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CONSTRUCTION
JRJ Construction’s Jez Reddecliffe admits to preferring the challenge of some of the trickier projects.
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Farming in a
RECORD YIELDS PREDICTED FOR OSR 2025
UK oilseed rape (OSR) yields in 2025 are set to surpass the long-standing record of 3.91 t/ha, set back in 2011, and could even break through the 4 t/ha barrier.
United Oilseeds predicts an average yield in the range of 3.95 to 4 t/ha, driven by improved genetics, a season of favourable weather and reduced cabbage stem flea beetle pressure.
The company described the increase in productivity as remarkable, pointing out that while the long-term average of 3.11 t/ha would have produced around 700,000 tonnes across the UK’s 227,000ha harvested area, the 4 t/ha figure would take it to almost 900,000 tonnes. The extra 200,000 tonnes would be worth nearly £100 million in additional GDP, said United Oilseeds.
It also pointed to a number of ‘knock-on benefits, associated with the extra productivity:
• Haulage: 200,000 tonnes is almost 7,000 extra lorry journeys, worth another £3 million to UK hauliers.
• Jobs and services: More tractor movements and more grain to store, sample, insure, and trade, resulting in work for truck drivers, lab technicians, merchants, brokers and processors.
• Industry levies: More tonnage means more AHDB funding for research and industry development such as the new CSFB Research+ project.
The OSR Reboot campaign, led by United Oilseeds, aims to unite the industry to rebuild the UK’s only homegrown source of both vegetable oil and high-protein animal feed to support economic growth, food security and countrywide biodiversity.
James Warner, managing director of United Oilseeds, said: “Our members are delighted to see yields lift this year, with the benefits of the OSR Reboot work now coming through.
For those prepared to give the crop the focus it deserves, oilseed rape continues to prove why so many still regard it as the number one break crop. Lower
flea beetle pressure, favourable growing conditions and major advances from seed breeders have all played their part. We’re optimistic that this will encourage more growers to bring OSR back into their plans for the season ahead.”
The Reboot campaign is based on three ‘pillars’ which focus on food security, economic growth and reversing biodiversity decline. United Oilseeds added that with farmgate OSR prices holding steady in the £370 to £420 per tonne range and other commodity prices remaining flat, it was likely to be the top grossmargin crop on many arable farms in 2025.
The company pointed out: “On a yield of 4 t/ ha at £400/t, OSR revenue hits £1,600/ha. Even accounting for higher variable costs, gross margins north of £1,000/ha are achievable, comfortably outpacing many wheat budgets this season."
The NFU is urging DEFRA to build flexibility into the next round of the sustainable farming incentive to help farmers meet climate change challenges such as this year’s dry spring – the driest since 1956.
With drought-reduced winter forage stocks already being used to feed animals, farmers have been asking the Rural Payments Agency for flexibility to graze land in agri-environment schemes, which the NFU pointed out would mean a financial penalty under DEFRA’s current policy. NFU Deputy President David Exwood said: “The Government’s core pillar of adapting to a changing climate must be reflected in future SFI scheme design. With increasingly extreme dry and wet periods, there must be greater flexibility in agri-environment schemes – to protect animal welfare, ensure farmers are paid fairly for the environmental work they deliver and safeguard national food security.”
GUILTY OF SHEEP ATTACK ADAPTING TO A CHANGING CLIMATE
men from Kent have pleaded guilty to killing a sheep on the South Downs in 2023.
Brighton Magistrates’ Court heard that Leighton Ashby, 31, of Beckett Road, Ashford, and Oakley Hollands, 20, of Mussenden Lane in Horton Kirby, drove to a field near Ditchling Beacon on the evening of 2 November 2023 and began chasing sheep.
Sussex Police said the pair caught one sheep and violently assaulted it, using explosive ‘bangers’ to cause catastrophic injuries to the animal.
Footage of Ashby carrying out the attack was found on Hollands’ phone, as well as videos of an unidentified person attacking both live and deceased animals.
The attack was reported to the police on 6 November and the men were arrested two days later before being charged with causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
The men appeared in court on 7 August and were released on unconditional bail until 10 October, when they are expected to be sentenced. Superintendent Rachel Swinney said: “This was an appalling act of cruelty on a defenceless animal, filmed by the perpetrators for their own gratification.
“A thorough investigation was conducted as soon as a report was received and we have worked with local farmers and the wider community to offer reassurance and advice. We remain committed to protecting our rural communities and will continue to work with our partners to clamp down on rural crime.”
Love him or hate him
If you had asked the hundreds of tractor drivers who packed central London to protest about the proposed changes to inheritance tax all those months ago to name the high-profile person most likely to support their cause, it’s a fair bet that not many of them would have named American President Donald Trump.
While many would probably also have named him as the man whose support they would rather do without, it has to be said that, love him or hate him, he wields considerable power, particularly with our own PM. If Sir Keir seems over-anxious to curry favour with the ‘Marmite’ president, it’s probably because he recognises Trump’s influence (and his ability to turn on those who refuse to flatter him).
It was, then, a bit of a surprise, not least, one imagines, to Sir Keir, when Trump took time off from his efforts to persuade Ukraine to give in to Russian aggression, and instead involved himself in the ongoing battle over the changes to agricultural and business property reliefs proposed by HM Government.
In what was a typically Trumpian speech which, as always, included a not-so-humble brag, this time about his “beautiful” penthouse in Manhattan, he sided unequivocally with the nation’s farmers, pointing out that he had ended the equivalent of inheritance tax on US farming estates. Incidentally, readers of South East Farmer who would willingly swap their lovely “dirt” for the president’s penthouse should form an orderly queue...
Trump did, though, make some sensible points, not least about the suicide rate amongst US farmers that prompted the policy change, something that will have struck a chord with many in this country. What has been dubbed the “family farm tax” has worried many older farmers, and the last thing anyone wants is for people to be pushed into what they see as an impossible situation. “Unfriendly bankers” aren’t unique to the US.
For his part, Sir Keir managed to keep his usual deadpan face but was clearly taken aback by the intervention. He managed, nonetheless, to come up with a line about how UK farmers had never faced the same level of inheritance tax as those in the US and said his government was focusing on increasing farmers’ incomes, something that might just have raised a few eyebrows.
For Trump it was a short diversion during a much broader interview. He’s now back on his self-aggrandising Nobel Peace Prize trail, having so far taken seven months to fail to achieve what he notably said he would do on day one by ending the Russia/Ukraine war. For the UK’s farmers, though, it could just prove to be a lifeline.
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Two
6
REFORM COULD BE BETTER TARGETED
The NFU has welcomed what it sees as further support for changes to the Government’s proposed new inheritance tax rules following a report by independent research centre CenTax that suggests the reform could be better targeted to protect working farms.
The major changes to agricultural property relief and business property relief announced in the budget and now put forward in the Finance Bill prompted an outcry from the NFU, which dubbed the proposals the "family farm tax".
The organisation, along with other farming groups and financial commentators, has repeatedly claimed the proposals will not achieve their aim of removing the incentive to shelter wealth in farmland, will damage family farms and will not generate as much revenue as the Government claims.
In a new report (which can be read in full at www.centax.org.uk/news), CenTax has agreed the policy needs changes to deliver the Government’s intentions and has proposed a number of amendments.
Dr Andy Summers, director of the Centre for Analysis of Taxation (CenTax) and associate professor at London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) said: “Our analysis
shows that the Government’s reform largely protects family farms whilst limiting claims by the wealthiest estates. But the relief could be better targeted to reduce its use for tax planning and further extend protection for businesses, including farms.”
NFU President Tom Bradshaw said: “We welcome this detailed report by CenTax which recognises that working farms will be disproportionately affected by this tax. This is not a fair and balanced approach to reform and does little to counter those who seek to shelter wealth from inheritance tax by simply investing in farmland.
“There are interesting adjustments within the report that appear to mitigate the impacts on the most vulnerable in our community and enable farms to invest in the future of food production with greater confidence.
“We think this new independent analysis presents a positive and timely opportunity ahead of the Finance Bill for fresh conversations with government and officials that would allow us all to work together to address issues of fairness and affordability within the proposals. The NFU urges government to grasp this opportunity.”
NFU Regional Board chair for the East of England Alan Clifton-Holt, who farms near
Romney Marsh in Kent, said: “This is further evidence from independent tax experts highlighting how the Government’s planned changes to inheritance tax have been seriously miscalculated and do not achieve what they set out to achieve.
“This comes after the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee has concluded the inheritance tax proposals are not fit for purpose, the Office for Budget Responsibility has stated that the Government’s plans leave elderly farmers horribly exposed with no time to make necessary changes to their businesses, and rural business leaders continue to highlight the devastating impact the family farm tax could have on the entire rural economy.
“The Government cannot continue to ignore this independent expert analysis and evidence. It still has time to do the right thing and reconsider its damaging and seriously miscalculated proposals.
“I urge the Government to consider the NFU’s alternative clawback proposal, which is a much fairer system, would raise significant funds for the Treasury, actually tackles the issue of people buying land to avoid tax and does not threaten the future of family farm businesses and the entire rural economy.”
TRUMP AN UNLIKELY ALLY
American President Donald Trump proved an unlikely ally for the UK’s hard-pressed farmers when he revealed during a visit to this country that the US no longer taxed farmers’ estates after their demise.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer looked taken aback during a televised meeting at the Turnberry hotel in South Ayrshire when Trump told the world that he had abandoned estate tax – similar to this country’s inheritance tax – on farmers.
Trump pointed out that farmers keep their businesses not to make money but because it is their “way of life” and said many US farmers had taken their own lives because of worries over paying the bill after inheriting farmland from their parents.
“Well, we ended the estate tax. There is no estate tax on farmers,” he said, adding: “A lot of these farms, they don’t make a lot of money but it’s a way of life – they love it.”
Pointing out that no farmer he had spoken to had ever said they would rather live in Trump’s “beautiful” penthouse in Manhattan than work the land, he said: “They don’t want to do anything else” and added: “They love that dirt; dirt is the most beautiful thing they have ever seen.”
Trump explained that the US had been “losing a lot of people to suicide” because they had borrowed money to pay the estate tax and then found themselves being chased by “ruthless banks” that wanted their money back.
“We have totally ended the estate tax in those situations,” he said, adding: “So when a parent leaves the farm to the kids, they don’t have
to worry about their local, possibly unfriendly, banker coming in and stealing their farm.”
In response, NFU President Tom Bradshaw said: “While the farming environment in the US and UK are very different, farmers in both countries are land rich but cash poor and the president was right to point that out.
“The US recognised that such a tax wasn’t conducive to running family businesses and producing food, and that it was having a detrimental impact on farmers’ wellbeing. As is right in that situation, it took action to rectify the policy.
