Many farmers are looking at new ways to increase profitability including making their farms more sustainable. For some farms, diversification could hold the answer.

This means using your farm’s assets, such as its land, buildings, or machinery, to develop a new business activity. Diversification ventures normally set out to contribute supplementary revenue and can complement the agricultural enterprise. Research conducted by NFU Mutual, following the December 2019 General Election, found that almost half of the farmers surveyed were planning to set up or expand a diversification on their farm. The main driver was to support farm income (40%) and a quarter of respondents wanted to create new opportunities for their family members. Read the NFU Mutual Farm Diversification Report 2020 here. 

Before you begin to diversify, you must obtain planning permission before any building works can begin. Our expert planning team can guide you through this complex process and assist with planning submissions, including those for tourist accommodation, wedding venues, micro-distilleries, storage, workshops, and residential dwellings.