Farmer Support

Stuart Anderson MP said: "Backing our farmers is a key part of my plan for South Shropshire. 84% of our land is agricultural. Our county has the highest number of farm holdings in England, with farming and agriculture forming nearly 20% of enterprises here in Shropshire. Our farmers play an integral role in our rural economy, feeding the nation and managing our rural environment. UK farmers already produce about 60% of the food we eat, with the UK agri-food and seafood sectors creating over £120 billion of value for the economy every year and employing over 4 million people. Across the West Midlands, total income from farming in 2023 was £527 million. The new government has neglected the needs of rural communities and abandoned places like South Shropshire. I am fighting back against this. Here, you will find key updates in my campaign to support farmers. Please do not hesitate to ever get in touch if I can ever be of any specific assistance to you."

Avian Influenza Prevention Zone

The UK Chief Veterinary Officer has ordered a mandatory housing order to cover the whole of England from 0001 on Thursday 6 November 2025, following the escalating number of confirmations of avian influenza in kept and wild birds. The declaration is effective from 30th October 2025. It applies to keepers who have more than 50 birds, and those that sell or give away eggs or poultry products. Bird keepers are advised to check if they are in a bird flu disease zone on this map and read further advice on how to comply with the requirements. Keepers are encouraged to take action to prevent bird flu and stop it spreading and be vigilant for signs of disease and report it to keep birds safe.

Environment Agency Winter Ready Campaign

The Environment Agency (EA) is urging farmers to start their preparations now for winter slurry storage, with their Winter Ready campaign. The EA is encouraging farmers to start their preparations now, and to contact them for advice if necessary. If you have any questions or concerns, please speak to your local EA Officer or call the EA’s National Customer Contact Centre hotline on 03708 506 506 or emailing [email protected]. 

Ensuring you have adequate storage to see you through winter without the need to spread.
Covering slurry tanks, lagoons and pits, fix drainage and clear guttering to ensure less rainwater mixes with slurry.
Refraining from taking sludge, digestate or other materials if you don’t have an immediate need for them.

Bird flu (avian influenza)

Bird flu was confirmed at a farm near Wem, Shropshire on January 20, 2025. This led to the declaration of a 3 km protection zone and a 10 km surveillance zone around the farm. Check the interactive map to see if you are in an area covered by mandatory housing measures and the AIPZ declaration for further details of the measures which apply. You must also:

Follow the rules for that zone
Check if you need a licence to move poultry, poultry by-products, eggs, material or mammals

As of 20th August 2025, bird keepers are being warned of a heightened avian influenza risk and are urged to tighten their biosecurity measures, particularly those involved in running a shoot or game bird rearing.

If you are concerned about the health of your animals, please seek advice from your vet. Members of the public should report findings of dead wild birds using the online reporting service or by calling the Defra helpline (03459 335577).

Further information on the latest situation can be found in Defra’s guidance at gov.uk/birdflu.

Buying British: Produce&Provide

The Produce&Provide website was set up by food and farming champion Neil Darwent, who was awarded BBC Outstanding Farmer of the Year in 2014. It aims to promote great tasting food sold direct from farms, empowering more producers to win the recognition and reward they deserve. It signposts hundreds of British farms selling food direct to their local communities and beyond. To use the website, residents can enter their nearest town or postcode and set the radius they wish to search. They can then click on the pins to find out more about each producer, the food they produce, and a link to their own website or Facebook page. Stuart is encouraging more farmers to add their business to the map at no cost. They can do by completing a simple form which asks more questions about their farm address and postcode, the food they produce, and how people can buy from them.

Tackling Food Surplus at the Farm Gate Scheme

At the National Farmers' Union conference in February 2024, then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak MP announced a £15 million fund to redirect surplus food into the hands of those who need it. Food redistribution charities can now submit applications for the scheme, outlining how will help to solve the problem of food surplus on farms. Grants start from £20,000 to help organisations fight hunger in communities.

Family Farm Tax

I am campaigning against the new Family Farm Tax announced at the Autumn Budget on 30th October 2024. It means that, from April 2026, the rate of Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR) would be reduced to 50% after the first £1 million. These reforms will affect 2,000 estates each year. I am worried that this would damage family farms in the longer-term, since the reliefs had enabled them to be handed down to future generations for free of charge. Prior to the Budget, I had called on the government to rule out any changes, with Shropshire having the highest number of farm holdings of any county in England - forming nearly 20% of enterprises. While £1 million sounds like a large threshold, in reality, it only covers farms of up to approximately 90 acres, based on average arable land prices. For context, the average farm size in England is 217 acres.

