Farms diversifying into farm shops, holiday lets, events, camping and processing (UK farmers and estate managers) playbook · 10 jobs

AI for farm diversification: 10 jobs to hand to AI this week

Farmers and estate managers who add a farm shop, a holiday let, camping, events or a processing business take on planning, funding, insurance, tax and licensing questions that sit on top of the work of the farm. The evidence here is a Farmers Weekly article on planning, a Farmers Weekly webinar write-up with a land agent, a solicitor and an insurance broker, and a consultancy write-up of a farm diversification event that includes a Farmers Weekly and Carter Jonas survey (a land agent). The pages are from 2021 and 2022, much of the advice is from professionals and a few farmers are quoted, so treat them as trade views, not rules. AI cannot decide whether you need planning permission, what a tax relief is, whether your insurance is enough, whether you need a licence or what is safe for visitors: your planning agent or council, accountant, solicitor, broker, local authority and the scheme guidance do that. It can turn your own facts into drafts, tables and question lists for them to check. Planning, farm schemes, food registration and licensing differ in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, so each job links to the official page for each nation.

Job 1 of 10ChatGPTGemini

Turn your own project facts into a plain-English statement and a question list for your planning agent or the council

Farmers Weekly's planners say the common mistakes are thin supporting material and that planning advisers usually know what a particular council expects to see, and a Carter Jonas surveyor says to put a straightforward, non-technical summary of access, drainage and utilities beside the full application. Many farmers have the facts but not the habit of writing them in the order a planning officer reads them. AI can turn your own typed facts into a clear project statement and a list of questions for a pre-application meeting. It cannot tell you whether you need permission, whether a permitted development right applies or whether the council will say yes: the council's planning office or your planning agent decides, and a statement you send must be checked by them.

Time: About 1 hour for the first draft, then the agent's timeCost: free tools work

A free AI chat tool, then your own email or messaging app

Steps

  1. Ask the council's planning office (or your planning agent) first whether the idea needs planning permission, a notification or prior approval, or none. Farmers Weekly says many councils offer a pre-application advice service, with fees that vary. Do not use AI for this question.
  2. Write down the facts in plain words: what the building or land was last used for and when, its floor area as measured, the use you want, opening days and hours, how many visitors or guests at once, how they arrive, where they park, how water, drainage, electricity and waste are handled, and any trees, ponds or old buildings nearby.
  3. Write down the questions you want the planner to answer: for example which surveys (ecology, traffic, structural) the council will expect, whether the use is secondary to the farm, and what the local plan says.
  4. Paste the facts and questions into the prompt. Do not paste neighbours' names, personal details or any owner's finances. Ask for a one-page project statement and a pre-application question list.
  5. Check every fact in the statement against your own measurements and records, and delete any sentence that says the scheme meets a policy, causes no harm or is permitted. Send the draft to your agent or planning officer and let them edit it.
  6. Keep the dated versions you sent and the answers you got, and ask whether surveys that depend on the season (such as protected-species surveys) must be done before you apply.

The exact prompt

Copy, paste, then fill in the [brackets]
I run a farm in the UK and I am planning [what you plan: for example a farm shop in a former barn, a holiday let in a workshop, a camping field, or an events space]. Using ONLY my facts below, draft a plain-English project statement for my planning agent or the council's planning officer to read, and a list of questions for a pre-application discussion.
You must NOT say whether planning permission, prior approval or notification is needed, whether any permitted development right applies, whether the scheme meets any planning policy, whether it will cause harm or no harm to the landscape, wildlife, traffic or neighbours, or whether the council is likely to approve it. Do not give planning advice. Use ONLY the facts I give; put [TO BE CONFIRMED] where I have not given a fact. Do not use any names.
Which nation the farm is in (England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland) and the council area: [text].
What the building or land was used for and since when, and its measured size: [text].
The proposed use, days and hours, numbers of visitors or guests, and how it fits with the farm: [text].
Access, parking, water, drainage, electricity and waste: [text].
Nearby features I know of (trees, ponds, old buildings, neighbours' homes by distance only): [text].
My questions for the planner: [text].
Produce: (1) a one-page plain-English project statement with headings: what is proposed, the site and its history, how it will work day to day, access and services, and how it relates to the farm; (2) a list of the surveys or documents I have been told or think I may need, marked 'to confirm with the planner'; (3) a pre-application question list; (4) a list of every [TO BE CONFIRMED] and any sentence that sounds like a planning conclusion, for my agent to check.

