We are working with Bishop Grosseteste University on a Defra funded project.

Following a competitive process in 2019, we were awarded a grant to work with 8 farming organisations across England to measure the scale and reach of their activities and how they help farmers to maintain their health, wellbeing and resilience.

The other rural facing organisations awarded funding are: Brown & Co, Devon County Council, Ricardo-AEA, RSK-ADAS, Soil Association and SRUC (Scotland’s Rural College). The projects run by these organisations are working with 1,700 individual farmers to provide them with tailored advice about transitioning to a new farming system.

Farming Minister Victoria Prentis said:

We are transforming British farming to boost productivity, enhance our environment for future generations and support a strong food production sector.

Whilst we’re not switching off direct payments overnight, we recognise this is a time of huge change for the industry, and we want to help our land managers grasp the exciting opportunities our domestic agricultural policy will provide.

This funding is just one way we will support our hard-working farmers as they prepare for the transition.

The project is due to complete in the autumn and our findings will be used by Defra to inform future farm support.