Local food partnerships form 'machinery ring' to minimise costs and risks

NORTH WALES is set to break new ground in boosting homegrown produce with the launch of a trailblazing 'Machinery Ring' for the agriculture sector.

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Menter Môn's Machinery Ring scheme uses an innovative, collaborative approach that is designed to encourage growers and farmers to grow more, allowing them to access and use the equipment needed while reducing the financial risk of purchasing their own equipment.

Four Local Food Partnerships - Anglesey, Gwynedd, Conwy, and Denbighshire - have joined forces in a push to scale up horticulture across the region. Their motivation is to increase homegrown produce in the public sector, retail and hospitality.

Backed by the Welsh Government's Collaborative Grant Scheme, the initiative is now calling on farmers and growers to come forward and identify the machinery they need, from small tractors and precision seeders, to composting machinery and harvesting equipment.

The scheme aims to remove one of the biggest barriers facing small and medium-scale horticultural producers: the high cost of purchasing equipment outright.