✓ Check before you send

  • You asked the planning office or your agent whether permission or prior approval is needed, and did not rely on the AI.
  • Every fact in the statement matches your own measurements and records.
  • The statement says nothing about policy compliance, harm or likely approval.
  • No neighbour name or personal detail went into the tool.
  • Your agent or planning officer edited the statement before it went with any application.

UK notes extra

Last reviewed Oct 2026. Free tools change. If a screen looks different, the steps still apply.Back to top ↑
Job 2 of 10ChatGPTGemini

Build a standalone and a combined budget with a contingency line from your own figures, for your accountant to check

The Farm Consultancy Group advice in the event write-up is to budget the new enterprise on its own, then combined with the farm, with a contingency, and to allow for delays and empty periods. The Farmers Weekly and Carter Jonas survey (a land agent's) in the same write-up found that about one-third considered their diversification profitable in each of the first, second and third years, while 97% of those who had diversified called it a success on profitability, so a cash-flow table is the part you will be asked for by a bank, a grant scheme and your accountant. AI can build the table from your own numbers and list the assumptions you must still back with quotes. It cannot forecast income, work out tax or tell you the project is viable: your accountant does that.

Time: About 1.5 hours for a first draftCost: free tools work

A free AI chat tool, then your own email or messaging app

Steps

  1. Gather your own figures: quotes for the building work and equipment, expected opening date, what you will charge, your best estimate of bookings or sales by month, running costs and staff hours. Mark each figure as a quote, a bill, a price list or a guess.
  2. Write down the dates that could slip: planning decision, grant decision, building work, first guests. The advice in the event write-up is to allow for those taking longer than hoped.
  3. Paste your figures into the prompt. Do not paste bank details, tax references, family names or any will or succession paper.
  4. Ask for a standalone three-year monthly table and a combined table with the existing farm, a contingency line at the percentage you choose, a vacant-period scenario and a list of assumptions.
  5. Check every number against your quotes and records, change the guesses to ranges you can defend, and remove any sentence that says the project is profitable or tax-efficient.
  6. Take the tables and the assumptions list to your accountant and ask them to check them and the tax, VAT, inheritance tax, capital gains and business rates points before you commit money.

The exact prompt

Copy, paste, then fill in the [brackets]
I run a farm in the UK and I am planning a new enterprise: [description]. Using ONLY the figures and dates below, build a three-year budget layout for my accountant to check.
You must NOT forecast income, say whether the project is viable or profitable, work out any tax, VAT, business rates or relief, or give financial advice. Use ONLY my numbers; where a number is a guess, keep it marked 'guess'. Put 'not given' where I have not given a figure. Do not use any names.
Set-up costs (each with source: quote, bill, price list or guess): [text].
Opening date and the dates that could slip (planning, grant, building work): [text].
Prices and my best estimate of bookings or sales by month, as a low, middle and high case: [text].
Running costs and staff hours: [text].
The existing farm's figures I want combined (annual income and costs, as numbers I typed): [text].
Contingency percentage to show: [number].
Produce: (1) a monthly standalone table for years 1 to 3 for the new enterprise with the three cases; (2) a combined table with the farm showing cash in and out by quarter; (3) a scenario with a delay of [number] months and a vacant period of [number] months; (4) a list of every assumption and whether it is a quote, a bill, a price list or a guess; (5) a list of tax, VAT, business rates and funding points that I should ask my accountant, with no answers.

✓ Check before you send

  • Every number in the tables matches your quotes and records, and guesses are marked as guesses.
  • The output does not say the project is profitable, viable or tax-efficient.
  • No bank detail, tax reference, family name or succession paper went into the tool.
  • Your accountant checked the tables and the tax, VAT, relief and business rates points.
  • The delay and vacant-period scenarios are in the plan you take to any lender or scheme.

