Lincolnshire County Council is funding advice sessions for county farmers in the light of a series of government policies that have affected the sector.
In December the council allocated an extra £50,000 to provide additional finance advisory support for farming businesses to plan for the future.
Those interested in either impartial one-to-one advice, or taking part in a group workshop can now express an interest. The sessions will be delivered as part of the Lincolnshire Farm Support Programme.
Cllr Martin Hill, leader of Lincolnshire County Council, said: “Farming is the heart and soul of Lincolnshire and times have never been tougher for those working in agriculture. We allocated this funding to support all of those struggling with a series of national government policy decisions that have potentially disastrous consequences for farmers.
“We must protect Lincolnshire’s countryside and agricultural way of life, which is clearly under attack, including from large-scale infrastructure projects like solar farms and pylons. This is not just a matter of local livelihoods, but our nation’s food security. As well as this direct support straight away, we will also be hosting a Food and Farming Conference later this year to support our farmers, and their future in this county.”
The council will be working with other local and regional organisations that offer support to the farming sector to deliver this conference.
Cllr Colin Davie, executive councillor for economy, environment and planning at the county council, said:
“Recent announcements around national living wage, National Insurance increases and inheritance tax measures for farmers have resulted in increased concerns for farm owners around their ability to maintain viable businesses. In addition, the government has suddenly closed the Sustainable Farming Initative to new applications – a scheme that provided a guaranteed income to farmers for environmental land management.
“The impartial advice sessions we are funding include business planning and strategy, managing cashflow, diversification and succession planning. I hope as many farming businesses as possible take up this offer as we help them through the most challenging of times.”
The sessions are co-ordinated by the Business Lincolnshire Growth Hub, which provides business support information covering all sectors and growth stages. Targeted advice is delivered by Savills – industry experts and local land agents.
Interested farming businesses can complete an expression of interest form on the Business Lincolnshire website, or email businesslincolnshire@lincolnshire.gov.uk in the first instance.
The county council has collated a range of support available to those in agriculture and horticulture, available at www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/keeplincolnshiregrowing
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