Drought-hit farmers offered £2,000 emergency grants

Farmers facing financial pressure from the prolonged dry weather will be able to apply for £2,000 household grants from next month.

The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (Rabi) has committed £2m to supporting farming households affected by drought across England and Wales.

See also: Emergency grants for farmers hit by bluetongue and drought

Application for its emergency drought grant will open in regional phases from 7 September, with up to £400,000 available during each of five application waves.

Eligibility criteria

Eligible farm owners and tenant farmers can receive £2,000 towards personal and household living costs where their finances have come under pressure.

However, the money cannot be used towards farm or business running costs, including feed or other agricultural inputs.

Applicants must have their principal farming business in an area officially designated as being in drought.

Applications open at midday on 7 September in the South West, followed by Wales on 14 September, the South East on 21 September, the East on 28 September and the Midlands on 5 October.

The support follows months of unusually dry weather which have affected forage availability, crop yields and water supplies.

The Met Office said spring 2026 was the warmest on record for both England and Wales, while England received just 65% of its average spring rainfall.

Impact on families

Farm businesses have faced additional costs from managing livestock through reduced forage availability and dealing with restricted irrigation, earlier harvests and lower crop yields.

Rabi chief executive Alicia Chivers said: “We know the impact of the drought varies across the country, which is why the grant applications will open in regional phases from 7 September.

“I would encourage eligible farming people to apply when the grant opens in their area and to remember that Rabi’s wider support services are available to our farming community whenever needed.”

Additional grants

Separate emergency support is also available through the Addington Fund, which has launched drought and bluetongue grants for 2026.

Its Forage Aid scheme offers one-off financial assistance towards essential livestock feed costs for farmers facing hardship.