Environmental Land Management (ELM) Schemes

In the Agricultural Transition Plan of November 2020, the previous government announced Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes, providing farmers, foresters, and other land managers with an opportunity to secure financial support in return for delivering environmental benefits. Almost half of farmers are involved in the schemes.

From July 2024, farmers and land managers have had the opportunity to access an expanded offer, bringing together and enhancing the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and Countryside Stewardship (CS) Mid Tier. This simplifies and streamlines the application process, allowing farmers to focus on what they do best - producing food. As of 26 February 2024, there were 62,700 farm businesses participating in Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes across England, including:

Capital Grants

On 1st August 2025, the government said it has "completed" its investment in the "future of farming." Over 8,000 applications were submitted for the capital grants scheme. This made £150 million of funding available for farmers, land managers, and rural businesses for practical environmental improvements across England. This included planting hedgerows, managing boundaries, improving water and air quality, restoring habitats, and introducing natural flood management measures.

Sustainable Farming Incentive

The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) rewards farmers for adopting and maintaining sustainable farming practices that can protect and enhance the natural environment alongside food production, and also support farm productivity (including by improving animal health and welfare, optimising the use of inputs and making better use of natural resources). In a statement on 12th May 2025, the Minister has admitted that an "error was made when the current scheme was closed to new applications." Daniel Zeichner MP has stated that he has "decided to allow applications to be made" to the Scheme by those who "started an application within 2 months of 11 March 2025." It means that applicants who started an application on or after 12th January 2025 will be given six weeks to complete their application. An update on a "reformed offer" is expected by the end of the Summer.

Countryside Stewardship (CS)

Countryside Stewardship (CS) provides financial incentives for farmers, foresters, and land managers to look after and improve the environment. It includes actions that can form part of a regenerative or restorative farming approach: to improve soil quality, enhance biodiversity, decrease water pollution, and restore, create, and manage habitats. From 18th September 2025, those who received pre-application advice and completed any necessary preparatory works are being invited to apply on a rolling basis. On 15th October 2025, DEFRA announced a "one-year extension" to more than 5,000 farmers whose agreements are set to expire on 31st December 2025.

Landscape Recovery

Landscape Recovery supports large-scale, long-term management of land for the benefit of sustainable food production and the environment. It focuses on restoring nature across a wider landscape, bringing together landowners and managers who want to take a more large-scale, long-term approach to producing environmental and climate goods on their land. It funds ambitious landscape-scale projects through bespoke, long-term agreements lasting 20 years or more. The Government has stated that Rounds 1 and 2 will continue and that it will share more about future rounds of Landscape Recovery in "due course".

Animal Health and Welfare Pathway

The Animal Health and Welfare Pathway was launched in 2023. As of 26th June 2025, farmers in England can get a funded vet visit for each of their herds or flocks of the same species. This includes Animal Health and Welfare Reviews and follow-up visits for endemic diseases, available through the Get Funding to Improve Animal Health and Welfare service. This helps those with multiple groups of cattle, pigs or sheep to access tailored animal health and welfare support across their business. Advice includes recommended actions to take and signposting to further support, such as the Endemics Disease Follow-Up.

Since June 2024, a new grant for hen housing has been available to laying hen and pullet farmers in England with flocks of 1,000 birds or more. It supports farmers for comprehensive projects (like replacing or upgrading existing laying hen or pullet housing) or a ‘veranda-only’ project. The deadline date has been extended to 11.59pm on 28 April 2026.

Animal Health and Welfare grants also include smaller grants, where farmers can select from a list of equipment and technology items and larger infrastructure grants, for bespoke projects such as new housing, building upgrades, and pasture improvements.

Farming Investment Fund

The Farming Investment Fund offers funding for equipment, technology, and infrastructure that improves farm productivity and benefits the environment. The Farming Equipment and Technology Fund enabled farmers to apply for a grant for specific items. The only application window for all FETF 2025 grants closed at midday on 10 July 2025. Over 8,800 applicants successfully secured funding. Grant Funding Agreements (GFAs) have now been sent.

Farming Resilience Fund

The Farming Resilience Fund was closed in March 2025. It provided free support to over 18,000 farmers, including group workshops, one-to-one advice from experts, and farm visits.

Farming Innovation Programme

Since 2021, the Farming Innovation Programme, in partnership with Innovate UK, has backed over 290 projects across more than 600 organisations, supporting the creation and adoption of innovative technology. The £5 million Farming Innovation Investor Partnerships competition opened on 2nd June 2025. The competition supports agri-tech businesses to fast-track the late-stage development and commercialisation of technologies that are close to market. 2 new competition rounds will open this Autumn.

