"We will continue to work hard to improve as much of the land and wildlife habitat as we can at High Woodale. I feel this is vitally important, as generations of farmers before have proved if you maintain and care for your land and wildlife, in turn it will look after you. Looking forward, we wish to continue improving the facilities, to enable the public to enjoy the stunning landscapes and beautiful wildlife in its natural environment."
Martyn Brown, High Woodale Farm
"We are farming in a way that shows how much we value the environment, that’s what Beyond Nature is all about. From my point of view, it is a collaborative effort with other parties that enables me to run a viable farm through the government’s principle of providing ‘public money for public goods’."
Jonathan Grayshon, Humberstone Bank Farm
Tenants FAQs
How is a Beyond Nature tenancy different to other Yorkshire Water tenancies?
Beyond Nature’s goal is to support our farm tenants so they can make the most out of their land. If you sign up, Yorkshire water will work with you to achieve this. You’ll get a plan, access to funding and opportunities to work with other organisations.
And it's not just about taking care of the environment, lots of people also have businesses on Yorkshire Water land, so we offer all the support we can to make sure they're successful, now and in the future.
Is there a legal obligation?
This isn’t a legal obligation; it runs alongside the farm tenancy.
What support would be available? Who pays for it?
Our Beyond Nature tenants have worked with other organisations to access funding which Yorkshire Water have matched. Yorkshire Water can’t guarantee to fund everything in your plan, but we’re committed to giving you as much long-term support as possible.
Why are Yorkshire Water offering this support?
Yorkshire Water have made a commitment towards sustainable land management. This is built into the 2020-25 business plan and has been approved by our regulator (OFWAT).
Is Yorkshire Water planning to sign all its farms up to Beyond Nature?
Yorkshire Water has a long term goal to bring all our 22,000 hectares of farmland into Beyond Nature management.
I'm a Yorkshire Water farm tenant, how can I find out more?
If you’re interested in having a chat about Beyond Nature and how it could work for you please get in touch by emailing beyondnature@yorkshirewater.co.uk.
I'm not a Yorkshire Water farm tenant, can I become one?
We have no new tenancies available at the moment – we’ll post information about new opportunities here, as well as advertising them more widely.