Surrey growers and farmers offered £35,000 innovation grants

Surrey farmers and growers are being offered 100% county council grants worth up to £35,000 as part of a scheme aimed at encouraging on-farm innovation.

Surrey County Council has £500,000 available to boost the rural economy through its Surrey Farming Innovation Accelerator project, designed to help businesses “drive growth, become more profitable and improve efficiency”.

See also: Farmer collaboration fund opens with £30m backing

Worth between £10,000 and £35,000 per business, it will support projects that modernise operations, improve productivity, diversify and boost long-term resilience.

Participants may also receive specialist consultancy, courses and peer-to-peer learning.

The six-month programme is open to small and medium enterprises in farming, horticulture, forestry, beekeeping and equine businesses. It is part-funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Contribution

Surrey County Council cabinet member Matt Furniss said: “Surrey’s rural economy contributes a huge amount to our communities and wider economy.

“But the feedback from farmers and growers is that a lack of funding, time and support is holding them back from adopting the technology that could transform how they work.

“The Surrey Farming Innovation Accelerator will give ambitious eligible businesses the tools they need to modernise, diversify and grow. Over time, this will create new jobs and contribute to the ongoing vitality of our villages and towns.”

According to a recent University of Surrey report, there are about 500 farms in the county, contributing more than £500m a year to the local economy.

Meat vending 

Alec Clouting © Surrey County Council

One farmer to benefit from an earlier economic growth fund is Alec Clouting, who secured a grant to set up a meat vending machine at Ivelle Farm in Cranleigh.

He said: “Farming is a very difficult business to navigate with many layers of complexity. And with the recent added pressures of the farm inheritance tax, it’s becoming harder to make small family farms like ours financially viable.

“So having a futureproof way of selling my produce as profitably as I can will give me the best chance I could wish for.” 

Applications can be made until 16 August via the Surrey Farming Innovation Accelerator website.