Farmcare Trading Limited, trading as Farmcare, is the largest lowland farming organisation in the United Kingdom.Registered under the Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965, No. 28966R Farmcare traded as The Co-operative Farms while a subsidiary of The Co-operative Group until it was sold to the Wellcome Trust in 2014. Wellcome decided to cease farming activities in 2017 and instead form partnerships with farmers.
History The Co-operative Farms The first farm was acquired at Roden, Shropshire in 1896 in order to supply potatoes to local societies' stores.The foundations The Co-operative Farms (retrieved 21 August 2009) By 1918, the then Co-operative Wholesale Society already farmed a total of 32,648 acres (13,212 ha) across England.The war years The Co-operative Farms (retrieved 21 August 2009)
Following the merger of CWS and Co-operative Retail Services in 2001, CWS Agriculture became Farmcare Limited.Mutuals Public Register Financial Services Authority (retrieved 21 August 2009) It was rebranded as The Co-operative Farms in 2007.
Wellcome Trust On 4 August 2014, the business was sold to the Wellcome Trust for £249 million, to reduce The Co-operative Group's debt following its financial crisis in 2013. At the time of the sale, The Co-operative Farms owned of land organised as 15 farms, and more than 100 residential and 27 commercial properties.
In 2017, Wellcome announced that they would cease farming activities and instead formed 12 partnerships with farmers and farming contractors.
See also Associated Co-operative Creameries
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