“While we are not asking the UK Government to completely abolish inheritance tax, we are asking them for some introspection. The current policy fails to achieve the Government’s stated intentions of closing a loophole and protecting family farms. Our ‘clawback’ method provides the solution; it allows Treasury to raise revenues without tearing apart farming families, and removes the extreme mental toll this is placing on some members of our community.”
The Country Land and Business Association (CLA)’s director of external affairs Jonathan Roberts added: "Everyone knows this is a disastrous policy. Donald Trump knows it. Left wing tax campaigners know it. Backbench Labour MPs know it. I'm sure deep down Treasury Ministers know it too. But most of all, farmers and family business owners across the land know of the devastating impact these reforms will have.
"It's time for ministers to take a deep breath and accept they've got it wrong. Every day they carry on pretending their reforms will work is another day the economy is being harmed."
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer meets US President Donald Trump
Having been brought up on a smallholding in Alton, Hampshire, Susie Parish has been around sheep since a young age, with the pet lambs she kept as a young girl growing on to form the basis of a 50-head flock.
One year, Susie recalled, the shearer did not turn up to shear the sheep, so as a selfproclaimed ‘doer’, she set about with a pair of hand shears.
She said: “It was after organophosphate dips were banned and before the introduction
A LIFE DEDICATED TO WOOL
of pour-ons, and the sheep were beginning to suffer with fly strike. I had a book which described how to shear a sheep, so my brother read bits to me while I worked away with a pair of shears.”
Having not been accepted on Sparsholt College’s shepherding course aged 17, Susie began working locally as a shepherd, mainly carrying out lambing work.
As her own shearing improved, she joined the Small Shepherds’ Club’s approved shearing list, and through this her own business grew.
It was while baling straw for husband and wife Emma and Neil Boyles that Susie’s next move was determined. Having recently purchased a farm, Emma and Neil asked Susie for some help with their ponies, a job to which she could also turn her hand. The couple were keen to buy some sheep, and as they had no previous experience, they required a shepherd, with Susie an obvious fit.
To begin with, a small flock of Southdowns was purchased for their teddy bear appearance. As time went on and Emma’s sheep knowledge grew, she couldn’t believe the lack of value in a sheep’s fleece and
wanted to do something to add value to the product.
Wool was sent away to be spun, and Emma and Susie began experimenting with different methods of dying the fibre and formed The Grey Sheep Co.
Susie said: “The Southdown wool didn’t make a very good knitting wool. It consists of a short fibre so was more suited to carpet manufacturing.”
From there, Neil and Emma discovered the Gotland breed, which originates from the Swedish island of Gotland and has a lustrous fleece, ranging in colour from black through to silver.
Susie said: “We were the first to dye coloured wool. When it’s dyed, the natural colour brings a lot more tones to finished wool.”
These days, the farm is home to a 450-strong flock of both pure Gotlands and Stein, a crossbreed containing a lot of Merino blood which Susie and Emma have named and breed themselves.
In charge of the flock’s management, Susie said her main priority was keeping the sheep’s fleeces as clean as possible.
Susie Parish
The flock is shorn at the end of December or early January to avoid straw and hay attaching to the fleece, before being brought inside to lamb. She also keeps on top of weeds in fields which might attach themselves to fleeces. She explained: “Keeping sheep in this way has been a huge learning curve.”
The Gotlands are shorn again at the end of May for a trim up which helps to strengthen their next full fleece, due to the difference in the way their wool grows.
Nowadays, wool from The Grey Sheep Co is shipped globally to home knitters or into wool shops.
A British Wool ambassador, Susie travels around shows supporting the British Wool team and helping to answer members’ questions. For a long time, she has also been the Hampshire representative for British Wool.
She said: “Since being an ambassador, I have learnt a lot about British Wool. It is so important for us as sheep farmers to have the organisation.
“Going to shows and promoting the uses of wool is really important to me. Wool has a monetary value, but it has a huge importance as a product. It’s great for the environment, and having already been produced by the sheep, it should be made use of.
“If British Wool were lost, there would be a lot of farmers with no outlet for their wool. British Wool supports the supply chain from collection to processing and marketing. The organisation needs volume to benefit from economies of scale.”
Still with her own shearing run of 6,000 sheep as well as alpacas and llamas, Susie was taken on by British Wool a number of years ago as the organisation’s first approved female shearing instructor. She recalled: “I went on a shearing course to improve my shearing. There were so many people there, I ended up helping other participants on the course. At the end of the day, I was asked if I would consider being an instructor, which I have been ever since.”
Susie also enjoys sharing her knowledge with school children and has previously been livestreamed into schools while shearing a sheep as part of the NFU’s schools project, watched by more than 160,000 children. She has also carried out other school visits, and sometimes takes her sheepdog along with her.
“In these situations, whether talking to school kids or on the TV,
BRITISH WOOL AMBASSADOR ROLES
• Promote the values of British Wool as an organisation and quality fibre
• Be an advocate for the organisation
• Promote the importance of British Wool’s role within the wool sector
• Promote the shearing and wool handling courses
• Promote the strong characteristics of British wool as a quality fibre.
the main message I want to get across is that shearing does not hurt the animal. That’s really important,” she said.
As the National Sheep Association’s South East Region chairman, since February, Susie works as part of a team to put on events and knowledge exchange opportunities in that area of the country.
Also an approved shearing judge, Susie has been more active as a competitor in recent times, competing at the major county shows.
Wool handling is her latest foray, and she has recently started competing as a novice, finishing second at the Royal Welsh Spring Festival this year.
She said: “There is a shortage of wool handling judges, and I would like to help out by becoming one. In order to do that successfully, I think it’s really important to compete first to truly understand the competition.”
Competing in blade shearing competitions, using a traditional pair of hand shears, is another passion of Susie’s, having won the intermediate blade shearing circuit last year. Machine shearing is also one of her disciplines and she has won the ladies' competition at the Royal Welsh several times.
She concluded: “I am passionate about wool and shearing is where it all starts. I always want to give something back to the industry and being a British Wool ambassador, talking at schools and being a shearing instructor all allow me to do this.”
INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP
An Essex-born agricultural journalist has won a top international scholarship that will allow him to attend a major event in Nairobi, Kenya, in October.
Ben Eagle, the founder of RuralPod Media, is the only UK winner of a Young Leaders in Agricultural Journalism Award sponsored by the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) and global animal nutrition specialists Alltech.
It means Ben, 35, will be joining nine other journalists from countries around the world at the IFAJ Congress in Kenya and will also benefit from a professional development workshop that will focus on reporting skills and leadership training and include agricultural tours.
The RuralPod website says the company specialises in ‘rural’ and ‘podcasts’ and bringing the two things together. “Our mission is to make rural stories mainstream and this drives everything we do,” it adds.
Although now living in Norfolk, Ben comes from an Essex farming family and has previous experience in farming and
conservation, as well as in communications. Alongside producing and presenting podcasts, he has written for various rural publications including The Countryman and Organic Farming Magazine
He started podcasting in 2016 when he launched Meet the Farmers, a podcast that
Ben is a member of the British Guild of Agricultural Journalists.
''I am thrilled to have been selected to take part in the 2025 Alltech Young Leaders Programme in Kenya this October, Ben told South East Farmer. I'm looking forward to meeting colleagues from across the globe, sharing experiences and enhancing my journalistic and leadership skills.
“I’m especially excited to experience the diverse and dynamic agricultural landscape of Kenya and look forward to bringing these insights back to influence my future work in the field of agricultural communications.''
The Young Leaders in Agricultural Journalism Awards were set up in 2006 and aim to recognise the leadership potential of those under 35, pointing out that they “have the important role of sharing the stories of agriculture with the world”.
Adrian Bell, IFAJ secretary general, explained: “For 20 years, Alltech and IFAJ have worked together to identify those who have the leadership potential to develop not only themselves but the profession of agricultural journalism and communication as a whole.
“These ten young leaders will, like other YL alumni, become tomorrow’s leaders and influencers, continuing IFAJ’s mission to support and expand a vibrant, professional and well-skilled agricultural journalism sector to an ever-increasing number of countries.”
Photo: Glenn Hands
has taken him all over the UK and enabled him to build an extensive rural network.
OVER 150 LOTS
A “compelling showcase of agricultural machinery of the highest order” will go under the hammer on 18 September when Hobbs Parker Auctioneers LLP conducts the Nonington Farms Dispersal Sale.
Hobbs Parker managing director John Rossiter explained: “Offering over 150 lots of high output equipment which has been maintained to the highest standard, the auction promises a modern selection of implements, tractors and vehicles, with the star of the show being a Claas Lexion 8700 combine with 40ft vario header.
“All lots have potential for new life in the hands of the successful bidders on the day.”
Hobbs Parker’s farm dispersal auctions are renowned for drawing large crowds and delivering competitive sale prices, and John was confident that the Nonington Farms auction would continue the theme.
“Hobbs Parker’s recent dispersal sales conducted throughout 2024 and 2025 were some of the highest turnover sales seen in the South East for many years,” he said.
“For potential buyers, be they local farmers, contractors or just those with a keen eye for a bargain, this auction offers a prime opportunity to obtain genuine lots that only ever surface at a dispersal sale.
“The chance to acquire well-maintained, modern and high output equipment at transparent auction pricing remains a powerful draw to many. Expect the hum of engines, the sharp ring of the auctioneer’s hammer and a vivid display of agricultural muscle against the backdrop of tilled land in east Kent.
“For those following the evolving landscape of farming in the South East, the Nonington Farms Dispersal Sale promises to be both pivotal and memorable.”
The full catalogue is available on both the Hobbs Parker website and the online bidding platform MartEye, with photographs of all lots being uploaded to both. For a print version of the catalogue, contact Hobbs Parker’s Ashford office on 01233 502222.
and Woodland Plants & Planting Service
LETTERS
KUDOS TO NIGEL
Dear sir,
Kudos to Nigel Akehurst for his article “Reinventing soft fruit ” in the August edition of South East Farmer. Berries on Tap is surely an inspirational concept, and the logic and hard work that goes into it was easy to see. It was a lovely article, and great to see the next generation build upon and finesse the previous generation’s hard work and bring it to a new level. I really enjoyed reading about it.
Declan Hughes,
Kinsale, County Cork
POLICY THAT IS DEAF TO ITS CONSEQUENCES
Dear sir,
I was interested to read your news article entitled Incapable of Listening in the August edition of South East Farmer, alongside the Opinion column headed A Rude Awakening. Both pieces dealt with the publication of the draft Finance Bill which will push
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through planned changes to the inheritance tax rules and would have a huge impact on family farms, and express with admirable clarity what many of us in the industry have been saying for months: this is not just bad policy, but policy that is deaf to its consequences.
I asked Dan Neidle, the head of Tax Policy Associates and architect of several recent proposals to close IHT loopholes why, if even his own compromise model has NFU support, ministers haven’t acted on it. His reply? “Wish I knew.”
