About Us
We are a farmer-owned natural capital cooperative, providing farmers & landowners with access to environmental markets. We connect our members with buyers to finance environmental delivery on farms as part of a joined-up environmental approach.
Our Approach
A farmer-led model built on trust, expertise, and environmental impact where members share in the success of the cooperative.
EFG brings together farmers and landowners across England, providing access to the fast-growing natural capital markets, from Biodiversity Net Gain and Nutrient Neutrality, to carbon and nature offsetting.
An expert guide in a complex market, EFG negotiates on behalf of members, ensuring fair value and the highest standards of ecological integrity.
Working at scale
Farmers manage over 70% of England’s land. EFG brings this scale together under a single cooperative model to meet the needs of buyers and the environment.
Co-ordinating supply
EFG has significant coverage across England and guides members on how to bring forward natural capital projects as part of a wider plan.
Trading with confidence
EFG guides members (and buyers) on trading natural capital. With a proven track record, EFG provides natural capital brokerage for members.
Why is EFG’s model important?
English farmers have the solution to resolve water, biodiversity and climate issues.
At the same time, businesses and others are becoming increasingly aware of the need to offset their impact and mitigate environmental risks. EFG’s model is unique in bringing farmers forward with effective environmental solutions to meet the needs of buyers.
The result is a new income stream for farmers to deliver measurable outcomes for nature at a scale that cannot otherwise be achieved.
Our People
Digby Sowerby
Managing Director
Digby joined EFG in 2022 and was appointed Managing Director in July 2025. His previous experience is in business & project management. He was brought up on a family farm in North Lincolnshire.
Tom Vacher
Commercial Officer
Tom joined EFG in 2024 and leads all commercial and natural capital brokerage activity. He is a chartered surveyor and has a family farming background.
Rachel Ridd
Business Manager
Rachel joined NCA in 2022 and runs EFG’s office and business systems. She has a background in investment banking and previously ran her own businesses. She was brought up on a family farm in Ireland.
Hamish Drake
Natural Capital Projects Manager
Hamish joined EFG in 2025 and leads on EFG’s natural capital projects. His previous experience is in environment and sustainable development, completing an MSc with a focus on sustainable food systems.
Zoe Bell
Local Lead, Central England
Zoe has worked with EFG since 2025 and leads on EFG’s work in the Central England area. Zoe is an agri-environment adviser, also facilitating the Arden Farm Wildlife Network and working on projects in Warwickshire.
Isobel Eames
Local Lead, North York Moors & Vales
Isobel has worked with EFG since early 2026 and leads on EFG’s work in the North York Moors & Vales area. She also works on farm investment projects and previously worked for AHDB.
Our Board of Directors
Robert Shepherd (Chair), Allenford Farms
Robert is the managing partner of Allenford Farms, an 800ha mixed farming partnership. He is lead farmer of the first Farmer Cluster Group. Robert served as an army officer in the Light Infantry and Special Forces. He is Course Director of the IAgrM Leadership Development Programme, which he completed in 2008. He is the Hampshire chair of the NFU Mutual Regional Advisory Board and a past vice-chairman of Wiltshire Grain. He recently served for six years as an AHDB Pork Board member. In 2024 he was nominated for a Farmers Weekly Game Changers Award.
Josh Stratton (Director), JM Stratton & Co
Josh has been running the 1,800 ha family farm and businesses in Wiltshire for over 30 years. Arable farming is the key farming operation, however Josh has developed a strong environmental business, with a full-time ecologist and an extensive range of projects, both on the farm and across the a number of local farms through the local cluster group, of which Josh is chairman.
Josh is also on the board of Salisbury Cereals, a grain trading cooperative. Josh has built a range of large-scale renewable energy projects on the farm, and a range of commercial units, with 32 tenants in a range of buildings from 400 ft2 up to 50,000 ft2.
Hallam Mills (Director), Bisterne Farms
Hallam Mills, from Bisterne Farms, is a dairy and arable farmer with forestry and farms alongside the River Avon in Hampshire. Hallam is President of the Stable Family Home Trust, an organization helping adults with learning disabilities lead more independent lives. He is a former Verderer of the New Forest, and Deputy Lieutenant of Hampshire.
Matt Fry (Director), WG Fry & Son
Matt is a managing partner in the family farming business in Wiltshire. He also runs a successful farming contract business. He believes that there should be no conflict between the production of high quality food and environmental outcomes and sees EFG as a significant solution to this, delivering a fair and collaborative financial return.
Gavin Fauvel (Director), Cranborne Estate
Gavin is Estates Director for Cranborne Estate, part of Gascoyne Estates, the family-owned business of the Salisbury family. At Cranborne, Gavin is driving a significant farming and land programme. This includes re-introducing livestock and holistic-planned-grazing into the arable rotation, with a clear focus on long-term soil health. He is a founder of the Martin Down Farm Cluster. He is a local parish councillor; a director of local CIC involved in housing refugees and is an on-call fire fighter.
Colin Smart (Membership Director)
Colin has spent a lifetime in agriculture and over 24 years in the farm machinery business as a John Deere dealer. Colin’s role on the board is to work with farmers and encourage them to join the EFG, highlighting the opportunities in the Natural Capital space and facilitating trading in the safety of a cooperative run by farmers for the benefit of farmers.
Tim Palmer (Advisor)
Tim is a retired Dorset arable and sheep farmer. He started life in scientific research, specialising in entomology and the ecology of dung beetles. He now lives in Wiltshire’s Wylye Valley where he is an active member of the local Farmer Cluster and focuses on rivers and clean water on behalf of the EFG board. He is married with four adult children and one grandchild.
Teresa Dent CBE (Environmental Director), Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust
Originally a farming consultant with Strutt & Parker, Teresa was CEO of GWCT from 2001 to 2025 and still works for GWCT as a coordinator for area-based conservation projects like Environmental Farmers Group (EFG) and Farmer Clusters.
Teresa was made a CBE for services to wildlife conservation in 2015; is a Fellow of RASE; was board member of Natural England (2014-2020); chaired the Marlborough Downs Nature Improvement Area; is a director of various farmer groups; a founder member of Curlew Recovery Partnership; honorary member of National Gamekeepers Association & Grasshoppers Farmer Group.
Christopher Sparrow (Commercial Director), Natural Capital Advisory
Christopher acts as Managing Director for Natural Capital Advisory. He is a Chartered Surveyor and business owner with over 25 years of experience covering predominantly rural interests. Previously, Christopher has worked from London as Head of Rural and Coastal for the Duchy of Lancaster, a 47,000-acre private estate now owned by King Charles, as Duke of Lancaster. This followed 11 years as the Resident Agent at Boughton, the Northamptonshire home of the Duke of Buccleuch.
Our History
From a single river catchment to a national cooperative, six years of building the markets and membership that make environmental land management work for farmers.
2
2020
Farmers from farm clusters within the Hampshire Avon river catchment set up a working group on how to scale and finance environmental work locally.
3
2022
EFG was formally incorporated as a farmer-owned natural capital cooperative. Farmers covering over 25% of the land area in the Hampshire Avon joined up.
5
2024
EFG expanded nationally, launching new areas in Northern Lincolnshire, Isle of Wight and Central England. Membership reaches over 70,000 hectares.
6
2025
EFG ramped up trading activity, completing several trades in the Hampshire Avon and registering two flagship projects. Original members received first returns.
7
2026
EFG completed over 150 individual farm plans and launched the ‘Environmental Transition Plan’, EFG’s environmental delivery model. Trading reached £1.5m.
Become part of the next chapter
EFG is actively developing new markets, your membership helps drive that forward.