Diversification advice on offer at farming forum

A FREE online seminar to help farmers thinking of diversifying into retail or those wanting to look at ways to develop their business is being held tomorrow.

The 90-minute online forum is being staged by NFU Mutual and the Farm Retail Association (FRA), whose chairman is Rob Copley, the owner of Farmer Copleys in Pontefract.

Speakers including Emma Mosey, from Minskip Farm Shop in North Yorkshire, and Rupert Evans, from Denstone Hall Farm Shop and Cafe in Staffordshire, will take part in the session.

A survey by NFU Mutual at the end of last year found that 48 per cent of farmers in the UK were planning to set up or expand their diversification schemes – a figure which doubled from the year before.

The FRA is the national body supporting farm retail and is managed by Jenny Rose, from the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, which is the managing agent for the association.

She said: “Consumers are more in tune with buying locally than ever before.”

“By holding the event online we can still offer a helping hand and inspiration as well as bringing like-minded people together to think about ways to develop their business.”

David Harrison, the farming sector lead at NFU Mutual, said many farm shops had come into their own by supplying and serving local communities during the coronavirus crisis. He said: “From drive-throughs, veg boxes and socially-distanced shopping experiences, consumers are valuing the high-quality produce and services that our farm shops have to offer.”

To register for the event, which takes place tomorrow at 6pm, go to farmretail.co.uk/diversify/