County Update
NFU President Visit to Worcestershire
Tom Bradshaw visited Worcestershire last Thursday to meet with Horticulture and Dairy members. Andrew Bille and Nick Arnst hosted his visit to Evesham Vale Growers La Serra Nursery. Tom was given an insight into the many and varied businesses that make up EVG including tomatoes, spring onions, asparagus, arable crops, anaerobic digesters, solar energy production and grain storage. It was fascinating to hear about their vision to produce long term sustainable food. Tom took on board concerns for the industry and the NFU will continue to lobby for a better business environment for the horticulture sector, especially our asks on SAWs, EPP and SMETA and plans for AD plants beyond 2033. In the afternoon, we headed up to Muller in Droitwich where Tom was accompanied by National Dairy Board Chair Paul Tomkins and Midlands Regional Board Chair Rob Davies. There were some positive conversations with the Muller CEO Rob Hutchison and Head of Agriculture Richard Collins and Tom committed to continue to work together for the benefit of our members, the producers and the whole supply chain. It was good to hear some optimism for the dairy industry in what are difficult times for agriculture.
Shadow Defra Minister Robbie Moore Visit to Worcestershire
Huge Thanks to shadow Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) Minister Robbie Moore MP for meeting with NFU - National Farmers' Union members in Inkberrow on Saturday. We heard all about his work in opposition and how difficult things are with the current Govenment's massive majority. As a farmer himself, he understood how utterly shell shocked we are by being constantly underfire: APR, BPR, IHT, closure of SFI, land grab, compulsory purchase, land use framework- how much more can we take? But he was challenged on some of the previous government's policies and he made some sound commitments around ensuring food security, should he get into government at the next election. He gave a good 2 hours of his time and a promise to return soon. Many thanks to Matt Dormer for organising the visit and to the 40+ NFU members who came. There were so many of us, the pub was not big enough and we held the meeting outside.
Do you want financial support to upskill your staff?
SkillsBoost Worcestershire Grant
Last year, there was a training and upskilling grant available for businesses based in Worcestershire. This grant supported employers with the costs of upskilling employees. The maximum grant available was £6,000 per business on a 50/50 match-funded basis (so training costs of £12,000 or more could qualify a business for the full grant). The maximum grant any single employee could claim was £1,500 on a 50/50 match-funded basis (so £3,000 or more training costs could qualify the employee for the full grant). We are awaiting confirmation of funding for this grant in 2025/26, but we are anticipating that it will be available again.
For example, if 3x Worcestershire-resident employees undertook the NFU Negotiation Skills Workshop at £300 (+VAT), this grant could pay £150 of this cost for each employee (as the grant will not fund the VAT element).
Wychavon Growth Grant
There is also a very small Growth Grant of £1,000 available through Wychavon District Council currently which you could apply for if you have any capital expenditure plans that could be supported by this. Full details can be found here: https://form.jotform.com/233115202599049
Skills
Worcestershire Growth Hub work closely with local skills providers to help support businesses. This includes introducing businesses to Worcestershire Apprenticeships to support recruitment and upskilling via apprenticeship standards (and supporting with any associated grants/bursaries), introducing businesses to national skills providers like Serco who can help businesses recruit individuals who are out of work but actively looking for and willing to enter employment, and more.
- Homepage: https://worcestershiregrowthhub.co.uk/
- Events: https://worcestershiregrowthhub.co.uk/events/
- Newsletter sign up: https://us5.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=974e8aecc9ad79f7b91a0b5d6&id=8d5a9d191a
- Latest news: https://worcestershiregrowthhub.co.uk/latest-news-articles/
- Wychavon District Council’s business newsletter: https://securelinks2.cmadvantage.co.uk/linkapp/cmasubs.aspx?LinkID=pageid986790jkkzrq9@f@f@qxnt@z@f@qxnt@f@f
The Big Farm Tea Break
Date
24 - 30 March 2025
Spring is the time of year on a farm when it seems everywhere you look there is a job waiting. Lambing, calving and tractor work all add to the pressure, it’s easy to feel there is no time to breathe.