That is the heart of the matter. This isn’t a failure of evidence, or even of ideology. It is a failure to listen, compounded by a Treasury that apparently gave an “Expert of the Year” award to James Mee, the official
behind the very tax policy that’s contributed to a record 6,365 farm closures this year.
While ministers justify the plans by citing “117 estates”, anyone who understands rural business structure (and many of us do) knows that thousands more are exposed.
The NFU and CLA’s clawback proposal isn’t radical. It reflects practical realities: that farmland isn’t liquid, that succession isn’t avoidance and that long-term stewardship can’t be taxed like speculative gain.
I’ve farmed all my life. I’ve also read enough Treasury prose over the years to know when the drafters no longer understand the subject at hand. It’s not too late for them to ask someone who does.
Jonathan Tapp, Hatfeild Farms, Margate
Land Restoration, Noise Bunds, Site Clearance, and Land Raising services in Sussex
SOCIAL CARE FARMING
A group of ‘social care farmers’ in the South East is leading a bid to make the vital services they provide recognised across the region and the country.
Social care farmers use their holdings to offer a therapeutic service to people young and old who have extra support needs such as autism and dementia.
Those receiving the care do regular farm jobs under supervision, benefiting from what the Social Care Farming South East Network refers to as “a secure site immersed in nature, offering meaningful work caring for animals and the land, being part of a convivial team and farmer integrity”.
All work is supervised by the farmer, who is paid for his or her time, with the funding coming from a range of sources, including parental/school funds, charities, central government or social services.
The network of farmers in the South East, now numbering more than 100, pioneered the service and is now using that experience to help develop a programme to form six regional farm networks across England before the end of the decade and raise its profile with the public.
The South East Network is led by Stephen Sellers, who was brought up on a Yorkshire farm and now heads up a small, dedicated team of volunteers helping the farmers share their experience, improve service quality and improve visibility.
He said co-ordinating new, joining farms into regions had been “a privilege”, adding: “We have met some wonderfully generous and compassionate people, more than willing to share their expertise and knowledge with colleagues, as well as visiting some fabulous farms showcasing nature.” There are now networks covering the south central and north western areas.
Stephen added that with ‘green social
prescribing’ becoming more popular with GP surgeries, doctors were increasingly referring patients to social care farmers.
The second South East Social Care Farmers regional conference will take place on 22 October at Bore Place on the Kent/Surrey border and is open to all farms offering or interested in this service, from start-ups to well established members.
BIODIVERSITY NET GAIN OPPORTUNITIES
Just over one year on from the introduction of biodiversity net gain (BNG) for new development, evidence is building around the values for different types of BNG units as well as geographical variances.
Savills research report, Spotlight: Biodiversity: risk, reward, resilience, explores how this new market is evolving and the opportunities for farmers and land managers to use it as an alternative income source.
By using current evidence to inform future projections, the opportunities are set to increase; in 2024 a record low number of permissions were granted for new homes in England, with just over 30,000 projects approved.
Our research team’s predictions suggest that of the amount of land estimated to be developed for housing in England each year, 20% will be required for BNG. In 2021, this was forecast as 1,300ha of off-site land.
ALI HOLMES
Rural management
T: 07790 925947 www.savills.co.uk
STUART NICHOLLS
Food and farming
T: 07786 944666
CHRIS WILLIAMS
Arboricultural consultant
T: 07813 525627
HANNAH RICHES
Rural agency
T: 07967 555724
DANNY NICHOLSON
Architecture and building surveying
T: 07976 776763
With current house building targets at 130,000 per year, it follows that the amount of off-site land required for BNG units will need to increase significantly.
THE COST OF BNG
Regional variations have developed both in respect of the regulatory requirements of local planning authorities and in the price of BNG units. When BNG came into effect during February 2024, DEFRA predicted biodiversity units would achieve values ranging from £9,000 to £15,000 per unit. Current figures are well in excess of this, and although prices have recently stabilised, they remain high due to the inherent risk associated with this new market and a lack of clear data on pricing in the sector.
WHAT INFLUENCES VALUES?
The price of a BNG unit varies, largely depending on the habitat type, its rarity and the extent of the BNG it can offer (Figure 1). Prices are based on the cost of creating, maintaining and monitoring the habitat. Data collected by Biodiversity Units UK shows units related to watercourses are achieving the highest prices nationally, at £140,000 per unit. Regional variation in pricing is also significant, as developers prioritise the proximity of units to their development. Hotspots for supply are forming, particularly for highly distinctive habitats such as mixed deciduous woodland and floodplain wetland mosaic. Costs tend to be higher in the south compared to northern regions because of average land values.
If a developer is unable to use either on-site or off-site units to deliver their BNG requirement, they can buy statutory credits from the government. These have a mark-up to prevent statutory credit prices undercutting the off-site market, with a starting price of £42,000 per unit. However, developers must buy two units for every one they need, making it a purposefully costly option to incentivise local delivery.
£140k
£120k
£100k
£80k
£60k
£60k
£40k
£20k
£0k
Since the implementation of the BNG regulations, an estimated 7,500 planning applications with a requirement for BNG have been made, and around 2,000 new applications are being made every month. Off-site BNG schemes must be legally secured either through a Section 106 agreement or a conservation covenant, with the market showing a preference for the latter as they streamline the process and increase certainty for buyers.
THE FUTURE OF THE BNG MARKET
As demand for BNG continues to grow, there are opportunities for farmers and land managers to create new revenue streams by providing habitat creation or enhancement services. The market is expected to expand significantly over the next decade as more developers seek ways to meet their legal obligations under new planning and environment policies.
We predict the off-site market for BNG will continue to grow and that nationally the supply of BNG units will meet, if not exceed, demand. Last month, less than 2.5% of sites on the biodiversity net gain site register are allocated to an actual development project, showing there is still an oversupply of units in the market, although the lack of demand may be due to delays in the planning system. With traditional income sources for farming businesses diminishing, farmers and land managers should consider reviewing current land use activities to understand whether or not there is scope for allocating areas for the creation of biodiversity units.
Figure 1: Values by habitat type
PERSONAL INSURANCE WITH STRONG SUPPORT
Neil Barlow has a simple message for all those people who are tired of selecting option one, two or three from the menu offered by their insurers. “It doesn’t have to be that way”.
Neil has come out of retirement at the age of 68 to relaunch his long-standing career as an insurance advisor and promises personal service but with the support of a strong backoffice team.
After being contacted by a number of ex-clients asking for help with insurance issues, the admittedly “stir crazy” broker decided that he had “retired too soon” and has reinvented himself as Jones Barlow Insurance Brokers, a division of Insurance Premium Finance Ltd with a focus on the needs of farmers and landowners.
While offering “personal service that doesn’t expect callers to do the ‘option 1, 2, 3’ thing”,
the Oad Street, Sittingbourne-based broker will have full support from Gauntlet Risk Management Ltd. “You don’t get much more personal than me answering the phone at the sharp end, but when it comes to all the backoffice services that are so important when arranging cover, Gauntlet will be there with everything I need,” said Neil.
“Given Gauntlet’s strong position in the market, I will be able to talk not only to the insurance companies I had built up such a strong relationship with in the past but to an additional broad panel of insurers to ensure I can deliver tailor-made cover for personal and commercial insurance needs on the best possible terms for clients,” he added.
Neil began his working life 50 years ago in the City of London, working for the Corporation of Lloyds and various brokers. At the end of 1991 he set up Independent Marine Insurance Services, but a year later, after an ex-marine client had asked for insurance advice on a farm he had bought in Devon, he began offering agriculture-based policies in the south west of the country.
“After a while I realised that while there were lots of livestock farms in Devon, they were comparatively small, and so I came back to Kent, where farms tended to be bigger and incorporate more buildings,” he explained.
He built his Kent agency up to “a decent size”, took on more staff, including offering apprenticeships, and ran it successfully until 2023 when he was given an opportunity to sell the portfolio and took it, visualising himself retiring and putting his feet up.
It didn’t quite work out like that, though. “I found myself twiddling my thumbs when I wasn’t answering calls for advice from former clients and so as soon as I was able to do so
I decided to launch Jones Barlow Insurance Brokers,” Neil admitted.
He took the decision to go back into business despite the fact that he and his wife Sarah, who is the firm’s company secretary, also have seven en-suite guest bedrooms at the Oad Street property that also provides their home and office.
“Jones Barlow Insurance Brokers has been set up to offer commercial and personal insurance to farmers, landowners and all small and medium-sized businesses,” said Neil. “Farmers and others are finding life tough at the moment because of the state of the economy and rising costs, with building costs in particular feeding through into insurance premiums.
“My aim is to research the whole of the market to find the best and most cost-effective premiums and to offer a truly personal, bespoke service, backed up by the support that a company of Gauntlet’s reputation and scale can offer.
“With half a century’s experience I am confident that I can provide a realistic alternative to existing insurers, and I will be happy to try to match or improve existing cover. People want personal service, and that’s something that larger firms can find more difficult to provide.”
Jones Barlow Insurance Brokers will be offering a full range of insurance services to farmers and other small businesses, from buildings and machinery to vehicles, specialising in combined policies that can mean discounted premiums. “Chatting to a broker is a much better option than visiting a website, where none of the options ever quite seem to fit your own circumstances,” Neil concluded.
Neil Barlow
MONICA AKEHURST AT THE KITCHEN TABLE
GRANDPARENTING – A TWO-WAY KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE
Why does farming always feel like a race against time? Harvesting kicked off earlier than usual due to the drier conditions. You won’t see many shiny combines; they can barely be seen under the cloud of dust as they gather in the crops. Instead of cursing the rain, we’re glad of it, albeit some of the showers have been very localised. I was recently given a rain gauge, but so far it’s had nothing to measure.
With summer comes school holidays, and I’ve noticed the topic of ‘children on farms’ being hotly debated on social media. Opinions range from ‘unsafe, dirty, bug-ridden, child labour’ to ‘brilliant opportunities for learning, gaining life skills, building confidence and an understanding of nature and where food comes from’. We raised five children while farming and doing off-farm work to supplement our income, allowing us to invest in our farm. Building up our family farm was our goal, and we certainly hadn’t counted on this Labour government changing the inheritance tax rules. Presumably our parenting wasn’t too harmful, because why else would we be asked to help care for our grandchildren on farm this summer? The cost of childcare during the holidays is high, and many young
families face the juggling act of keeping a job, paying a mortgage and raising children.
Our eldest grandchildren love making dens and collecting sticks of all shapes and sizes. I often find my electric fencing posts in strange places. Imaginative play is wonderful, but safety remains a concern. When they told me about a new base named Grimoria, I asked for a tour. It turned out to be a two year-old dung heap, now strictly off limits. I wonder if I should invest in child trackers.
