View source for Farmcare

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Farmcare Trading Limited
| logo = Farmcare logo.png
| trading_name = Farmcare
| type = [[Subsidiary]]
| foundation = 1896
| products = [[Food]]
| industry = {{Ubl
| [[Farming]]
| [[Wholesale]]
}}
| key_people = Richard Quinn (Chief executive)
| location_country = [[England]] and [[Scotland]]
| num_employees = 240
| parent = [[Wellcome Trust]]
| website = {{URL|https://farmcareltd.com}}
}}
[[File:The Co-operative Farms logo.gif|260px|thumb|right|Farmcare was part of the Co-operative Group from 1896 to 2014.]]
'''Farmcare Trading Limited''', [[trading as]] '''Farmcare''', is the largest [[lowland]] farming organisation in the [[United Kingdom]].<ref>Registered under the [[Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965]], No. 28966R</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Farmcare builds on its own identity following Co-op sell off |url=http://www.farmersguardian.com/home/business/farmcare-builds-on-its-own-identity-following-co-op-sell-off/68163.article |access-date=21 January 2015 |work=Farmers Guardian |date=31 October 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150122001311/http://www.farmersguardian.com/home/business/farmcare-builds-on-its-own-identity-following-co-op-sell-off/68163.article |archive-date=22 January 2015 }}</ref> 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. Welcome 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|Roden]], [[Shropshire]] in 1896 in order to supply potatoes to local societies' stores.<ref>[http://www.co-operative.coop/farms/ourhistory/thefoundations/ The foundations] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090321185958/http://www.co-operative.coop/farms/ourhistory/thefoundations/ |date=2009-03-21 }} The Co-operative Farms (retrieved 21 August 2009)</ref> By 1918, the then Co-operative Wholesale Society already farmed a total of 32,648 acres (13,212 ha) across [[England]].<ref>[http://www.co-operative.coop/farms/ourhistory/thewaryears/ The war years] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090321185141/http://www.co-operative.coop/farms/ourhistory/thewaryears/ |date=2009-03-21 }} The Co-operative Farms (retrieved 21 August 2009)</ref>
Following the merger of CWS and [[Co-operative Retail Services]] in 2001, CWS Agriculture became Farmcare Limited.<ref>[http://mutuals.fsa.gov.uk/SocietyDetails.aspx?Number=28966&Suffix=R Mutuals Public Register]{{Dead link|date=April 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Financial Services Authority (retrieved 21 August 2009)</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/News/Media-office/Press-releases/2014/WTP057030.htm |title=Wellcome Trust acquires the Co-operative Group's farms business for £249 million |access-date=2014-08-04 |archive-date=2016-04-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423225040/http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/News/Media-office/Press-releases/2014/WTP057030.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> At the time of the sale, The Co-operative Farms owned {{convert|39,533|acre}} of land organised as 15 farms, and more than 100 residential and 27 commercial properties.<ref name=bbc-20140804>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-28636544 |title=Co-op sells farms business to Wellcome Trust for £249m |publisher=BBC |date=4 August 2014 |access-date=4 August 2014}}</ref>
In 2017, Wellcome announced that they would cease farming activities and instead formed 12 partnerships with farmers and farming contractors.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Horne |first1=Suzie |title=Farmcare hands over farming operations to new partners |url=https://www.fwi.co.uk/business/business-management/farmcare-hands-over-farming-operations-to-new-partners |access-date=7 November 2023 |work=Farmers Weekly |date=12 September 2018}}</ref>
==See also==
* [[Associated Co-operative Creameries]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Wellcome Trust}}
{{Co-operative Group}}
{{Agriculture in the United Kingdom}}
==External links==
*{{official|http://farmcareltd.com}}
[[Category:The Co-operative Group]]
[[Category:Farms in the United Kingdom]]