Due to this pressure, we miss out on visits to the local shops, markets, Young Farmers or the pub. Those communities we are part of are still there and keen to always be there for you.
It’s amazing how stopping for a conversation puts everything into perspective for you and people around you.
So, during the Big Farm Tea Break, let’s all come together as a community.
Lynda and Andy wish they could have had the chance to say the right words at the right time. They can’t but you can.
Please share your photos and #Lens Light
No one in the rural community should feel isolated or alone.
Farm for the Future – Royal Countryside Fund
Do you want help navigating agricultural policy changes including help with understanding ELMs and SFI (Sustainable Farming Incentive)?
If you’re an owner-occupied or tenant farm in England that received BPS, The Royal Countryside Fund’s Farm for the Future programme is in its final year, offering a last chance for free support which includes a 1-2-1 session with a consultant to talk about your farm.
Its online workshops can be joined from the comfort of your own home via Zoom to help you and your farm business navigate policy changes and become more resilient and sustainable.
To find out more and sign up to the online group, contact Christina Hutchings via email virtual.group@outlook.com or call 07715 353 546 or visit www.royalcountrysidefund.org.uk/farmforthefuture
Be vigilant of scam callers
If you receive a call that looks like it is from NFU Headquarters and are unsure then please hang up, do not pass on any personal details.
You can contact NFU CallFirst on 0370 845 8458 to check if we are doing any calls or promotions.
New rounds of funding secured for Worcestershire
I am really pleased to announce we have finally received confirmation of a further £33 million, 1-year extension of the Rural England Prosperity Fund. Wychavon and Malvern Hills District Councils will get a proportion of this.
The REPF will continue to provide capital funding to:
- support new and existing rural businesses to develop new products and facilities that will be of wider benefit to the local economy. This includes farm businesses looking to diversify income streams.
- support new and improved community infrastructure that provide essential community services and assets for local people and businesses to benefit the local economy.
While we have been campaigning for a longer-term round of the REPF, the announcement today is still very welcome, as it does seem to be a single year top-up, and Defra have made it clear that they intend any future rounds from this point to be 3–4-year rounds, which is in line with our asks. We’re told this is a top-up to provide as much stability as possible in advance of wider local funding reforms announced in the Autumn Statement. Read the full Gov press release here Government funding for rural communities set out - GOV.UK
FiPL Programme Extended
There will be a further round of Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) funding which will be available for members farming in and around the Malvern Hills National Landscape, formerly the AONB. You can read more here: Farming in Protected Landscapes programme extended until 2026 – Farming
Cyber Crime
The Midlands NFU held an online member meeting with WMRCCU in autumn 2023, the opportunity to register with them is still available, this is aimed to improve your business’s cyber security.
With membership at the WMRCCU, you will receive regular tips and guidance on how to firm up your business’s cyber security.
Register to become a member (for free) today at www.wmcrc.co.uk/membership
Securing water for your businesses, resilience planning for the future meeting
Water Resources West (WRW) are planning for the future and would like to work with the sector to ensure water is available for agricultural use. WRW are keen to promote the development of Water Abstraction Groups, bringing agricultural abstractors together to navigate local water challenges.
Over 30 members attended the meeting to hear about the work of WRW and the support available for farmers interested in forming Water Abstraction Groups in Worcestershire. All were keen to get involved to help influence the agricultural elements of regional water resources planning into the future. It has been decided that we will form an WAG – a Water Abstraction Group for the Middle Severn and the Avon in Worcestershire so that members can collaborate to ensure a continued supply of water for their businesses in the future. If you were unable to attend, but would be interested in joining the Worcestershire WAG, please let County Adviser Emma Hamer know emma.hamer@nfu.org.uk or 07469 084691
Access Business Support to help your business
Worcestershire farmers and growers are being encouraged to engage with the Worcestershire Growth Hub to find out more about the support available for organisations. There is a variety of new business support, funding and grants available to help organisations across Worcestershire.