Grandparenting is great fun – a two-way knowledge exchange. The seven year-old educates me about the delights of Pokémon, and I demonstrate how to catch and treat a lame sheep. The children are useful for passing over equipment.
The five year-old practises reading and music and I show him how to use a crook, later regretting it. The four year-old is fascinated by picking plums and making jam; she stirred in the sugar with enthusiasm and later they all enjoyed eating it, resulting in sticky hands and faces.
The three year-old loves singing and dancing and I was treated to many performances. The two year-old wants to keep up with the rest of the gang, occasionally disrupting their game. He’s
obsessed with tractors, investigating every knob or button, and he has a knack of running off with my phone.
The one year-old, taking his first tentative steps, was tolerated, and celebrated when nap time arrived as this meant TV time was allowed. Negotiations over what to watch could get heated, but I always keep control of the remote.
They’ve now learned the basics of checking stock and spotting if an animal is unwell or just resting. They understand the importance of water supply. They are practised counters, with some entertainingly variable results. The children arrive clean and return… less so. The best part of the day is handing them back, knowing that we’ll all sleep soundly, them from the fresh air and exercise and me because I’m not as young as I used to be.
Earlier this summer we transformed our cattle shed into a barn dance venue, mucked out, pressure washed, scrubbed. The bale trailer became the stage for the band, with carpet over the chalk floor, bales for seating, along with some tables and chairs. The Lewes Bonfire Society ran a bar and manned the barbecue, cooking Hockham farm burgers and Hutchins’ in-house sausages. A pizza van was also on site.
Farming life is hard, so it’s good to celebrate sometimes. I suspect that there was some chatter aimed at ‘putting the world to rights’, but the dance floor was filled, with all generations having fun together and several families camped overnight.
The sheepdogs were miraculously silent, presumably deciding they were no match for the band, but when, next morning, a few campers wandered into the farmyard they were irate.
On the day of the barn dance I didn’t get time to check sheep. Next day I found one very poorly ewe, who waited until I’d administered medication and then gasped her last breath. I was gutted. A quick check under the eyelids revealed severe anaemia; I instantly recognised we had a problem with the ‘barber’s pole worm’ – haemonchus contortus.
Watch out that stock don’t gorge themselves on acorns
While lamenting this situation to a fellow farmer, she replied: “It’s miracles and disasters with farming”, a rather good description, I thought. I soon drenched all those ewes with pale mucous membranes with appropriate wormer, leaving those unaffected untreated in an effort to avoid resistance.
The following week I attended a meeting hosted by Cliffe Farm Vets. I clearly wasn’t alone in facing this problem. Apparently, an adult worm can drink as much as 0.05ml of blood a day, so 5,000 worms can drain a sheep of 250ml daily, which is dangerous when their total blood volume is four and a half litres. I was surprised to learn that cattle can also be affected by haemonchus, but because of their larger blood volume the symptoms are less drastic.
Another tell-tale sign in sheep is bottle jaw (submandibular oedema) caused by
lack of protein in the blood. Other signs are increased heart and respiratory rates, lethargy, weakness, loss of condition and in some cases rapid death. In hot weather some of these symptoms can mistakenly be attributed to heat stress.
I never thought I’d find myself agreeing with Donald Trump, but when he told Sir Keir Starmer that farmers are “land rich and cash poor” he wasn’t wrong. When he said farmers love their dirt and their way of life and wouldn’t swap it for a luxury penthouse, he was spot on. Trump acknowledged farmers don’t make a lot of money, and claimed he loved farmers.
Sadly, I don’t think our PM does love farmers. He looked uncomfortable and countered that he was “creating a pathway for farmers to increase incomes year on year". Really? So far, I’m not convinced.
Shearing time
Dusty work
The boys and their sticks
Rain gauge, nothing to record so far
Transformation of the cattle shed to a barn dance venue
Fruit and berries have done well this year
AGRICULTURAL FINANCE
WORKING TOGETHER
Reflecting on a harvest mostly now completed, with managed expectations in the broad acre arable season, some in the South East have had some pleasing outcomes – at least in terms of yield achieved. Others have experienced some difficult harvest results where the timing of planting, rain and the sunshine was less than ideal. Some of this is easier to bear if the crop prices received are at, or ideally above, the cost of production, the subject on which I wrote last quarter. Unfortunately, grain prices remain stubbornly low, largely due to global supply factors.
My sense is that planning for harvest 2026 will be particularly challenging this autumn, with key concerns as to where prices may go. What is an economic crop and yield? Balancing the care and attention needed to ensure maximum profitable yield will be ever more challenging, with fluctuations in crop input costs and the spiralling cost of machinery and spare parts all ultimately impacting on potential returns.
There are, though, sectors that have a more positive current view, where farmers I work with and support are able to plan a more confident future strategy. Sheep and beef and dairy returns continue to remain robust, with those sectors enjoying strong prices compared to historic average levels, with lower cereal prices, of course, playing into that balance.
These currently conflicting positions remind me of the benefits of mixed farming enterprises, where there are always likely to be one (or more) elements in the doldrums but, on average, the farms can best utilise resources within one business and reduce the peaks and troughs of individual enterprises or commodities.
Flicking through my 1945 edition of Good Farming by V C Fishwick – then of the
Justin
Ellis, Senior Director for Agriculture and Large Estates South East, Virgin Money looks into 2026.
South Eastern Agricultural College, Wye –he makes the point that “…good farming means farming so carried out as to produce the maximum economic output from the land”. Such a position has been the focus for generations of our farmers, and perhaps a consequence of that has been the growth in farming scale and efficiency, but also higher peaks and troughs, greater impact of globalisation and fewer true mixed farms.
It is arguable that mixed farming does continue beyond that traditional scenario as individual enterprises collaborate, primarily for nutrient sharing, but the economic and other benefits of these combined systems are not so well shared across the entire community.
Don’t get me wrong. I still spend time with businesses of every scale and across all enterprises, always heartened that there are some extraordinary examples of sustainable systems which are very productive and have robust financial resilience, leading to businesses which are best placed to adapt to our current turbulent landscape.
As we look into a future for the agricultural industry which will likely need to be more independent of government policy, ever more connected and increasingly agile, I have no doubt more knowledge sharing and collaboration will be the answer to a more sustainable and more profitable future. Does this collaboration mean that individual farms will share profits between themselves? Perhaps not, but then co-operation is about creating an environment in support of goals that couldn’t easily be achieved alone. I anticipate that moving beyond just nutrient sharing will be one important way
of maintaining profitable futures.
So, with this context as you plan for the winter ahead and what 2026 might bring, I will be busy sitting alongside our customers considering the future. Budgeting will form part of that process as every business needs some short-term working capital facilities, but actually whether you are in cereal, beef, dairy or fruit production, having a framework for how your family or business wants to build a legacy and resilience for future generations has never been more important.
I can see businesses looking to invest in technology, but perhaps pooling resources to stay competitive; buying and selling land to find the most efficient scale; maximising renewable energy opportunities to mitigate energy costs; and, of course, continued diversification, though working together surely must be important.
While it is easy for bank funding/lending to become just another commodity, having supported farmers with their financing needs for over 20 years, I consider my real job is moving away from just a transaction to aligning financing strategies with longterm family and business goals to deliver the most sustainable long-term outcomes.
The farming industry does have challenges ahead (when has that ever not been the case?) but it’s also incredibly resilient. There are always beacons of positivity, and I have every confidence that fundamentally sound individual farm businesses will navigate their way through these challenges with the support of friends, neighbours and communities, working alongside a professional team and indeed an experienced agricultural banking partner.
Writes Peter Knight, managing director of Burgate Farms Ltd, Hambledon, Surrey.
When the reminder for this month’s article hit my inbox, I was in the middle of harvesting and enjoying the view of the Surrey countryside from the combine seat. It pains me to say that the view of the countryside was considerably more pleasing than looking at many crops going through the combine.
It is one of, if not the, worst harvests I have experienced, and I have not cut so many poor crops since the 1980s. As I have said before, the die was cast last autumn. On our heavier, wet, weald land, crop emergence was patchy and the best that can come from a poor start is an average crop.
Follow a wet winter with a dry spring/summer and nature provided all the ingredients for an awful harvest. Far too often the yield monitor was showing fields averaging less than 5 t/ha and rarely did it show above 10 t/ha.
It was not all disappointment. The oilseed rape turned out to be the crop of the year, averaging 4 t/ha over the drilled area, with many fields making 5 t/ha. Crops grown on free draining and moistureretentive land have also performed okay, in line with the farm’s longterm average. In my case this is land along the North Downs, where both winter and spring crops did equally well, but come down off the hill and yields halved.
There is one word that encapsulates harvest 25; variable. On the plus side, at least the weather has been cooperative and allowed crops to be harvested dry and mostly with good quality. It’s been quick and easy; big combines consume low yielding crops very quickly!
Attention has now turned to next year, with cover crops and stubble turnips desperate for rain. Oilseed rape seed will remain sealed in the bag until conditions change; it needs to hit the ground and grow fast to avoid the ravages of cabbage stem flea beetle.
Having completed the third harvest in a row where cereals have yielded below the farm’s long term average, I am beginning to question why I roll the dice every year. I do not consider myself to be a gambler, but the reality is that all farmers are huge gamblers, and the odds are not in our favour most of the time. To be winners we need the weather, the markets and government to be on our side. As an arable farmer, all three are currently stacked against me.
I appreciate that the crops I produce are world-traded commodities, and the UK farm gate price will track world prices; I will be £10 to £15 per tonne better of if, as a country, we have a poor harvest. Yes, wheat will be imported and yes, that wheat should conform to our production standards, but beyond that it is pure economic reality. It is still better than having an exportable surplus, when our wheat must be cheap enough to find a foreign buyer. The thought of wheat being £10 to £15 cheaper than today is a sobering one.
The NFU has achieved the asked-for review into supply chain fairness in the arable sector, which will start shortly. I hope the standard of imported grain is addressed, though unfortunately World Trade Organisation rules limit what is possible. Just because a crop has been grown using a chemical unavailable to us, this is not
necessarily grounds for not allowing it into the UK. As with all areas of regulation and trade, don’t expect to see rapid results.
Going back to gambling, the truth is that unless we are truly addicted, we can always throw the chips in and walk out of the casino, but we also know that that can only be done once. Most are trying the diversification game where, hopefully, the odds are stacked a little more in our favour.
Charity Tractor Run
21st September 2025 Riggs Hill Farm, Otterden, Kent, ME13 0JD
For any information please contact Becky via email: Joeysarmy13@gmail.com All proceeds going to Abbie’s Army A charity giving families HOPE
COMMON ROOTS
Farming is stressful, heightened this year by the drought in June and early July. All our pastures burned off but, fortunately, our South Devons had access to scrub and woods where they could browse and rest in shade. Even so, we were feeding hay to keep condition.
