.”

The survey surveyed 846 NFU farmer and grower members between December 9, 2021 and March 13, 2022.

The survey showed that only 44 per cent of respondents said their phone signal is sufficient for the needs of their business.

Eighty three per cent are unable to get reliable mobile signal in all outdoor locations on farm while 38 per cent found broadband speeds sufficient for their business needs.

Thirty per cent have download speeds of less than 2Mbps and 49 per cent have download speeds of less than 10Mbps. Only 24 per cent have access to superfast download speeds of over 24Mbps.