Local businesses are being encouraged to contact the Worcestershire Growth Hub team to find out how their growth could be supported. There is support available for businesses looking to upskill or train their staff, businesses looking to access specialist expert advice, funding for growth ambitions and much more.
Alongside this, organisations can also find out about all of the upcoming business support events via the Worcestershire Growth Hub’s events calendar. This events page pulls all of the available business support events being delivered in Worcestershire together into one place, regardless of the organiser, location or style of event. To contact the Worcestershire Growth Hub team: Call – 01905 677888 or email info@worcestershiregrowthhub.co.uk
Farming Community Drop-In
Come and meet your Malvern Hills District Council rural farming community builder
Following the success of the collaboration with the NFU and Clive's Fruit Farm at the first of the farming engagement breakfasts in January, Community Builder Linda will be at Clive’s Fruit Farm.
This will be an opportunity to pop in and say hello and find out what a Community Builder does; buy a cuppa at the counter if wished or just pull up a chair and have a chat! It will all be very informal. We hope that the drop ins will be an opportunity to meet with other members of the farming community and find out what we can do to support. We understand the joys and challenges of the farming way of life. Your NFU County Adviser Emma Hamer will also try to be there.
We can help with information, networking, clubs and events and available grants and connect to local services. Or perhaps you have an idea for a course, activity or event that you'd like to talk through. We may even be able to support you in getting an idea off the ground or assist in finding a venue and looking into funding options. Perhaps you'd like to develop a rural community history project, a farm walk, a discussion group or a lunch club. Or perhaps you would like to expand an existing activity and engage with farming/nonfarming neighbours. Or something else! We are here to support you in talking through that idea or to just provide a listening ear. Do pop in and say hello or feel free to contact Linda by email: Linda.price@malvernhills.gov.uk or telephone: 01684 862165
Date
9 April (then every second Wednesday of the month)
Venue & Timings
2-3pm at The Cafe, Clive's Fruit Farm, Nr Upton Upon Severn, WR8 OSA.
Worcestershire RABI Quiz
Save the Date.
We are working on the questions to the Worcestershire RABI quiz and have some great rounds already planned. Last year we raised £1300 for RABI - let's see if we can do that again this year.
Date
10 April 2025
Venue & Timings
TBC at Worcestershire YFC Centre, Shires Farm, Hawford.
Cost
Teams of 6. £10 per person. Snacks available to buy. Bring your own drinks
Booking
Reserve your team's place by contacting Kate Jones at kate.jones@rabi.org.uk or Emma Hamer at emma.hamer@nfu.org.uk
Can Worcestershire win the champion title back from Warwickshire this year?????
Planning your farm’s future webinar with BRI Wealth Management & Fisher German
You're invited to join BRI and Fisher German for a free webinar. Andy Gillett, Head of Wealth Management Advice at BRI Wealth Management will be joined by Richard Gadd, Head of Farms Agency, and David Kinnersley, Head of Agribusiness at Fisher German.
In this webinar we’ll cover:
- The changes announced in the Autumn budget
- How these changes will affect farmers and the farmland market
- Various financial planning strategies that can help plan for the future
We’ll then be finishing with a Q&A session where you can ask your questions to our panel of experts.
Date
10 April 2025
Venue & Timings
12pm via Zoom
Booking
You can register here: Webinar Registration - Zoom
Do you manage a Local Wildlife Site?
Help with carrying out surveys, looking at SFI options, and providing support with evidence for enhanced stewardship options could be available.
Your County Adviser, Emma Hamer met with Worcestershire Wildlife Trust this week to try to find a way for them to work more closely with farmers. Many of our members will have a local wildlife site on their farms -there around 537 sites covering 9,274ha in the County. This is 5% of Worcestershire and represents a significant proportion of the county’s best natural habitats.
