With production costs spiralling, farm prices stalling, BPS payments falling and Net Zero looming, Britain’s farmers have never been under greater pressure to find new ways to secure their future.

Understanding the challenges and options facing farmers in the future is crucial, and farmers and landowners across the East Midlands are invited to explore the opportunities for change at a free seminar hosted by Virgin Money and Active Business Partnership (ABP) at the White Hart in Lincoln on Wednesday 15^th February.

Virgin Money’s Head of Agriculture for England, Oliver Maxey, will host the seminar and explain the vital importance of planning for a new future. Active Business Partnerships Director Hamish Bichan and colleagues will focus on the costs of production trends during the last eighteen months. Oliver Maxey will be joined by Simon Haley of Carbon Metrics to explain how farmers can make Net Zero a cornerstone of their plans for a new future.

“There has been a massive increase in the cost of production since the Autumn of 2021 to January 2023, and through this seminar our aim is to look at the trends and to encourage farmers to think about what they can do to minimise costs, maximise opportunities, overcome challenges, and to learn from each other.” Said Hamish.

The huge economic and political challenges currently facing farmers require a fundamental transition in the way food is produced and the countryside managed and in giving additional comment Oliver Maxey said:

“Farmers need to be making plans now that minimise their production costs and optimise their value, and together with ABP we will share our experience of helping hundreds of farmers across the UK to do just this.”

British farmers have set the highest standards in the world for the quality and safety of the food they produce. Now they can set a similar standard for carbon reduction and environmental excellence that gives UK farmers a new advantage in a global marketplace. However, building a sustainable future in farming also requires farmers to plan how they will achieve the UK’s 2040 Net Zero commitment in their own businesses.

“Undertaking an accurate Carbon Audit and identifying the areas of your business that need improving will enhance your farm’s overall business as well as its environmental performance. As the speed of change is accelerating, this is central to the future of farming and there is a very real danger that if you don’t tackle this challenge now, you will be left behind.” Said Simon Haley.

This planning for the future seminar begins at 6.00pm and closes at 8.00pm, and will include opportunities for questions and discussion, along with a two-course supper, tea, and coffee. Places are limited and will be allocated on a first response basis.

To reserve your space, please contact Maisie Arnold direct via email marnold@activebp.com