The Censuswide survey, commissioned by CityFibre, the UK’s largest independent full fibre platform, found that although almost two-thirds of farmers surveyed* (60%) believe internet connectivity is critical [1] for day-to-day farming activities, nearly one-in-ten farms (8%) have no internet connectivity at all.
Against a backdrop of stubbornly low economic growth and the rapid rise in smart technology, the wide-ranging survey raises real concerns that UK farms are being held back due to poor internet connectivity. Despite almost 60% of farmers expecting their use of technology to increase [2] over the next five years, issues around reliability and speed of internet connection were cited as the second biggest barrier (42%) to their use of new farming technologies, after purchasing cost (50%).
Meanwhile, for those who already have access to full fibre broadband, almost half (47%) said the main benefit was the use of precision farming technologies that were previously unavailable to them, with greater efficiency in day-to-day operations (37%), diversification of farmland (33%) and greater access to administration tools (32%) also cited as key benefits.
However, the risks associated with poor internet connectivity go well beyond day-to-day operations, with farmer’s mental health and family life also impacted. The survey highlights the impact of social isolation among rural communities, with farmers feeling they miss out on local community matters as a result of broadband issues.
Meanwhile, 9-in-10 farmers admit to avoiding using the internet during busy times of the day, causing disruption to daily schedules, especially among family members who rely on the internet for other tasks, including education and hobbies.
The findings of the comprehensive survey reinforce the importance of accelerating the rollout of full fibre internet in rural areas through government initiatives like Project Gigabit, which is delivering fast, reliable broadband to mostly rural communities which would otherwise be left behind with slow speeds. CityFibre has been awarded nine Project Gigabit contracts, totalling over £865m in government subsidies to serve more than 500,000 hard to reach homes and businesses. Alongside co-investment from CityFibre, the awards have unlocked almost £1.2bn in combined public and private investment in rural broadband.
Commenting on the survey findings, Greg Mesch, CEO, CityFibre said: “Farmers need access to the cream of the crop when it comes to connectivity, if we are going to reap the full economic and technological benefits of Britain’s farms.
"Government initiatives such as Project Gigabit are helping to bring faster internet access to rural and harder-to-reach communities and we know the difference that full fibre makes, which is why our teams are hard at work, laying miles of cable and climbing countless telegraph poles to bring faster, better broadband to millions of people.”
John Chamberlain, a dairy farmer in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, currently has a download speed of 1 Mbps, and is relying on a 90-year-old copper cable which is aging and has been badly damaged over the years. The insulation on the cable is also failing so during periods of heavy rain, the connection often drops completely.
John relies on the internet for the daily running of the farm as it's vital for absolutely everything including VAT returns, staff wages, support schemes and grant applications. The computer programme he uses to run the businesses also requires the internet to download and upload information. He recently wanted to trial animal monitoring cameras on the farm to track his livestock but his broadband wasn’t strong or reliable enough to support the system.
The area also doesn’t have a strong enough 4G signal, which he explored as an alternative way to support this cutting-edge technology.
John said: “We are currently relying on a 90-year-old copper line that constantly goes down, especially in bad weather. Last year, I wanted to trial animal monitoring cameras on the farm, but our internet couldn’t reliably support it.
“Beyond hindering the day-to-day running of the farm, the poor connection has affected my wife’s volunteering work and my daughter’s education as she has to go to her grandparents to do anything substantial online.”
Rachel Hallos, NFU Vice President, said: “To confidently produce more home-grown food we need to be as efficient and productive as possible. Reliable internet and mobile access are key to achieving this. Lack of connectivity not only impacts the day-to-day operations of rural businesses but also the safety of our workforce. Leaving a farmer with no way of communicating in a crisis is dangerous, and this lack of access is preventing UK farmers and growers from doing what they do best – running successful and profitable food producing businesses.
“Better internet access can unlock greater productivity, growth and investment into the rural economy, especially at a time when businesses are being required to meet more of their legal and regulatory obligations online.”
CityFibre has begun work in nine of its Project Gigabit areas and will connect over 1.3 million homes and business across rural and hard-to-reach areas connected to full fibre broadband over the next five years. The UK government programme has already delivered on its original aim of bringing gigabit-capable connectivity to 85% of the country by the end of 2025, and is now working towards nationwide coverage by 2030.
Those wanting to sign up to the CityFibre network can see when services are available in their area by using the postcode checker at www.cityfibre.com.
[1] ‘Extremely critical’ and ‘Somewhat critical’ answers combined
[2] ‘Significantly increase/d’ and ‘Somewhat increase/d’ answers combined