'ADOPT' Programme

The Farming Innovation Programme Fund: Accelerating Development of Practices and Technologies (ADOPT) enables farmer-led trials to bridge the gap between new technologies and their real-world application. These grants are focused on providing groups of farmers, growers and foresters in England with support to conduct on-farm experiments and trials. This will allow farmers to drive practical research that is relevant to them as well as providing “pull-through” of new technologies and processes to the practical domain. The funding and support available through ADOPT funding will help de-risk farmers’ participation in research and innovation. There will be a total of £43 million grant funding available up until 2028/29. The scheme is open through 2026.

Defra works with the Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture (TIAH), a professional body for the farming industry established in 2021. TIAH aims to drive greater uptake of professional skills which can help to support farm productivity.

Precision Breeding Competition

This competition closed on Wednesday 25 June 2025. It funds research in precision breeding, a technology that has the potential enables the commercialisation of new crops in years, rather than decades.

Low Emissions Farming Competition

This competition closed on Monday 5 May 2025. It will support research into innovative ways to reduce emissions on farms.

Farming in Protected Landscapes Programme

The Farming in Protected Landscapes programme funds farmers and land managers within areas of outstanding natural beauty or national parks in England to deliver projects that support nature recovery; mitigate the impacts of climate change; provide opportunities for people to discover, enjoy, and understand the landscape and its cultural heritage; protect or improve the quality and character of the landscape or place. The programme has engaged with over 240 farmers and land managers in the Shropshire Hills, supported 147 projects and distributed over £3.1 million to deliver farming projects which are helping to restore nature, tackle climate change, improve access and to make farming businesses more sustainable for the future. There are 43 projects 'in progress' so far this year (2025-26), with others in the pipeline - on target to spend the £1 million grant allocation.

Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund (NEIRF)

The deadline for applications was midday on 16 February 2024. This competitive grants scheme provided grants of between £10,000 and £100,000 to support the development of nature projects in England.

Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF)

Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) works with farmers and partners across England to produce food in a way that protects water, air, and soil. CSF advisers (CSFA) are locally based with an understanding of the challenges farmers face. They will work with you to take the latest advice and tailor it to best benefit your business. (Email: [email protected])

The Forestry and Arboriculture Fund

This Fund closed on 29 August 2024. It covered training costs for short, practical forestry and arboriculture courses. Over 30,000 people are protecting our precious woodlands, contributing more than £2 billion to our economy every year.

Forestry Commission’s Professional Forester Apprenticeship programme closed to applications on 26th March 2025. The three-year, paid development opportunity was open to school leavers, graduates or anyone looking for a change in career direction and a rewarding job in the natural environment. The Forestry Commission kick-started the scheme in 2022, and an increasing number of other organisations and businesses have taken the opportunity to host apprentices over the subsequent years.

Woodland Creation Grant (EWCO)

Applications should have been submitted by 30th June for the next planting season. Capital grants to create woodland, such as planting trees and allowing natural colonisation of trees. The Environment Agency's Water Environment Improvement Fund supports the planting of thousands of riparian trees across England.

Woodland Carbon Guarantee Scheme

This scheme closed for applications on 17 October 2024. Administered by the Forestry Commission, the £50 million scheme aims to help accelerate woodland planting rates and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. It has already resulted in nearly 3,000 hectares of new woodland across the country. Before applying, land managers need to register with the Woodland Carbon Code, which provides information to verify and record the carbon they are capturing.

Tree Health Pilot Scheme

The Tree Health Pilot expands on support available through the existing Countryside Stewardship Woodland Tree Health grant by testing new ways to help people who own or manage trees in regions including the West Midlands, primarily targeting the Malvern Hills AONB and Shropshire Hills AONB, to keep trees healthy by stopping the spread of pests and diseases, and maintaining the treescape through resilient restocking after pests and diseases induced tree loss. Learning generated through the pilot will be used to develop future incentives schemes for tree health. The pilot is funded through Defra’s Future Farming and Countryside Programme and delivered in partnership with the Forestry Commission.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a whole-farm approach that uses all available methods to prevent, monitor, and control pests, weeds and diseases. It can help manage pesticide resistance and minimise the risks of environmental harm by targeting application and making use of non-chemical alternatives. IPM is not a fixed set of practices but a flexible approach to help you make the best decisions for your farm.  It blends farming skills, conventional wisdom and approaches with the latest technology and scientific research and development.  To help farmers, growers and land managers adopt different IPM approaches, the government has published a new guidance page on GOV.UK.