Local Wildlife Sites could be owned and managed by anyone including private individuals, businesses, organisations and public bodies. In addition to Local Wildlife Site status being an acknowledgement of the positive long-term management of a site and its substantive value for wildlife, having a site listed as a Local Wildlife Site can also provide landowners with:
- Access to professional support for botanical survey and habitat management advice
- Enhanced access to environmental grants and green finance options
- Opportunities to diversify farming enterprises
It is also worth noting that a Local Wildlife Site listing does not grant any right of public access to land, does not justify a statutory designation and does not directly impose legal obligations on a landowner or directly affect current agricultural activity.
If you think you may own or manage a Local Wildlife Site then we would love to hear from you and see how we may help. You can reach the Worcestershire Local Wildlife Sites Partnership by sending them an email at localwildlifesites@worcestershirewildlifetrust.org
Have Your Say on Mobile Connectivity in Worcestershire
Is your mobile signal letting your business down? Over 800 people have voiced their concerns already, but we need more feedback, especially from businesses. Despite Ofcom data suggesting strong outdoor coverage, many report disruptions to calls, maps, banking, and more.
Some even note a decline in service over the past year.
We’re collaborating with mobile operators to address problem areas, and your input is vital. Share your experiences by taking our short survey to help us target improvements where they’re needed most: Mobile Connectivity Problems
Bromsgrove MP Bradley Thomas launches an IHT survey
Bradley Thomas, MP for Bromsgrove and the villages is keen to conduct a survey of farmers in the constituency so he can make the Government, and constituents, aware of the true impact of the Family Farm Tax. He’ll use the results gathered in Parliament as well as on social media and in the press. He wants to be able to say:
X number of farmers have been impacted by the Government’s changes
X farmers are selling their farm/land as a result
X farmers can’t afford the inheritance tax bill
Please complete the survey here: https://www.bradleythomas.org.uk/farming-survey.
Calling all business leaders
Are you ready to tackle your business challenges head-on and take your business to the next level?
Worcestershire County Council and Worcestershire Growth Hub would like to create a programme of free training for Worcestershire businesses. In order to do this, we need your help. Share your insights on your top training needs, how you'd like training be delivered and how you would like to receive support updates.
Your feedback is crucial in shaping a programme which truly benefits you!
Complete our feedback form to help shape a brighter future for your business!
Worcestershire Working with Water -Natural Flood Management (NFM) in the Body Brook
Worcestershire Working with Water project is a Natural Flood Management project. The project is managed by Worcestershire County Council, in partnership with the Environment Agency. It is a six-year grant in aid funded scheme, where we are aiming to hold back and slow the flow of water within Worcestershire County, with the overall aim of reducing flooding for downstream communities.
One of the projects they are currently working on is in partnership with the Canal & Rivers Trust and Natural England, looking at the catchment of the Body Brook in Droitwich, which is a tributary of the River Salwarpe, discharging into the canal just upstream of Droitwich town centre.
The aim of the project is to look at the Body Brook catchment as a whole and use a combination of natural flood management techniques combined with enhanced land management options to help slow and store water in the upper catchment. This will not only help to alleviate the flooding downstream but will also have the additional benefits of increasing biodiversity, creating habitat and also improving water quality.
An example of some natural flood management interventions might include leaky dams across small tributaries to help slow and store water, buffer strips on fields, ponds and attenuation areas, planting of hedgerows and aeration of the land to name just a few. Each intervention on its own is small scale, but cumulatively, these measures can have a significant impact on the volume of water stored upstream and the time it takes flood water to reach vulnerable communities.
The overall issue is the fact that there is a huge amount of silt ending in the canal coming from the Body Brook catchment. This is costing the Canals and Trust ~£100k/year to remove.
The message from Worcester County Council is that lots of small interventions collectively make a big difference! Get in touch with them for an initial discussion email: flooding@worcestershire.gov.uk or call 01905 843735