Diversification

Making changes to or erecting a building, or changing its use without planning permission carries big risks but there may be ways of making the development legally compliant.

Helen is a fifth-generation farmer who farms with her parents, David and Anne Shaw, husband, Craig, and their children, Alfred and Hattie, at Grey Leys Farm in the Vale of York. The farm comprises 162 hectares (400 acres) of grass, maize and wholecrop for the herd of 240 pedigree Jersey cows and more than 200 followers.

James farms Dairy Shorthorns east of Kendal, Cumbria, with his parents Kathleen and Henry, wife Michelle and sons Robert and Chris. The fifth generation to farm at Strickley, he is also vice-chair of the Nature Friendly Farming Network

85 per cent of respondents in a CLA survey said the planning system has hampered the growth of their business

Kate farms alongside her husband Jim on their farm near Abergavenny, Monmouthshire. Farming 122 hectares (300 acres), the main enterprise consists of 800 breeding ewes and cider made on-site from their orchards. She is a mum of two, runs Kate’s Country School on-farm and is the woodland creation officer for Stump Up For Trees

Government-funded project aims to offer farmers route to diversification and business resilience

Having established a thriving raw milk and meat box business, Lancashire farmers Emma Robinson and Ian O’Reilly have taken the farm to the next level with their eco restaurant. Emily Ashworth pays them a visit

"This exciting news marks an important milestone in Scotland's growing reputation as an agritourism destination"

The changes will allow people to create more residential dwellings as well as open new diversifications

More than half of travellers have research or booked a trip based on a TV show or film