Our emergency fund is here to support you if extreme weather events, accident or illness, or certain animal disease outbreaks, affects your farming business. Over the last two decades, we have provided disaster relief during outbreaks of Foot and Mouth, Swine Fever and during extreme weather events.
You can count on us when disaster strikes, we can send essential commodities to your farm via a network of fully approved suppliers. We will ensure you have those all-important supplies of compound feeds, silage, hay, straw and straights through our Forage Aid scheme.
By helping in this way, we can relieve pressure on hardworking farmers and protect animal welfare.
2025 Dry Weather Emergency Grants
Our Forage Aid scheme helps farmers in England and Wales (with a Defra holding number) with short term support.
If you are a farmer in need, and struggling to feed the stock on your farm due to the ongoing drought, we may be able to help with a one-off grant to help prevent your animals from suffering from lack of feed or bedding, if hardship is evident.
Priority will be given to those deemed most in need.
We make one-off grants up to a maximum of £3,000 to those most vulnerable. To apply, please complete and return our application form below along with the supporting information requested, and we will be in touch as soon as possible to let you know if we can support you.
We help working farmers who are experiencing hardship in times of severe weather, animal disease (which prevents you from trading) and emergency situations for example an illness, bereavement or accident.
We realise in such times you will be worried about looking after the animals on your farm, but your circumstances may be causing a temporary cash flow problem which is making things difficult to feed your livestock.
Are you eligible?
You are a working farmer and your main income must be from farming an agricultural holding and you are experiencing hardship because of an emergency situation through no fault of your own.
You are unable to provide funding for this yourself by looking at normal business practices, such as selling store animals or drawing on any reserves/savings/overdraft facility.
We are unable to assist when there is a loss, or reduction of, income due to market forces nor can we provide grants towards business debts.
Grants are usually awarded in the form of feed or forage delivered to your farm.
Please note that grants are made at the discretion of trustees and priority will be given to applicants depending on their circumstances.
Regrettably, we cannot help everyone who comes to us so please try and describe your particular situation as clearly as possible.
If your circumstances do not fit the above remit, we may still be able to help. Please contact us to discuss your situation before submitting an application.
Read our FAQs page for more examples on how we can help. We regret that we cannot assist you with long term business debts or problems caused by low prices for farm produce.
If you do not meet our grant criteria you may be able to access support from:
The Royal Countryside Fund - Farm for the Future is a FREE business and environment programme which will help you tackle any challenges you face and grasp the opportunities on offer linked to the agricultural transition.
FCN supports farmers with practical and pastoral support. Farmwell is a one stop resource to help you and your farm business stay strong and resilient. For mental health support, practical and pastoral guidance, please contact FCN - 03000 111 999 (open 7am to 11pm)
RABI provides support to the farming community across England and Wales. Support is provided to those who are currently working in agriculture and those who are no longer working due to illness, injury, disability or age.
