Last year (2016) farm diversification was worth £580 million; according to the Farm Business Survey. Diversification has been a big topic in the during the past 12 months, especially alongside the post Brexit talks with the lack of confidence in securing beneficial trade deals.
With diversification becoming an increasingly important income for many farms across the UK it makes it even more of a priority to get to know the legislation involved and to make sure everything is safe.
The most popular and profitable choice was the letting of buildings; an average income of £17,400 per farm. Letting was then followed by the processing of farm produce which brought in an average income of £9,600 per farm. With these figures coming into the light the temptation to other farming businesses will get more and more farms involved.
| Let Buildings | 41% |
| Renewable Energy | 23% |
| Sport & Recreation | 13% |
| Processing / Retailing of Farm Produce | 9% |
| Other | 9% |
| Tourist Accommodation & Catering | 6% |
Letting of buildings, Sport & Recreation and Tourist Accommodation & Catering require the public to come onto your farm. Just this alone means that the Health and Safety has to be taken seriously as many farmers are aware that public on farms is dangerous. If you do not carry out a proper and in-depth risk assessment you will be at risk of serious fines if someone was injured.
Research into the legislation involved, assess the risks, look into mitigations to lower the risks and put them into action. Remember to record everything.
