In mid-July, Defra announced an update on a forthcoming funding opportunity that will be accessible for English farmers, growers and land managers later this year.
NFU members will benefit from this funding, but not directly as they do with schemes like SFI or capital grants.
Instead, the funding is aimed at organisations that will in turn help members over the coming years with collaboration-based activity.
Background
Back in January 2026, at the Oxford Farming Conference, the government announced the new Farmer Collaboration Fund with a £30 million budget available over three years to support the following:
- Making it easier for farmers to share knowledge with each other and access trusted advice to help make informed decisions for their businesses and land.
- Both existing and new farmer groups and networks.
- Activities such as farm visits, expert speaker talks, and stronger links with innovators and leaders at local and sector level.
- Practical, farmer-led approaches and to help ensure advice is available where it can make the greatest difference.
- Trialling different approaches in different areas, giving farmers greater flexibility to develop their own plans and focus on delivery rather than unnecessary bureaucracy.
This summary set the tone and direction of support and the detail needed to be developed at the time, but it was clear that this was supporting farmers in a non-scheme approach. With delivery at a local level, it will focus on advice, support and engagement peer to peer.
The NFU has been involved in helping to shape this offer from an end-user perspective ensuring that it will help farmers and land managers already working together to build on the progress made through previous funding and continue delivering practical benefits on the ground.
The NFU is keen that it should also encourage wider collaboration to build more sustainable, productive and resilient farming businesses.
It is also important that the funding is rolled out across England, so it supports all sectors, from upland and lowland farms to livestock, arable and horticulture businesses.
Critical to this is that the scheme has good governance, monitoring of activity and delivers value for money.
The NFU will continue to work with Defra on the development and delivery of this funding and encourage farmers to explore the opportunities available to strengthen business resilience.
Latest developments
On 16 July, Defra stated that on 1 September they would be opening the first round of support under this fund to organisations that will help farmers and land managers share knowledge, reduce costs and build more resilient businesses.
Defra go on to state that the fund will help farmers to test new approaches collectively, spread risk, and access opportunities that are difficult to secure alone. Practical activity the fund will support ranges from funding local facilitators to support farmers; start-up support for new collaboration groups; and coordination which strengthens farmers’ position when seeking private investment.
Defra’s vision is for the Farmer Collaboration Fund to support practical, locally led action that helps farmers and land managers in England work together to build more sustainable, productive and resilient farming businesses.
How Defra will do this is via distributing funding to local delivery partners who in turn fund local facilitated collaborative activity.
The initial Defra-led activity will be around setting up the delivery body network, who will in turn work with local delivery facilitated groups.
This will initially be on a small scale in 2026/27 and then expand later on. Key for the NFU is that there will be national coverage achieved very quickly so all benefit.
Key themes of the offer
Key themes around this offer are:
- Collaboration is at the heart of the offer: Defra see farmers and land managers across the country are already working together – sharing ideas, tackling challenges, and improving their farms and the environment – and Defra do not want to disrupt this.
- Starting with what works: Support ongoing initiatives and build on the current work.
- Farmer-led collaboration: Collaboration groups should be farmer-led, with the funding being delivered through organisations with experience of supporting collaborative groups, while ensuring that farmers remain in control of their priorities. Delivery partners will need to demonstrate that they have worked with farmers and existing groups when developing their proposals.
- A practical approach to delivery: The key is to reflect on what is working well in their area, but also address questions about value for money, administration and ensuring fair access to funding. Defra is developing an approach that provides appropriate oversight of how funding is used. Defra summarises this as an aim to deliver the fund in a way that is efficient, transparent, locally responsive and accountable.
- The role of facilitators: Farmers have spoken about the difference a skilled, trusted facilitator can make in helping groups build relationships, maintain momentum and work through challenges. Defra is looking to allow them to use their time flexibly – working one-to-one with farmers and land managers as well as in group settings. Defra will be drawing on the experience of previous programmes and funds to understand what works best and ensure facilitators have the right support to help groups succeed.
- Providing stability over time: Successful projects in each round will receive funding for up to 3 years, providing the stability needed to build relationships, develop shared priorities and plan for the long term.
- Engagement and flexibility: Defra will provide guidance ahead of the fund opening to help delivery partners make informed decisions, while avoiding overly prescriptive rules. Maintaining flexibility will remain an important principle of the fund, allowing groups to adapt as their priorities, membership and ambitions evolve.
What can members do now?
NFU members can make any groups they are involved in or know of aware of this funding opportunity and consider how they may engage with it.
Plus, look to identify the delivery organisations that will be seeking to access money via the forthcoming funding round.
Further information
Defra will publish the guidance and eligibility criteria in August.
For more information, visit: Shaping the Farmer Collaboration Fund: what we heard | GOV.UK
Defra is also planning a webinar for those seeking this funding.
The NFU has asked Defra to consider how it supports end users. Look out for more information in the coming weeks.