UK notes extra

Last reviewed Oct 2026. Free tools change. If a screen looks different, the steps still apply.Back to top ↑
Job 3 of 10ChatGPTGemini

Write your farm's story and a month of social posts from your own facts, with claims only from your own labels

A turkey producer quoted in the event write-up says social media takes time but is quick and free, and that people buy from people, so you should sell your story. The hard part is finding the words week after week alongside the farm work. AI can turn your own facts, such as what you grow or rear, how, when it is available and where to buy, into an about-us paragraph and a month of posts in your voice. It must not invent a claim about welfare, origin, organic, free-range, health or allergens: you check each claim against your own certificate or label, and a council trading standards officer or food team can confirm wording if you are unsure.

Time: About 1 hour to set up, then 20 minutes a weekCost: free tools work

A free AI chat tool, then your own email or messaging app

Steps

  1. Write down the plain facts: what you sell or offer, the dates and times, where and how people can buy or book, prices as you set them, and what makes it yours (how long the family has farmed it, the breed or crop, the method). Include only what is true and what you can show.
  2. List the claims you want to make (for example free-range, grass-fed, a scheme or award) and next to each note the certificate, label or letter that proves it. Leave out any claim you cannot show. List the allergens in each food product from your own label.
  3. Paste the facts and the list of proven claims into the prompt, with the voice you want (for example warm and plain). Do not paste customers', staff, neighbours' or family members' names or messages. Add any names yourself after the draft is done.
  4. Read each post against your facts. Delete anything the tool added: any claim, number, date, award or health benefit. Check allergens and prices against your labels.
  5. Add your own photos. Only show identifiable visitors or children if they or their parent or carer have said it is fine. Post it yourself and keep to your usual days.
  6. If you send the same news by email to customers, follow the marketing consent rules and keep the list yourself, outside the tool.

The exact prompt

Copy, paste, then fill in the [brackets]
I run a farm in the UK and I am starting [what: for example a farm shop, a pop-up Christmas shop, pick-your-own, farm tours, a holiday let]. Using ONLY my facts below, write my farm's story and a month of social media posts.
You must NOT invent any fact, price, date, number, award, quote or claim. Do not make any claim about animal welfare, origin, organic or free-range status, health benefits, allergens, hygiene, safety or sustainability unless it is in my list of proven claims below. If something is missing, put [CHECK] instead of guessing. Do not use any names of customers, children, staff, neighbours or family members: write "our family" and I will add names by hand. Write in plain English in a warm, honest voice; no hype.
What we sell or offer, with dates, times, prices and how to buy or book: [text].
What makes us ours (family, breed or crop, method, place), only things I can show: [text].
Claims I can prove, each with the certificate or label that shows it: [text].
Allergens and ingredients from my labels for each food item: [text].
Voice and anything I never want to say: [text].
Produce: (1) a 120-word about-us paragraph; (2) 12 short posts for four weeks, three a week, each with a suggested photo to take and a call to action (when and where, from my facts only); (3) one short email-length announcement; (4) a list of every [CHECK] and every claim in the posts, for me to check against my labels and certificates.

✓ Check before you send

  • Every claim, number, date and price is in your facts or a certificate you can show.
  • Allergen information on any food post matches your labels.
  • No identifiable child or visitor appears without their or their parent's or carer's say-so.
  • The posts contain no health benefit, welfare or origin claim you cannot prove.
  • If you email the posts, you follow the marketing consent rules.

UK notes extra

Last reviewed Oct 2026. Free tools change. If a screen looks different, the steps still apply.Back to top ↑

7 more jobs in the full farms diversifying into farm shops, holiday lets, events, camping and processing (uk farmers and estate managers) playbook

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Questions farms diversifying into farm shops, holiday lets, events, camping and processing (uk farmers and estate managers) ask

Can AI tell me if I need planning permission, a licence or a tax relief?

No. It cannot decide whether you need planning permission, what a tax relief is, whether your insurance is enough, whether you need a licence or what is safe for visitors. Your planning agent or council, accountant, solicitor, broker and the scheme guidance do that. AI turns your facts into drafts, tables and question lists for them to check.

Do the rules differ across the UK?

Yes. Planning, farm schemes, food registration and licensing differ in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, so each job links to the official page for each nation. Check the one that applies to your farm.

How should I treat the advice and figures in the jobs?

As trade views, not rules. The sources are trade press and professional advisers from a few years ago, so confirm anything that matters with the official guidance and your own advisers before you act on it.

Privacy tip: don't paste customers' full names, addresses or other personal details into AI tools unless you need to and you've checked the tool's privacy settings.