Farmers able to bid for growth funding

Surrey County Council says the fund will help farmers diversify

Farmers in parts of Surrey can now apply for grants from Surrey County Council to help boost growth.

Funding of up to £120,000 is available to help farmers in the districts of Tandridge, Guildford and Waverley.

The grants will aim to support ideas like opening farm shops, generating sustainable energy and "developing agritourism", the council suggests.

"As committed custodians of much of Surrey's fantastic countryside, farmers play a key role in everyone's way of life," said councillor Matt Furniss.

A total of £360,000 is available from the government's Rural England Prosperity Fund for 2025/26.

The council is calling it a "competitive process" and says it will "focus on supporting a small number of large-scale, high-impact projects".

Applications can be made on the Business Surrey website and closes at the end of June.

Surrey-wide farmers and landowners can also apply for separate Business Growth Grants from the Surrey Economic Growth Fund, which are open until the end of May.