Farmers invited to help shape new £30 million collaboration fund
By Chris Wright, Consultant and ARA specialist
Farmers and land managers are being invited to help shape a new £30 million Farmer Collaboration Fund, following recommendations made in Baroness Minette Batters’ Farming Profitability Review.
The fund, which is now moving into its next phase, is intended to support collaboration across the farming sector, helping businesses share knowledge, reduce risk and improve long-term profitability.
The Government has described collaboration as a way to help farmers “turn best practice into common practice”, particularly at a time when margins are under pressure and businesses are being asked to adapt to significant change.
Why collaboration matters
The Farming Profitability Review highlighted collaboration as a practical and achievable way for farms to:
- Improve profitability
- Strengthen bargaining power
- Reduce costs and spread risk
- Upskill people within the business
- Support better long-term planning
According to the Government, working collectively allows farmers to test new approaches together, share evidence about what works and what does not, and reduce the risk that often comes with change when acting alone.
Collaboration already happening on the ground
Across England, many farmers are already working together in ways that demonstrate the potential impact of collaboration.
Examples include neighbouring farms coordinating soil and water management across entire catchments, taking joint action along rivers that pass through multiple holdings.
Other groups are restoring hedgerows and habitat networks at scale, reconnecting wildlife corridors and creating more resilient landscapes.
By pooling knowledge and resources, these groups are able to make more targeted and cost-effective decisions that benefit both their own businesses and the wider environment.
Access to investment and funding
Defra has also highlighted that collaboration can strengthen a group’s case when seeking private investment.
Groups of farms are often better placed than individual businesses to secure funding linked to cleaner water, nature recovery and carbon storage, particularly where projects operate at scale.
What the new fund will support
Over the next three years, the £30 million Farmer Collaboration Fund will:
- Support existing farmer networks
- Help new collaborative groups get started
- Encourage knowledge sharing and joint working
As part of the development process, Defra is holding nine in-person workshops across England, running between 11 March and 14 April.
Each session will last around two hours and will include a short presentation followed by guided discussion, giving farmers the opportunity to influence how the fund is designed and delivered.
Places are limited and farmers are encouraged to register early.
What this means for farm businesses
While details of the fund are still being finalised, this initiative signals a clear direction of travel.
Collaboration is increasingly being recognised not just as an environmental tool, but as a commercial one.
If you would like to discuss how collaboration, funding or structural changes could affect your farming business, the Moore Thompson ARA team would be happy to help.