Farmcare hands over farming operations to new partners

Farmcare, the former Co-operative Group farming business, has withdrawn from active farming, instead forming 12 partnerships with contractors and other farmers.

The business was sold to the Wellcome Trust for £249m in 2014, in the largest farming business sale for many years. In November 2017, it announced that it would cease operational farming.

Farmcare’s two fruit farms – Highland Court in Kent (315ha) and Tillington in Herefordshire (328ha) – have been sold, as has the company’s central office in Barnsley. This leaves it with six farming sites, all in England but spread between six counties.

See also: Farmcare to quit operational farming

A statement from the company said that Farmcare would continue to develop its land and property assets, investing further where appropriate.

Employees of the farming operations have transferred to work for the new partners.

“These new partnerships with leading contractors across the UK will increase the economic resilience of the farms to ensure their long-term prosperity,” said Farmcare chief executive, Richard Quinn.

“The Farmcare team has worked hard over the past four years to modernise the business, and these new partnerships will enable each of our farms to continue to develop and perform at an even higher level. We have helped all of our support staff to find new roles.”