The Food Chain Centre (FCC) has been awarded a major grant by Defra, worth in excess of £300,000, to develop its work to promote benchmarking across the food and grocery industry.

The FCC’s research last year showed that benchmarking is a powerful way for farmers to compare performance, cut costs and improve profits but only a small number are currently benefiting. This grant will enable the FCC to make its successful benchmarking ‘starter pack’ (launched last January) available to more people.

The grant will allow the FCC to launch a travelling road show directly for farmers.

The FCC will:

• Upgrade and improve the starter pack to capture new developments in benchmarking

• Hold benchmarking workshops with Forward Farming and its Business Clubs to explain to farmers how they can improve profitability

• Work with the NFU to target local groups of farmers and increase their awareness of benchmarking

• Work with benchmarking champions to develop case studies demonstrating the benefits of benchmarking

• Provide support to regional bodies e.g. Regional Development Agencies to help them promote benchmarking

• Promote benchmarking at agricultural shows and conferences in order to get more farmers involved.

The FCC aims to become a focal point for information and knowledge on benchmarking. It promises to develop ways of improving the impact of benchmarking on the farming community. A project officer will be appointed to the Food Chain Centre to lead this work.

Deirdre Hutton, chair of the FCC, said: “The FCC’s research proved that benchmarking does help farmers to save costs and improve output. We want more farmers to benefit and this grant will enable us to continue to fulfil our vision for farmers across the country to swap information and ideas on benchmarking in order to improve their profitability.”

Professor John Moverley, principal of Myerscough College, which is leading the delivery of Forward Farming in the north west, said: “We are delighted to be working with the Food Chain Centre on this project to improve the impact of benchmarking on the farming community. We are passionate about benchmarking and look forward to setting up workshops to convey the benefits to as many farmers as possible.”

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