Kent’s famous beer production heritage is set to be safeguarded after a £574,000 boost to help develop varieties of environmentally resilient ‘super hops’.

It is hoped the funding will see the key ingredient for every pint become more resilient to drought, pests and diseases.

Around 50% of the UK’s hops – which give beer its distinctive aroma and bitterness - are currently grown in the county.

The project is one of around 24 receiving funding from Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Transforming Food Production pot which funds ambitious research and development projects to overcome production barriers and create a more productive and sustainable sector.

The £574,000 will fund a collaborative five-year project between researchers at the University of Kent and hop research site, Wye Hops.

They are working alongside the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB), the British Hop Association, The Hop Plant Comany and LGC genomics in developing future varieties which can shrug off the challenges of climate change.

Dr Helen Cockerton, industrial research fellow at the University’s school of biosciences, said: “The tools we will develop through this project will enable us to generate better hops faster than we could achieve through using traditional approaches alone.”

Added hop breeder Dr Klara Hajdu: “Through this collaboration, we are not only addressing important issues such as the development of climate-resilient British hop varieties but also reestablishing a dynamic, research-driven hop breeding programme capable of future-proofing the UK hop and brewing industries in the face of evolving challenges.”