Farmers invited to shape £30m collaboration fund

A £30m Farmer Collaboration Fund – first recommended in Baroness Minette Batters’ Farming Profitability Review – is moving forward, with farmers now being invited to help shape its final design.

The fund aims to help farmers and land managers “turn best practice into common practice” by making it easier to share knowledge and work together.

Collaboration was highlighted in the profitability review as a practical way to improve farm profitability, strengthen bargaining power and build long-term resilience.

See also: How collaboration can strengthen farm businesses

The government says working collectively can reduce costs, spread risk, upskill people and inform better business planning.

It also enables farmers to test new approaches together, share evidence about what works – and what does not – and reduce risk for individual businesses.

Across England, collaboration is already happening. Neighbouring farms are co-ordinating soil and water management across whole catchments, taking joint action along rivers that run through multiple holdings.

Others are restoring hedgerows and habitat networks at scale, reconnecting wildlife corridors and creating more resilient landscapes.

By pooling knowledge and resources, Defra says groups can make more targeted, cost-effective decisions that benefit both their own businesses and the wider environment.

Acting collectively can also strengthen their case when seeking private investment, with groups often better placed to secure funding for cleaner water, nature recovery and carbon storage than individual farms acting alone.

New and existing networks

Over the next three years, the £30m fund will support existing networks and help new ones get started.

Defra is holding nine in-person workshops across England between 11 March and 14 April, each lasting two hours and beginning with a short presentation followed by guided discussion.

Places are limited, and farmers are encouraged to register early.