Seed Sourcing Grant

The Seed Sourcing Grant (SSG) is a competitive grant to provide support for activities that enhance the quality, quantity, and diversity of tree seed sources in England. It supports projects that increase the quality, quantity, and diversity of Seed Stands and Seed Orchards on the Forest Reproductive Material (FRM) Register of UK Basic Material. The deadline is Tuesday 19 August 2025.

Smaller Abattoirs Fund

In December 2023, the last government launched a £4 million 'Smaller Abattoir Fund.' This scheme awarded capital grants ranging from £2,000 to £60,000 to help support smaller abattoirs. The maximum grant amount was then increased to £75,000. The scheme closed to applications on 30th September 2024. In January, Farming Ministers said that any future grant rounds would be confirmed after the Spending Review on 11th June 2025. However, no update has yet been issued.

Dairy Export Programme

The last government committed £1 million to the dairy sector, especially SMEs at the Farm to Fork Summit hosted at 10 Downing Street in May 2023. This programme is a direct result of that funding. It provides a wide range of targeted support for businesses, through education sessions on how to boost exports and target new markets and trade promotion activity, including an inward buyer trade mission and a UK Dairy Showcase. The Programme was agreed following consultations with UK dairy businesses and industry bodies. It is UK-wide and designed to unlock new opportunities for our dairy exports in growth markets around the world.

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

The government funds and supports interdisciplinary research linking agriculture, nutrition and health to food security, environmental sustainability, and biodiversity. In 2023-24, BBSRC funded around £140 million on research to improve crop and livestock health and enhance food safety and nutrition, whilst reducing food loss and waste.

Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator

By using powers in the Agriculture Act 2020, we can improve the relationship between agricultural producers and their direct purchasers. This enables the introduction of regulations which apply to businesses purchasing agricultural products directly from farmers. These can mandate that contracts include certain information. For example, termination clauses, duration, pricing information and set parameters around these details. These fair dealing powers are being exercised on a sector-by-sector basis to account for the variation in circumstances between each agricultural sector. The first use of the powers introduced the Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations 2024 (FDOM24) and established the Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator (ASCA) to enforce them. The ASCA will also be responsible for enforcing any future regulations developed under the fair dealing powers.

The Farming Advice Service (FAS)

The Farming Advice Service (FAS) is a national network of qualified, independent advisers from agricultural consultancies and research organisations throughout England funded by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) to help farms understand and meet the regulations that apply to their business. It provides free advice confidentially to farmers and land managers in person and over the phone to help them understand farming policy and meet the regulations that apply to their business. Farmers can contact them through their main customer service helpline (03000 200 301). Call handlers can often resolve common queries or will offer a call-back if they are unable to resolve more complex queries at the first point of contact. Lines are open Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm. This includes the Rural Payment Service. Regulations for the UK pig sector are in the latter stages of development and are expected to be introduced in Parliament in spring 2025.

Tenant Farming Sector Commissioner

Alan Laidlaw, an experienced CEO with more than 25 years’ experience in agriculture and land management, has been appointed to the new role of commissioner for the tenant farming sector, which together manage over a third of England’s farmland. This role, the first of its kind in England, will address one of the recommendations from the Rock Review - to improve relationships and collaboration between tenant farmers, landowners and advisers. The appointment will provide a neutral point of contact for all parties in the sector who have concerns about poor conduct helping to facilitate collaboration and solutions for all parties. The Commissioner will also promote the standards set out in the Agricultural Landlord and Tenant Code of Practice.

Farm Tenancy Forum

The Farm Tenancy Forum is a joint industry and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) group that will have the primary role of working with the government to ensure a thriving and collaborative farm tenancy sector; explore all issues relating to the tenant farming sector in England; and provide ongoing engagement and feedback between Defra and the tenanted sector. The Forum will feed into and support the design and delivery of policy and schemes in England from the perspective of the tenanted sector. The Forum is made up of members of industry organisations which represent tenant farmers, landlords and professional advisors working in the sector.

Organisations representing tenant farmers will be:

Tenant Farmers Association (TFA)
National Farmers Union (NFU)
National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs (NFYFC)

Organisations representing landlords will be:

Country Land and Business Association (CLA)
Association of Chief Estates Surveyors (local authorities with tenant farming estates)
Institutional Landowners Group

Organisations representing professional advisors will be: