Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group Limited (FWAG) Calls in Baker Tilly

Over the years, the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group Limited has largely been supported by grants and work from central government, and has been closely aligned with DEFRA. The culture of the enterprise has always been very much geared to finding solutions, rather than profit driven. FWAG is driven by passion for farming and the environment.

The current economic climate combined with the Government spending cuts has negatively affected the organisation’s performance to the extent an Administration process was required. On Friday 18 November, Baker Tilly was appointed to FWAG to manage the Administration while a process is being sought to secure the future of the businesses.

Shortly before it went into Administration, Philip Cook was appointed as Chairman and with other Trustees, is committed to supporting the farmer members, employees and all regional and county initiatives. Should the farming industry and farming community demand a continued national organisation, they will lead the formation of a new central hub to preserve the values of FWAG nationwide. For this to happen, industry and farmer support for FWAG needs to materialise as financial commitments or resource allocation.

Any support received will be applied to facilitate the re-establishment of a central hub to serve as a conduit for contracts, funding and commercial initiatives on a national scale and to assist the start-up of regional enterprises. A central hub would also have a critical role to play in facilitating knowledge transfer and influencing policy formers.

The FWAG ethos still very much exists and will no doubt be carried forward by new county and regional enterprises established by the skilled former FWAG employees. They will continue to deliver the good work that FWAG has always stood for.

New chairman, Philip Cook, is appealing for backing from industry and the farming community to enable FWAG to survive as a nationally coordinated body.

He says: "We can quickly commence discussions with the Administrators and re-establish a solid, central platform together with delivery enterprises in the regions. Through this, we will continue to build on the values and principles established 42 years ago to ensure farming and nature conservation remains a sustainable partnership.

"The need to protect the environment alongside a farming system that is financially viable for the long term is as great now as it ever was. FWAG has consistently delivered workable solutions to the problems which farming and the environment have encountered and our balanced approach is still sought after by farmers and government alike."

Last year, FWAG was active on over 9,000 farms.