In response to severe flooding seen in England and Wales, NatWest is mobilising its agricultural team to support its farming customers who have been affected. NatWest’s agricultural team are offering individual financial solutions to any customers impacted, with financial support available for those hit by the adverse weather conditions both in the short, medium and […]
The start up behind a new AI-based forecasting tool for the soft fruit industry was one of just 13 businesses selected from across the UK to showcase innovation and investment opportunity to the world’s leading financiers. FruitCast, which uses imagery and data to forecast growth in strawberry plants, was invited alongside Aston Martin, McLaren Group […]
The Environmental Farmers Group (EFG), Peakland Environmental Farmers (PEF) and Swaledale & Wensleydale Environmental Farmers (SWEF) now represent 469 land managers with three shared objectives of carbon neutrality, biodiversity recovery and cleaner rivers. Since it was launched last year by farmers in Hampshire and Wiltshire, the original EFG has undergone a rapid expansion. More groups […]
Jacob Rees-Mogg’s recent suggestion that we could import our soft fruit from abroad to override the labour issue has caused a lot of irritation in the UK horticulture and agriculture sectors. Whatever the economics or opinions on this, the bigger picture needs to remain firmly in sight, which is the significant contribution of the soft […]
Ahead of COP28, the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) urges global leaders to shift gears and drastically and urgently scale-up climate finance for small-scale farmers and small agribusinesses, who produce one third of the world’s food and up to 70 percent of the food in low- and middle-income countries. Many are brutally impacted […]
New research from Cebr for Virgin Media O2 finds that improved rural connectivity could increase turnover for rural manufacturing businesses by over 7%, adding an extra £8.8bn to the UK economy. The analysis, published for the first time today, examines the role improved connectivity could play in supporting economic growth and transforming rural industries. Many […]
The British Business Bank has agreed a £100m ENABLE Guarantee transaction with leading fintech Oxbury Bank, the only UK bank with a singular focus on farmers, food production and the rural economy. This will be one of the first ENABLE transactions whereby the guarantee provides protection to an existing portfolio of lending. This means that […]
An Aberdeenshire nature education and outdoor experience business has successfully expanded its service offering after the business owner received support and funding advice from Business Gateway. Located in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, in the heart of the Cairngorm National Park of Scotland, Wild Braemar provides unique services such as guided walks, wild swimming adventures, outdoor learning, nature […]
A pioneering new fund from Traditum Private Equity aims to attract new investors to the agricultural sector. The Agri+ Fund provides an opportunity to support the rural economy and decarbonisation of agriculture while achieving asset-backed, tax-efficient returns. The fund will acquire UK farmland and invest in innovative ways to add value – for example by […]
Mark Chatterton, the head of agriculture at the accountancy group, has expressed his concern for this year’s harvest, predicting a difficult season ahead. There are several aspects which have negatively impacted the income this year in comparison to 2022 – including volatility in commodity markets due to the Ukraine war, weather instability and a significant […]