Farmers are lucky to have space and be surrounded by habitats full of life that quieten the soul and heal the mind. It was something I cherished throughout my hospital career, and this year the farm has delivered an absolute bonanza of flowers, birds and butterflies and a myriad of interesting insects large and small. It has given the whole family, and any who visit, a real lift – and the winter wheat yielded better than expected!
I recently spent an hour watching a mixed flock of rooks, jackdaws and choughs doing aerobatics over a knoll on the machair in Connemara, West Ireland. The wind was northeasterly, warm, force four to five, blowing across the deep blue of Mannin
Bay, ruffling the surface and creating a strong up-draught as it hit the knoll. The birds formed loose group displays before disintegrating into solo performances, carefully choreographed to avoid collisions.
The routines on offer varied from the simple to the complex, often without a wingbeat, pinion feathers widespread to maximise lift and control. The bird’s wings folded to dive into the air current, opening again to soar, twist and roll before peeling out of the current once again. It was a repeating, ad-lib performance of balletic elegance with no possible objective other than individual, and perhaps group, enjoyment. Is there any reason to suppose that these birds felt anything different from the buzz we get from windsurfing, sailing, skiing, gliding or a perfect golf shot? That ancient visceral sensation of pleasure mediated through chemical and electrical stimuli.
We see ourselves as unique, while all other species can be dumped together in a non-sentient basket. Yes, we are unique,
but so is every other individual and species. Some species have no close relatives, while we have the great apes, dwindling because of us, and, a little more distant, all other primates.
We co-evolved from a shared ancestor of birds, diverging some time before the dinosaurs, and so we still have much in common with every other vertebrate. The basic plan is similar, differing in details honed through natural selection. It is also now widely accepted, from detailed research, that all vertebrates and many other species, such as octopii, are indeed sentient.
Humans are not alone in dreaming. I’ve often witnessed sleeping calves dreaming of suckling their dams. Our young dog, a mixture of three breeds and exhibiting traits of all three, regularly dreams. Sound asleep, she is chasing a rabbit, squirrel or hare, with her legs galloping and yip, yip, yipping until the chase ends. All dog owners will have seen it; is it, in any real, sense different from our own dreams? I doubt it.
Stock farmers recognise the different personalities of their charges. The boss cow, those that come forward for attention and the standoffish that walk away rather than interact. Goats have a wicked sense of mischief and even hens and sheep have individual traits.
Large flocks and herds can sometimes get out of hand, which is all too familiar amongst our own kind. And yet, sadly, we are too often ready to treat other animals casually, particularly when numbers are large, time short and regulation inadequate. We do the same to our own kind, particularly when the principal perpetrators are far removed from the damage they cause.
What really separates us from all other species is the development of sophisticated language, and with it the ability to codify concepts, products of a larger, more complex brain. This, combined with bipedalism and hands free to use and make tools (something not unique to humans), has enabled us to dominate our planet.
Dominion has followed a typical exponential curve. Very slow changes for a couple of million years, shared with other early hominids. The curve started its rise around the stone age. The rise nevertheless remained gradual until the industrial revolution, since when it has become almost vertical, particularly in the past 100 years. All gains, intellectual and evolutionary, are on the shoulders of our forebears. Our numbers, widespread education and the speed of communication fanned the chain reaction, producing a rapid proliferation of ideas and technology.
The first computer in Oxford, named George and installed in the 1960s, filled a large house with a fraction of the computing power of a modern smart phone. Now we have machines that can process information far faster than our brains, delivering AI (artificial intelligence), whose effects are uncharted.
But some things have not changed much over time. Our emotions, evolved in deep evolutionary past, are still pretty well unchanged, although perhaps culture and rules add a veneer. In the wild, inter-male conflict can be pretty violent but is seldom lethal. By contrast our history is littered with conflicts of increasing ferocity, and we are still at it. What is unique to us is that our leaders can
now unleash mass destruction at no risk to themselves. They no longer go to war with their troops. Russia’s Putin is an excellent example on two counts. He avoids the war’s front line and anyone who dares cross him is disposed of, at leisure, by minions. Too many of us are also over-ready to exploit our fellows, so it is hardly surprising that this spills over into the exploitation of animals we have come to depend upon.
There is little doubt that the ethics of industrialising animals is, at best, questionable. Nearly all farmers, me included,
actively suppress feelings about the actuality of the process when loading animals for slaughter. I wager that no farmer would willingly work in an industrial slaughterhouse or cutting line. It is dehumanising, dictated by our burgeoning numbers and the exploitative nature of big business.
In time, I think most of our animal protein requirements will be cultured and variously processed. It is a fact that most people shop for groceries at supermarkets and their choice of outlet is largely governed by price. The market remains king.
Cows taking shade
Scarlet Tiger moth
Dreaming (REM sleep) calf
Corvids on a thermal
Hornet hoverfly
Comma Large Skipper
CONSTRUCTION
UNUSUAL AND CHALLENGING JOBS
Big buildings may look impressive in a construction company’s portfolio, but in reality they can often take less know-how and building skill than smaller refurbishments and conversions.
JRJ Construction’s Jez Reddecliffe has constructed his fair share of larger, steelframed buildings in past years, but he admits to preferring the challenge of some of the trickier projects he has been asked to take on by customers across Kent, Surrey and Sussex. It is those problem-solving skills that have given JRJ Construction a full order book, with repeat customers making up 90% of the business’s agricultural and industrial building clients.
Over the years, the company has been steadily refurbishing many of the industrial units owned by fourth-generation family farming business A A Clifton Ltd at Sycamore Farm on Romney Marsh. “That can be interesting when access is tricky and we have
to keep the building secure while carrying out major repairs and refurbishments,” said Jez.”
One unusual and challenging job for another regular repeat customer was completed recently at ParkerSteel’s headquarters in Canterbury.
“ParkerSteel is installing a one-megawatt solar PV system on the roofs of the buildings, which measure about 200m by 40m,” Jez explained. “We were asked to remove and infill the bottom row of rooflights to allow the panels to be installed and then replace the top row with triple reinforced, super-safe rooflights to allow maintenance crews to work safely around them. In total, we have changed more than 17,000 fixings across the roofs.”
As an aside, Jez pointed out: “I worked in the warehouse at ParkerSteel in my twenties and didn’t expect to be asked back to do refurbishment work on the buildings!”
At Priesthawes Farm, Hailsham in Sussex, JRJ
Construction carried out a major project which involved removing the roof, which measures 55m by 20m, and repainting the frames before installing new roof panels and replacing the guttering. The next phase of the project is due to start in September.
“We often get invited to carry out a relatively minor project before being asked back after demonstrating our flexibility, attention to detail and problem-solving skills,” Jez commented.
Those skills have seen the company in demand across the South East for both new-build projects and for repair, refurbishment and conversion work, as well as demolition and groundworks. Roller shutter doors are another area of expertise. As well as installing them in new build and refurbishment projects, JRJ Construction maintains around 50 at Sycamore Farm and a further 30 on other farms owned by the Cliftons.
Priesthawes Farms inside before Priesthawes Farms inside after
Priesthawes Farms before
Jez Reddecliffe
Priesthawes Farms during
Field Place Farm rain water harvesting
Priesthawes Farms after
Recent new build projects include a potato grading building for Tim Keir at Chislet Court Farm, another building that has already led to additional work on the same site. “We have been invited back to re-roof the grain store,” Jez commented.
Another area of work that has come to the fore recently is installing rainwater harvesting tanks that can save farmers and landowners a considerable amount of money at a time when mains water is far from cheap.
JRJ Construction works with D&H Direct to supply and install the tanks, pipework and filters that allow farmers to irrigate crops or provide water to cattle using the rain that falls on barns and other buildings. Jez and his experienced team recently installed four 25,000 litre tanks at Field Place Farm, Godalming in Surrey.
Jez, who has more than 20 years’ experience in building, has seen the business take off in recent years. The
company also offers on-site welding and fabrication, which allows the team to tackle most challenges, particularly when repurposing farm buildings to give them a new lease of life and the farmer another income stream.
Jez prides himself on never having been called back to ‘put right’ something the farmer has judged to be below par. “The only time we ever go back to a farm is to start on the next job,” he pointed out.
BETTING ON THE FUTURE: BALANCING RISK, INNOVATION AND TRADITION
Farming alongside his parents, Andrew has built on four generations of agricultural heritage while adapting the business to meet modern challenges. From shifting rotations and experimenting with specialist crops like lentils and camelina to intercropping and running on-farm trials, Andrew is combining traditional know-how with innovative approaches to improving resilience, profitability and soil health.
Standing in a field of olive green lentils intercropped with camelina, Andrew Howard bent down and prised open one of the tiny pods, revealing small orange seeds.
“Camelina’s used for vegan egg replacement,” he explained. “I sprinkle it on salads – it’s got a slight peppery taste.”
It’s a picture of a farmer thinking
Nigel Akehurst visits arable farmer and Nuffield Scholar Andrew Howard at his family farm in Hothfield, Kent.
beyond commodity wheat, and yet, as our conversation unfolds, it’s clear Andrew’s story is as much about holding the line against economic and climatic headwinds as it is about innovation.
FROM MIXED FARMING TO ARABLE SPECIALISM
Over a coffee in the farmhouse kitchen, Andrew explained that he is the fourth generation of his family to farm in Kent. His parents, Peter and Pamela, bought Oaklands Farm in the village of Hothfield, near Ashford, in 1993, moving there in 1997 after building the farmhouse and sheds.
Before that, the family were tenants at
Sandyhurst Farm, just four miles away near junction nine of the M20. Like many farms in Kent and Sussex at the time, it was a mixed enterprise. “I remember Dad growing a lot of potatoes in the mid to late eighties,” he recalled.
Although he helped out, farming wasn’t Andrew’s first ambition; sport was his passion. After studying environmental management, he spent a year at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester before returning to work with his father in 2003. The farm continued to keep beef cattle alongside arable crops until 2007, when they decided to focus solely on cropping. “I’m not really a livestock person,” he admitted.
Andrew Howard
MACHINERY COSTS
In 2003, they went min-till after much hesitation over buying a £16,000 drill, a big investment at a time when wheat was just £60 a tonne. “You’re talking four or five times that cost these days (for a new drill), and wheat’s only £150 a tonne,” Andrew noted.
Machinery inflation has rocketed in recent years, he said. “We bought a new tractor in 2014, a combine in 2017, forklift and drill in 2018. We certainly can’t afford to go and spend £250k on a new sprayer or £300k on a combine, which is double what we paid in 2017. It’s little wonder a lot of machinery dealers are struggling.” Andrew’s concern is that some farms are over-extending themselves to keep up with the latest kit. “There could be some interesting times ahead,” he said, wryly.
