Christmas Campaign: Don’t lose sleep, find help

What’s your biggest worry? Debt? Animal disease? Housing? Bad health? Whatever the problem, you can guarantee you’re not the first farmer to lose sleep over it. For the latest article in our Farmer to Farmer Christmas campaign series, we’ve identified the main problems reported to Farming Help charities in 2010 and outlined some of the help available




Finance


Whatever reason lies behind people making contact with Farming Help, financial issues are invariably at the heart of it – problems with cash-flow, debt, bankruptcy, animal disease and retirement issues, to name just a few.
Money worries are multiplied when a farm’s financial paperwork is in disarray. Unless it is up to date it is difficult for a full assessment to be made and for the family to have a realistic picture of how the farm is doing. Nor are they able to unlock sources of help, such as any benefits they may be entitled to.


What help is available?

RABI has teamed up with the Institute of Agricultural Secretaries & Administrators (IAgSA) to launch a pilot scheme that can help bring a farm’s accounts and paperwork up to date. The aim of the scheme is to help families face the reality of their finances and plan for the future. RABI provides one-off financial support to cover IAgSA’s charges.
Alongside this is RABI’s Gateway Project, which provides funding for training and skills development – either to bring in extra income from beyond the farm business or to exit the industry with dignity. In certain circumstances, RABI will pay bankruptcy fees and help with council tax arrears and outstanding domestic bills.
In the past 10 years, ARC-Addington Fund has distributed grants to the value of £11m to more than 23,000 families. Its Trustees Discretionary Fund is able to provide financial assistance to viable farming businesses that experience unforeseen circumstances. This fund proved invaluable during the collapse of Dairy Farmers of Britain and has helped hundreds of households affected by flooding and outbreaks of animal disease.



Retirement


retirementWhatever reason lies behind people making contact with Farming Help, financial issues are invariably at the heart of it – problems with cash-flow, debt, bankruptcy, animal disease and retirement issues, to name just a few.
Money worries are multiplied when a farm’s financial paperwork is in disarray. Unless it is up to date it is difficult for a full assessment to be made and for the family to have a realistic picture of how the farm is doing. Nor are they able to unlock sources of help, such as any benefits they may be entitled to.


What help is available?

RABI has teamed up with the Institute of Agricultural Secretaries & Administrators (IAgSA) to launch a pilot scheme that can help bring a farm’s accounts and paperwork up to date. The aim of the scheme is to help families face the reality of their finances and plan for the future. RABI provides one-off financial support to cover IAgSA’s charges.
Alongside this is RABI’s Gateway Project, which provides funding for training and skills development – either to bring in extra income from beyond the farm business or to exit the industry with dignity. In certain circumstances, RABI will pay bankruptcy fees and help with council tax arrears and outstanding domestic bills.
In the past 10 years, ARC-Addington Fund has distributed grants to the value of £11m to more than 23,000 families. Its Trustees Discretionary Fund is able to provide financial assistance to viable farming businesses that experience unforeseen circumstances. This fund proved invaluable during the collapse of Dairy Farmers of Britain and has helped hundreds of households affected by flooding and outbreaks of animal disease.



Bovine TB 


Whatever reason lies behind people making contact with Farming Help, financial issues are invariably at the heart of it – problems with cash-flow, debt, bankruptcy, animal disease and retirement issues, to name just a few.
Money worries are multiplied when a farm’s financial paperwork is in disarray. Unless it is up to date it is difficult for a full assessment to be made and for the family to have a realistic picture of how the farm is doing. Nor are they able to unlock sources of help, such as any benefits they may be entitled to.


What help is available?


RABI has teamed up with the Institute of Agricultural Secretaries & Administrators (IAgSA) to launch a pilot scheme that can help bring a farm’s accounts and paperwork up to date. The aim of the scheme is to help families face the reality of their finances and plan for the future. RABI provides one-off financial support to cover IAgSA’s charges.
Alongside this is RABI’s Gateway Project, which provides funding for training and skills development – either to bring in extra income from beyond the farm business or to exit the industry with dignity. In certain circumstances, RABI will pay bankruptcy fees and help with council tax arrears and outstanding domestic bills.
In the past 10 years, ARC-Addington Fund has distributed grants to the value of £11m to more than 23,000 families. Its Trustees Discretionary Fund is able to provide financial assistance to viable farming businesses that experience unforeseen circumstances. This fund proved invaluable during the collapse of Dairy Farmers of Britain and has helped hundreds of households affected by flooding and outbreaks of animal disease.



Illness, accidents and bereavement


accidentsHealth problems and accidents, whether on or off the farm are, sadly, a recurring feature of helpline calls. On average, one farmer dies every week as result of a farm accident and, in instances when that person is the sole worker on the farm business, or employs just one or two people, it can have a devastating impact on cash-flow and render a business unviable in a matter of weeks.


What help is available?


RABI can provide a range of support in the short term: Payments for relief farm staff; help with travel expenses for hospital visits; specialist disability equipment; and payments towards domestic expenses and funeral grants.


In the long term, experienced welfare staff can check that the right benefits are in place, helping to secure more than £350,000 in benefits year after year. People of any age with disabilities can receive long-term help from RABI.


ARC-Addington also offers hardship grants and has a range of housing options to meet short and longer term needs.





A word from Farming Help


• Whatever the problem, there is no need to face it on your own. A simple telephone call to Farming Help will put you in touch with a sympathetic, non-judgemental ear. Facing life-changing moments is not easy and it helps to be able to talk them over with someone who understands farming and the rural way of life. Someone who will help you with letters and telephone calls and who will support you for as long as it takes for you and your family to face the future with confidence.


How to contact Farming Help


Call 0845 367 9990 (7am-11pm every day) or go to www.farminghelp.org.uk




How to donate

If you’d like to donate to Farming Help, you can do it in two ways:

Send a cheque made payable to Farming Help to the Farmers Weekly Christmas Campaign, c/o RABI, Shaw House, 27 West Way, Oxford OX2 0QH


or go to the Just Giving website www.justgiving.com/farmer-to-farmer-christmas-campaign


Note: Money sent to Farming Help will be split equally between the three charities involved.

If you’d like to give to Send a Cow, you can do it in two ways:

Send a cheque made payable to Send a Cow to the Farmers Weekly Christmas Campaign, The Old Estate Yard, Newton St Loe, Bath BA2 9BR


or go to a giving page at www.sendacow.org.uk/farmers-appeal