Emergency drought grants to open for farmers

A farming charity has developed a £2m grant in response to "the exceptional drought and prolonged dry weather conditions" that have affected farmers this summer.

The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI), based in Botley, Oxford, will roll out the emergency support in five phases, starting on 7 September.

Eligible farm owners and tenant farmers located in an officially designated drought area in England and Wales will be given a maximum of £2,000 towards personal and household living costs.

In the South, applications for Dorset will be the first to open, while those in Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight will be able to apply from 21 September.

So far in 2026, England and Wales faced the warmest spring on record, which brought challenges such as water availability.

This intensified further with five heathwaves and drought declarations.

Helen Sisk, RABI's head of service delivery, said they wanted to make sure "we're able to support people when they need it most".

"The grant is really designed to help farming households meet those essential personal and household living expenses where the drought and those pressures have reduced the money that's available to the household."

She said the charity had used information provided by the Environment Agency while putting together the five waves of rollout.

Sisk also said they had heard of pressures such as reduced grazing, early use of winter forage, increased feed costs and reduced yields.

RABI's chief executive Alicia Chivers said she was "proud" of the charity's ability to "respond at pace when farming people face challenges on this scale".

"I would encourage eligible farming people to apply when the grant opens in their area and to remember that RABI's wider support services are available to our farming community whenever needed."

Sisk said people should get in touch even if they missed the opportunity to apply for the emergency grants.

"Aside from the grant we're here, we have financial support, we have emotional support and practical support that we can provide, so I really wouldn't want that missed.

She said they were already supporting farmers facing issues with bluetongue.