CHANGING ROTATIONS AND THE CROPS THAT PAY
Andrew’s rotation is fluid. This year’s line-up includes grass seed, winter wheat, spring wheat, spring linseed, winter beans, spring beans, lentils and a camelina intercrop. Next year will swing heavily towards winter wheat, dictated by rotation needs, with smaller areas of winter beans, spring linseed and winter oilseed rape, which they haven’t grown for 10 years. Asked about the most profitable crops, he named lentils and camelina, followed by winter milling wheat. “The price of wheat is about £180. Most farms would be struggling to produce it for under £200 a tonne, especially after two poor harvests.”
Like many, Andrew plays a waiting game with sales. “We’ve still got wheat from last year in the barn; it wasn’t worth selling. I’ve sold half of last year’s but we’ll hold some and see what happens. You’re on a roulette wheel and hope it works out, except the wheel’s spinning faster these days, with weather, prices and government policy.”
DROPPING GRASS SEED
One casualty of storage limitations is grass seed. “It’s a good crop for the rotation and an early harvest, but not an easy one. We used to send it away for storage, which worked well, but now we can’t find a local store nearby. Without that, it’s not worth the hassle.”
SPECIALIST CROPS: LENTILS AND CAMELINA
Andrew’s venture into specialist crops began
FARM FACTS
• Farm size: 750 acres, mix of owned and rented
• Main crops: Winter wheat, spring linseed, winter beans, lentils/ camelina intercrop
• Schemes: SFI 23 + Countryside Stewardship
• Diversification: 11ha solar farm, specialist crops like lentils/ camelina
• On farm trials: Various, including Kent Wildlife Trust compost extract
• Award: BBC Food & Farming “Farm for the Future” winner, 2024
after meeting Hodmedod’s in Suffolk while researching his 2015 Nuffield Scholarship on intercropping. In 2018 he planted three hectares of lentils, initially with linseed for structural support. Later he tried oats, but they reduced yields.
The breakthrough came with camelina, an ancient oilseed also suited to Hodmedod’s premium market. The farm now grows 23 hectares of the intercrop, with both crops harvested together and separated by Hodmedod’s.
“It’s nice seeing my name on the packet at the end. You don’t get that with wheat,” he said dryly. The premium price and low inputs make it appealing, though broadleaf weed control is tricky.
Camelina seed
NIGEL AKEHURST VISITS: ANDREW HOWARD
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“You’re relying on crop competition and a quick start; it’s only in the ground 90 to 100 days.
"If you can get it to harvest, it could be the only crop making a profit this year,” he added. Still, specialist crops carry risk. “We did seed hemp 20 years ago and the company went bust after harvest.”
INTERCROPPING AND COMPANION CROPPING
Andrew’s Nuffield study on intercropping still draws interest. He’s trialling combinations like winter beans with winter peas, and uses oats with linseed to deter flax flea beetle. “It doesn’t cost much and seems to reduce pest pressure,” he said. “That’s the appeal; reducing agronomy costs while integrating pest management.” His drill’s twin
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hoppers make companion planting straightforward. “It’s not a silver bullet, but it’s another tool in the box.”
WEATHER EXTREMES AND SOIL HEALTH
I asked how his no-tillage cultivation methods had improved the farm’s soils over the years.
“I inherited healthy soils from my father’s mixed farming,” he explained, “but the past five years have been punishing. Heavy rain for months on end has set us back. We’ve had to buy a low disturbance subsoiler and a mole plough to deal with compaction. In 2019 I’d have given you a different answer. I was more rigid and evangelical. Now we have to be more flexible.”
Blackgrass is kept in check by spot-spraying before it seeds, though herbicide resistance remains an ongoing battle. “The days of spring herbicides working for blackgrass are over; you may as well burn £50 notes,” he said dryly.
TRIALS, DRONES AND AI
Andrew is also trialling compost extract with Kent Wildlife Trust (KWT), after being approached by KWT’s Rory Harding, who had heard him speak about his own experiments and secured Co-operative Foundation funding to trial the idea.
The principle is simple: take a biologically rich compost – in this case, produced on farm using a Johnson-Su bioreactor – and brew it into a liquid ‘extract’ that can be applied directly with the seed at drilling. The aim is to coat the seed with beneficial microbes, giving it
a head start in rooting and resilience.
“Last year we saw an increase in yield of about 0.4 tonnes a hectare in winter wheat, which is significant,” he said. “We’ve just harvested this year’s trial and are waiting on the results.”
The benefits, he believes, are two-fold. Firstly, stronger rooting in the early stages allows the plant to cope better with weather extremes, whether that’s a wet spring or a dry spell. Secondly, it could potentially reduce nitrogen use.
“It’s one of those things that feels like it should be good, but it’s an extra layer at drilling, so it needs to show a benefit. Otherwise, it’s not worth the hassle,” he said. Andrew is quick to temper expectations. “Like a lot of biological products, some years they work well, some years you don’t see any response. The weather is key; a dry or wet spring can change everything.”
The trials are now in their second year, with fellow Kent farmer Andrew Lingham also taking part to test how results vary across different soils and systems.
For Andrew, the appeal is partly practical. “The good thing about compost extract is that it’s cheap. I can make it myself. I’m not paying anyone for a product; it’s just time and hassle. If it works, it’s something any farmer could adopt.”
TAX, SUCCESSION, SFI AND SOLAR
Heading out in Andrew’s pickup truck to take some photographs, our conversation turned to succession, particularly in light of recent proposed changes to agricultural property relief (APR) and business property relief (BPR).
“We thought we were sorted pre-October budget, but we’re waiting to hear back from the tax advisor about the changes,” he said. “Dad’s 78, Mum’s 74. You don’t feel like investing very much in anything when the future’s uncertain; it’s another reason machinery dealers are struggling and confidence levels are on the floor.”
He credits the SFI 23 scheme and an 11-hectare solar farm (installed in 2014) with providing some stability. Stopping to take a couple of photos, he remarked with a smile: “It’s our best-paying field.”
He’s aware, however, that solar farms divide opinion. “One of the reasons our original application was turned down was because there was a small patch of grade 2 land in the field,” he said. “That’s fair enough; one of people’s big bugbears is putting solar farms on the best, most productive land.”
But Andrew believes context matters. “If it’s grade 3 or worse, you can’t blame farmers for looking at it. Especially when food production doesn’t always pay, you need other ways to make the business viable.” >>
Spring beans for companion crop seed
Spring beans
Camelina seed
Game cover
Andrew looking at camelina/lentil crop
NIGEL AKEHURST VISITS: ANDREW HOWARD
FRUSTRATIONS WITH THE MARKET
The conversation moves onto commodity markets, and his frustration is palpable. “Last year was the worst harvest in a generation and the price went down because they imported grain from Germany. That’s why there’s millions of tonnes of last year’s wheat still in sheds; the millers screwed us over.”
LABOUR CRISIS, FARM SIZES AND STAYING OPTIMISTIC
Back in the yard, I start packing up my photography gear and talk turns to staffing, which is another major worry for Andrew. At present, the only regular labour on the farm is provided by himself and his father, Peter. “Dad keeps himself busy, doing jobs,” said Andrew. “But, realistically, we’ll have to employ someone at some point.”
The challenge is finding the right person — and affording them. “The income just isn’t there to pay a full-time wage,” he explained. “I’d have to go and find another job for half the time to employ someone to do the job that I can do. Or do you try and
do the whole job by yourself and just have someone in for harvest?"
Andrew sees this as part of a wider structural issue. “A lot of family farms are in the same position. Either you stretch yourself thin doing it all or you take on staff you can’t really afford. It’s one of those problems without an easy answer.”
Looking ahead, he questions the trend towards ever-larger farms run by contractors. “They want the whole farm in one crop, and the countryside becomes less diverse. I’m not convinced it works. Even the big boys (who don’t have any housing money behind them) are struggling. One farmer I visited up in Nottinghamshire a few years ago was doing about 5,000 acres (seven times their acreage) on mostly rented ground, turnover just double ours, with huge machinery costs. It doesn’t add up.”
For now, he draws motivation from the crops that work, the satisfaction of harvesting a tricky intercrop and the small wins from trials and market premiums. “Farming’s never been easy,” he reflected, “but there’s still a lot to be excited about if you’re willing to adapt.”
Andrew in a field of Linseed
Camelina/lentils
Lentils
FOCUS ON FRUIT SARAH CALCUTT
THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE SLIGHTLY UNBELIEVABLE
So, on 16 July the Government announced a major new strategy to bring together legislation, guidance, community involvement and industry initiatives and partnerships in one overall policy document. The UK Government’s food strategy for England is linked to the recent NHS 10-year health plan.
I am by no means an expert on this, but I have read a number of decent pieces of reporting and have done my best to siphon out the good, the bad and the, well, slightly unbelievable.
There are 10 policy outcomes that are cross referenced to various pieces of legislation, policy and initiatives that are to be prioritised. So, where does farming win, and where might it lose? Tackling high fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) products and seeking to restrict the promotion of ultra processed and ‘less healthy’ food are still priorities, so that would be a win for high quality fruit grown in England.
Farming has featured in the innovation and regulated products sections, which includes agri-tech, and several reports have maintained that this does indicate the potential for growth. There is support for gene editing and alternative proteins (hmm) and food remains a central element of the ongoing sanitary and phytosanitary agreement negotiations.
These need to be considered across a wider range of government policies, but many commentators see all this as a clearer message of support than we have seen to date. Precision breeding regulations, the Food Standards Agency innovation hub for precision fermentation, cellcultivated products, the farming innovation programme and, of course, the industrial strategy, will be critical if we are to maintain our position in the global agri-tech arena.
Outcome seven covers resilient domestic production for a secure supply of healthy food (which sounds like encouragement).
In the overarching document, there are objectives around food security, sustainability
and animal welfare which also reference employment and growth (again encouraging).
Within this there is the circular economy strategy, the farming roadmap, the farming innovation programme, the fair dealings regulations, the farming profitability review (that should make bleak reading) the industrial strategy, the Environment Land Management scheme, reducing business admin costs by 25% (but we’ve lost the producer organisation (PO) scheme which makes no sense at all to me in terms of centralised cost management alone), the environmental improvement plan, the carbon budget and growth delivery plan and the animal welfare strategy.
Some reporters have taken the reduction of business admin costs by 25% as referring to a government commitment to reduce the cost of administering its schemes by the end of the parliament, which seems contradictory in the light of PO funding as it also references a collaborative approach.
The Government also acknowledged in July that “some policies to deliver improved health, sustainability and resilience might increase costs to food businesses. These higher costs could be passed on to consumers in the form of higher food prices, reducing access. Therefore, as we develop implementation plans, we will carefully consider the impact on food prices and affordability”.
