Farmer Collaboration Fund - Dorset approach

Overview

Government funding for farmer collaboration and peer learning is changing.

As part of the Farming Roadmap, the Farmer Collaboration Fund will provide £30 million across England between now and March 2029 to support advice and collaboration on environmental outcomes and farm business performance.

Through this fund, Defra plans to appoint delivery partners who will be responsible for managing and distributing the funding to clusters and groups.

What this could look like for Dorset - 

In Dorset, Farming & Wildlife Group South West (FWAG SW), Dorset National Landscape, and Dorset Council (Nature Recovery Team) are exploring the opportunity to have a county-wide delivery partner.

As previous funding for collaboration comes to an end, we’re keen to secure this new funding to continue and expand the strong collaborative working already taking place across Dorset.

A Dorset-wide approach would:

• Recognise the excellent work that clusters and groups are already doing
• Maintain the independence of clusters and groups
• Identify opportunities to expand or create new clusters, and increase peer learning

Full details of the fund are still to be announced. In the meantime, we are seeking feedback from:

• Existing clusters
• Informal groups (e.g. breakfast clubs or interest groups)
• Individuals interested in joining a cluster or getting involved in collaborative opportunities

How to tell us your views - 

Please complete this form to share your views on the proposal to apply to the Farmer Collaboration Fund as a Dorset-wide delivery partner.

If you are responding to this survey as a cluster or informal group, please discuss your answers together and submit one group response. To help you do this together, you can refer to the PDF version of the survey attached below, but ideally, please submit your response on the online form.

This survey will take 10 minutes to complete.

If you would like to complete this survey in a different way, please email LNRS@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk or use the attached PDF copy below.

Any information you provide will be treated confidentially in line with Dorset Council Data Protection policy.

Click here for the PDF copy of the survey.