The Government has announced that it will make business support for farmers during the agricultural transition available from August this year, via the Future Farming Resilience Fund. Charlotte Cunningham reports.
The Future Farming Resilience Fund has been developed to provide business support to farmers and land managers to help them navigate the changes over this period.
Following a competition launched in March, £10.7 million of funding has been awarded to 19 organisations to support farmers and land managers who are in receipt of Basic Payment Scheme payments.
The support will be available, free of charge, from August this year through to March 2022 and any farmer or land manager currently in receipt of BPS is eligible to apply.
The Government has urged farmers to sign up to the scheme, which aims to deliver direct benefits to farmers and land managers by enabling them to:
- Help understand the changes that are happening as a result of the Agricultural Transition;
- Identify how, what and when you may need to adapt your business model;
- Access tailored support to address these changes.
The lessons learned will feed into the design of a final phase which will be available from 2022-2024.
Support and knowledge
Farming Minister Victoria Prentis said: “We know that change can be challenging which is why we are committed to helping farmers and land managers throughout the agricultural transition to feel supported to make the best decisions for their farms, families and future.
“As we continue to co-design and develop the future schemes it is important that the industry has access to expert support and knowledge. So I urge farmers and land managers to sign up to the Future Farming Resilience Fund now to ensure that come August they are able to use the help that is available to them.”
Further information of grant providers, geographical coverage and contact details can be found on Defra’s Farming Is Changing blog on GOV.UK.