Animal welfare is a key priority alongside the environment, and this looks to be an area that will remain tightly regulated. Waste and carbon reduction also remain high priorities, leading many commentators to conclude that this is an area that may be more closely aligned with Europe. The 10 priorities are:
HEALTHIER AND MORE AFFORDABLE FOOD
1. An improved food environment that supports healthier and more environmentally sustainable food sales
2. Access for all to safe, affordable, healthy, convenient and appealing food options
GOOD GROWTH
3. Conditions for a thriving food sector, including investment in innovation and productivity, with fairer and transparent supply chains
4. The food sector attracts talent and develops skilled workforce in every region
SUSTAINABLE AND RESILIENT SUPPLY
5. Food supply is environmentally sustainable, with high animal welfare standards and reduced waste
6. Trade supports environmentally sustainable growth, upholds British standards and expands export opportunities
7. Resilient domestic production for a secure supply of healthier food
8. Greater preparedness for supply chain shocks, disruption and the impacts of chronic risks
VIBRANT FOOD CULTURES
9. Celebrated and valued UK, regional and local food cultures
10. People are more connected to their local food systems and have the confidence, knowledge and skills to cook and eat healthily.
SARAH CALCUTT
The new dust extraction unit being installed in July as part of a £300,000 investment in colour sorting equipment capable of handling 30t/ph
EARLY START AND EARLY FINISH?
With the dry run-in to harvest, the first loads of oilseed rape and barley started to arrive in the last week of June, seven to 10 days earlier than usual. The granary usually gears up on transport in the last week in July, so this year everything had to be brought forward by two weeks.
Weald Granary
Old crop carry-in complicated the logistics in late July, with 3,500 tonnes going out in four days in addition to the new crop intake. This put significant pressure on staff on the pre-harvest clean down and harvest preparation.
Intake was 75% complete on 12 August and was expected to be more than 85% done by 17 August.
Wheat quality has been surprisingly good, given the lack of rain in the spring. Although yields have been impacted negatively, the wheat quality is very good with very high proteins in the range 12 to 18% and high Hagbergs regularly over 400. Specific weights are in the range 75 to 80Kg/HL. Screening levels are normal with low mycotoxin levels – in the main, zero.
Ergot is again noticeable on some loads and is generally farm specific but lower than that seen in the 2024 crop. Colour sorting will be required on some cereals.
Beans and spring barley were most affected by the drought conditions and high temperatures. Bean yields are up to 40% down, but what there is is decent quality, with low bruchid damage. Planet stood up quite well on quality, but a lot of samples have nitrogen levels over the maximum 1.85% limit on most malt contracts.
Laureate is also higher nitrogen generally, with samples looking weathered with poor appearance and a lot of gape and pre-germ (see images), but most germing up well enough on intake. Samples have been sent to the buyers to see if they will be acceptable for malting. Oat specific weights are 48 to 56Kg, with most meeting milling standard.
All crops struggled this year with the lack of moisture, then just as harvest started to get going the rain came to slow everything down. Since then, wall to wall sunshine has meant little drying has been required, with just a small amount of wet beans and wheat needing it.
With the fourth heatwave this summer helping to wrap up harvest early, it may be only the second time in more than 30 years that the store will close on the August Bank Holiday weekend, giving the staff a well-earned break.
STEPHEN CARR
COMBINED AGE OF 212 YEARS
With harvest home at a canter (what helpful weather), there were three of us in a 50-acre field of wheat stubble dotted with freshly manufactured four feet diameter round bales of straw; my contractor (who I understand is aged 80) with his combine harvester, another contractor (aged 66) with his baler, and me the farmer (also aged 66) with my 12-tonne grain trailer full to the brim with golden feed wheat.
Between us, then, we boasted a combined age of 212 years. If one projects that joint life experience back in time it takes you to 1813 and the Regency period.
It’s unlikely, of course, that any of the three of us would still have been alive in the early 19th century at our respective ages, as the life expectancy for men was then just 34 years. Nor would there have been only three of us in the harvest field but more like three dozen, as 60% of adult males living in the South East in Georgian England were engaged in farming, compared to today’s less than 1.5%.
Obviously, neither would we have been using a combine harvester, baler or grain trailer, or standing in a field as big as 50 acres. Some agricultural mechanisation had occurred by 1813 in the form of the seed drill, the threshing machine, cast iron ploughs, improved horse-drawn harrows, hoes and better carts. But, apparently, these improvements were not widely adopted in the South East until later, so we would still have been sorting the wheat from the chaff by hand.
But, to return to 2025 and my harvest field, how much longer will my two contractors and I – these 21st century, Duracell farming bunnies' – keep going before our batteries finally run out?
I’m informed that the contractor who owns and drives the combine harvester is contemplating buying a new one which, given the likely six-figure net outlay involved, doesn’t suggest he’s about to hang up his Claas coveralls any time soon. Likewise, the owner of the baler tells me he has absolutely "no intention of retiring". As he put it: “I still get such a buzz from contracting so why would I want to stop?”
And what of my own plans? Thank goodness it’s not 1813, so I’m not worn out by manual labour. Instead, the work is done by combustion engines and hydraulic lifts, while I sit in an air-conditioned cab, listening to podcasts or my favourite music on the Bluetooth-enabled in-cab stereo.
Like my two contractors, my health (and landlord) permitting, I have absolutely no intention of giving up the buzz.
Precision Soil Sampling
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STEPHEN CARR
Stephen farms near Eastbourne in East Sussex in partnership with his wife and four of his daughters. The farm has a pub, the Sussex Ox at Milton Street, which serves the farm's pedigree Sussex beef, Southdown-cross lamb and fruit and vegetables from the farmhouse kitchen-garden.
IN CONJUNCTION WITH
THE IMPACT OF SOIL STRUCTURE
By Peter Cowlrick, Technical Director, CCC Ltd.
Writing this in mid-August as the UK is about to enter yet another heatwave, and with parched soil conditions prevailing, does feel a little premature, and I really hope that it does not have a similar effect on the weather as did the appointment of Denis Howell as ‘Minister for Drought’ in late August 1976.
One of the key take-home messages from this harvest has been the impact of soil structure on the performance of winter crops in particular, with some compacted and poorly structured seedbeds in later sown cereals suffering yield drops of up to 50%.
Despite the dry summer and widespread cracking of soils to depth, in many situations there is likely to be a requirement to reset soils with targeted deeper cultivations to enable improved aeration and permeability, but use a spade first to evaluate how deep any compaction is in reality.
Where available, look at yield maps to highlight underperforming areas and help target those areas that may require deeper cultivation, but don’t be tempted to overwork soils and produce too fine a tilth with primary cultivations in case wet weather returns. The fundamentals of good soil structure (and health) have never been more important to optimise crop performance and profitability against a background of declining support and commodity prices.
Hopefully there will be sufficient rain by early September to enable stubbles to green up sufficiently and enable timely spraying-off with glyphosate to control cereal volunteers and grassweeds ahead of the next cereal crop.
A two to three-week interval is required between spraying off cereal stubbles ahead of a subsequent winter cereal to eliminate the risk of direct transfer of barley yellow dwarf virus from any aphids present on volunteer cereals and frit fly damage following oats.
With grassweed insensitivity or resistance to glyphosate developing, minimum rates should be maintained at around 1,000g/ha or above for mixed populations of blackgrass, cereals, brome etc, but for ryegrass nearer 1,500g would be advisable due to confirmed resistance risks. With ryegrass in particular, check for any obviously surviving plants after spraying and consider mechanical removal.
In terms of herbicide strategies for the mainstream cereals, the number one priority for any crop is to ensure an appropriately targeted pre-emergence herbicide is applied, ideally within 48 hours of drilling, otherwise poor grassweed control is more than likely.
Depending on the known grassweed pressures, the key actives that should be considered within a residual programme are Cinmethylin (winter wheat only), Aclonifen, Flufenacet, Triallate and Prosulfocarb; the first two are now regarded as almost
CCC AGRONOMY
Chichester Crop Consultancy is a farmer member run co-operative agronomy service that aims to deliver truly independent, research/ science-led agronomy advice with no commercial bias and now covers the South of England.
CCC works closely with Crop Advisors, which supplies independent group purchasing on crop inputs as well as sourcing cover crop/environmental scheme seed mixes.
essential components of any successful residual ryegrass and blackgrass herbicide programme, but not necessarily together.
Remember that both Aclonifen and Triallate should only be applied pre-emergence of the crop. A new herbicide active, Bixlozone, is also available this autumn and delivers useful additional control of ryegrass, in particular, when included as part of a residual programme –pre-emergence only in winter barley and up to three-leaf stage in winter wheat.
Be wary of overloading pre-emergence stacks, as there is an enhanced risk of significant crop damage where applications are followed by heavy rain within a few days of application, resulting in crop thinning and yield reductions. Splitting out the components and deploying them within both a pre- and a peri-emergence programme will help minimise the risk of significant damage and also extend the residual persistence through November to optimise grassweed control.
Peter Cowlrick
HOW TO MANAGE BLACKGRASS WHEN RETURNING LAND TO CROPPING FROM SFI OPTIONS
Farms with a history of blackgrass need to be aware of any unintended increase in populations that could have occurred within sustainable farming incentive (SFI) options and manage this accordingly as and when land returns to cropping, says Lizzie Blatt, agronomist with Hutchinsons, based out of the Canterbury office.
For those considering putting land into an SFI option where blackgrass is a risk, growers may be better off in the longerterm by accepting the slightly lower payment and increased investment associated with stacking multi-species cover crop options (e.g. SAM2/CSAM2, SOH2 and SOH3), that allow for blackgrass control, rather than higher paid options such as winter bird food that do not.
The first step would be to sow a winter cover in August. That would be sprayed off in March, followed by a spring-sown cover crop, which would remain in the ground from March until June.
The next stage would be the summer-sown cover, lasting from June until August. The total support payment would be £455/ha per year, which is often better than spring bean gross margins.
This regime offers a break in rotation, plus three opportunities to bring blackgrass under control and the potential to provide a clean and fertile seedbed which would boost first wheat yields.
“Selecting the right mix is key to
maximising cover crop benefits, with multispecies mixes providing more advantages than simple two-way blends, such as mustard and oats,” said Lizzie.
“Use at least six different plant species taken from three or four families. We have made some bespoke cover mixes that achieve the aims within Hutchinsons Maxi Cover range. The diversity of growth habit and root structure helps build a more resilient soil structure, and improves aeration and water management.
“The soil will have greater ability to store water lower down in the profile in times of prolonged drought. It will also ensure
moisture is not lost closer to the surface through run-off in high rainfall situations.”
Lizzie went on: “If growing legume fallows in blackgrass situations, grow a mix containing grasses and legumes to increase competition.
“They can be mown as required (with no restrictions) within the first 12 months once blackgrass begins to head, although continuous mowing can lead to blackgrass growth habit switching to a short profile and becoming more difficult to tackle.”
In year two, fallows can be mown between March and mid-June, leaving eight weeks uncut in the summer.
The 95th Laughton & District Agricultural Society ploughing match will be held on Wednesday 17 September at Norlington Farm, Ringmer.
More than 50 ploughmen and women are expected to compete in 10 different classes, displaying their skills alongside a collection of vintage, classic and modern machinery and the much-loved heavy horses.
The show’s family section will be taking entries for cookery, preserves, arts and crafts, flower, fruit and vegetable classes. The full list of classes can be seen at www.laughtonagriculturalsociety.com
The society’s education section will again be inviting a local primary school to bring 65 to 70 pupils to the event, where they can enjoy a ‘hands on’ activity day and connect with the countryside in a unique outdoor
learning environment.
Trade stands from a wide range of agricultural businesses and retailers will be in attendance, along with refreshments and the famous Long Man beer trailer. Entry costs £6 per adult.
The society will also be holding its annual hedge-laying competition on Saturday 6 September 2025 at Wellingham Farm, Ringmer, with spectators welcome.
Date: 17 September 2025
Venue: Norlington Farm, Ringmer Cost: £6 per adult
East Kent Ploughing Match 2025
We warmly invite you to join Furley Page agriculture and rural business team at the Wednesday 24 September 2025 from 9am QUEX PARK, BIRCHINGTON, CT7 0HR
We look forward to meeting old friends and contacts at our stand
PLOUGHING THROUGH THE AGES
This year’s Sussex Ploughing Championship Association match is being held at Old Erringham Farm, Steyning Road, Shoreham by Sea, on Saturday 4 October.
Held by kind permission of Frank and James Grantham, this event pulls together all the best ploughmen and women in Sussex – those who have qualified at their local match – in a search for the very best in the county. The champion can then go forward to plough at the British Nationals in 2026.
The event will be reflecting ploughing through the ages with horse, vintage, classic and modern tractor ploughing. The event will also feature public catering and a bar, trade stands and a chance to meet the businesses that help support the event through sponsorship and advertising. Entry to the match costs £5.
For further information contact Jim Braiden by emailing jgbraiden@hotmail.co.uk or calling 07540 598877.
Date: 4 October 2025
Venue: Old Erringham Farm, Steyning Road, Shoreham by Sea Cost: £5
71ST PLOUGHING MATCH
Greenstead Green & District Agricultural Club will be holding its 71st ploughing match (since the organisation was started by Sir Richard Butler in 1953), on Saturday 13 September, having only missed one event in past years, as a result of the pandemic.
This year’s event, at Tattershalls Farm, Morris Green, Sible Hedingham, Halstead, Essex, will feature two sets of plough horses as well as a vintage tractor match which also attracts ploughmen from other counties.
The event also features a cereal competition for local farmers and trade stands from machinery manufacturers, with stands also expected from Essex Wildlife Trust, the Farming Community Network, The Forestry Commission and Essex Rural Police.
Why every farmer should consider trusts as part of inheritance tax planning.
Much has been said about the changes that look set to take place in April 2026 to the inheritance tax regime that applies to agricultural relief.
From 6 April 2026, there will be a £1 million cap on agricultural assets, combined with business assets, which will be able to obtain full inheritance tax (IHT) relief at 100%. Assets over that cap which are eligible for relief will be taxed at 50%.
This change is a moment in time for farmers and landowners, and indeed all business owners, to consider their estate planning.
Farmers often have high value estates due to the land values. One option is to spread the value of the farm assets to other members of the family by making gifts. The draft legislation currently allows the £1 million cap to refresh every seven years, which may mean more farmers gifting assets to the next generation sooner than anticipated.
Not all farm owners will be comfortable gifting part of their farm, which is their livelihood, to the next generation. This could be for a number of reasons. Who is to take
on the farm may not yet have been agreed, or maybe the next generation is too young to be given that responsibility.
If a farmer is, in principle, willing to make a gift of part of the farm, but feels the time is not right, then a trust may be the solution.
The use of a trust will allow assets to be gifted and so no longer in the farmer’s estate, reducing the value of the estate for IHT purposes. It will start the clock running on the seven-year period for gifting and the cap, after which time a further gift may be considered.
It could, however, allow the farmer to retain control of the gifted assets. While the farmer cannot be a beneficiary of the trust due to anti-avoidance tax rules, and so cannot benefit from it, the farmer may be a trustee and so be involved in the decisions made about the assets held in trust. They may even be employed by the trustees to manage their interest in the farm business.
This may be particularly useful if the farmer relies on the income from the farm to live on. Once the farm, or part of it, has been passed to the trust, the farmer’s income will decrease accordingly. If they can continue to
run the business and draw a salary, then this may be attractive.
Whenever assets are gifted to a trust, the tax position must also be considered. The position with trusts and the changes to agricultural relief is complicated but trusts will, depending on various factors, have a £1m cap available.
On making any lifetime gifts of, say, land, capital gains tax is likely to be an issue. This is the case whether assets are gifted to an individual or to a trust. Depending on the circumstances, business asset disposal relief may be available to reduce the rate of tax payable, at least on some of the value. It may also be possible to hold over the gains, which means the recipient receives the asset with inbuilt gains which would result in a higher tax bill if the asset were later sold. However, if the intention is to retain the asset, then this may not be a concern.
Whatever, your circumstances, it would be sensible to review what you own and consider with your advisors if there are any changes you should be making. Please get in touch if we can be of help.
T: 01892 701179
E: info@ts-p.co.uk
www.ts-p.co.uk
FIONA HIGGOTT
Partner, Wills, Estate & Tax Planning
T: 01892 701347
E: fiona.higgott@ts-p.co.uk
Agriculture law specialists
ESTHER LEE
Partner, Probate
T: 01892 701339
E: festher.lee@ts-p.co.uk
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We undertake a wide range of work for farmers, rural landowners and businesses including:
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St Wilfrid’s Hospice will benefit from this year’s East Sussex Ploughing Match, which is being held on Saturday 27 September at Blackbarn Farm, Lower Dicker, Hailsham, by kind permission of Mr. Mark Thomas, who was invited to select the charity.
The event will showcase ploughing through the ages and include horse ploughing, steam ploughing (weather permitting), vintage, classic and modern tractor ploughing. There is also a Young Farmers' ploughing class, where members compete head to head.
Alongside the ploughing there will be the ever-popular fun dog
show and a domestic section, which includes a wide variety of classes. There will also be public catering and a bar, trade stands, and a chance to chat to the businesses that support the event through sponsorship and advertising.
“Come along and have a great day,” said society secretary Katie Plumley. “See how we used to work the land and how the practice of ploughing has evolved over time while still achieving the same outcome.”
Date: 27 September 2025
Venue: Blackbarn Farm, Lower Dicker, Hailsham
ENTERTAINMENT FOR EVERYONE
The 80th anniversary East Kent Ploughing Match at Quex Park, Birchington, on Wednesday 24 September promises entertainment for everyone.
LOTS TO SEE HOW PLOUGHING HAS EVOLVED
There will be lots to see and do at the Crowborough and District Ploughing Match, which will take place this year on 24 September from 9am at Hamsell Wood Farm, Eridge, by kind permission of Mr A Freeman.
The 80th horse and tractor ploughing match and show will also feature gun dog trials and a dog show, domestic, children’s and floral classes, trade stands and demonstrations. There will be demonstrations by the United Retriever Club, Southern Area and displays of steam ploughing and threshing.
Refreshments and a bar will be available, and entry is priced at £7.50, with children under 16 and car parking free. There will be an auction of some of the domestic section entries.
Date: 24 September 2025
Venue: Hamsell Wood Farm, Eridge
Cost: £7.50, with children under 16 and car parking free
The horse, steam, vintage, classic and commercial ploughing classes will begin at 10am as the arena begins to buzz with displays of horse riding and falconry alongside the ever-popular terrier racing, welly throwing and tossing the sheaf competitions.
“Do visit the arts, craft and cookery marquees and discover country crafts and our amazing raffle,” commented show secretary Lorna Astbury. “With just over a mile of trade stands and plenty of options to eat and drink, we just need a side order of sunshine.”
The event, held by kind permission of Quex Park Estates, runs from 9am until 4pm, with Early Bird tickets available online at the discounted price of £10 (£12 on the day). Under 12s go free and school parties are warmly welcomed.
“We are endlessly grateful to our generous sponsors, without whom we would not be able to put on an incredible show,” added Lorna. For further information see www.ekpma.co.uk
Date: 24 September 2025
Venue: Quex Park, Birchington
Cost: Early Bird tickets available online at the discounted price of £10 (£12 on the day). Under 12s go free
CONSTRUCTION
Oaklands Equestrian
DEVELOPING CLOSE RELATIONSHIPS
“There is a real difference between erecting a commercial building and putting up an agricultural building for a farmer,” explained operations director Tom Foster at Burden Bros Construction Ltd.
“Commercial clients typically provide detailed drawings and specifications to guide project delivery, but with farmers it’s more personal. You are working with them to improve the family farm, which may have been their home for decades and been passed down through the generations.
“There is a real sense of trust there, and respecting and understanding that helps you develop a close working relationship.”
Developing that kind of close relationship is important for Tom and the rest of the Burden Bros Construction team, and is made easier by his own agricultural background.
Tom grew up on the family farm, Moonfield Farm at Sharsted in Kent, and has spent a lifetime immersed in agriculture as well as labouring, co-ordinating projects and generally being ‘hands-on’.
It helps Tom develop an instant rapport with the farmer and understand what he or she wants and needs to achieve.
It’s the kind of relationship building that has seen Burden Bros Construction grow strongly over the past ten years, enjoying a repeat business rate of around 80% while carrying out close to 110
building projects in the home counties during that time.
The company specialises in groundworks, civil engineering and agricultural and commercial buildings, with a client base that includes arable, fruit and vineyard farmers, equestrian specialists and sheep and cattle farmers.
Burden Bros Construction’s ‘concept to completion’ ethos sees the team able to help with everything from the initial discussions through planning, groundworks, building and fitout, while their attention to detail, professionalism and construction design and management (CDM) expertise, along with all the right accreditations, allows them to take charge of any agricultural construction project.
Recent projects have included a new 4,000-tonne grain store for A J Bray & Sons Ltd at Ham Farm, Faversham, a new cold store building for A Hinge & Sons Ltd at Rushetts Farm, Norton, a new 2,800-tonne grain store for John Boyd Farms Ltd in Lenham and a cutting edge development at Oaklands Equestrian in Appledore comprising an ‘American-style’ barn, a hay barn and an outdoor riding school with indoor ménage.
The company has erected a straw building and three cattle buildings for livestock, complete with IAE handling equipment, for Rand Contracting Ltd in Cambridgeshire and is also in demand for
Ham Farm
the construction of anaerobic digestion plants, having acted as principal contractor and completed the groundworks and civils for five in various locations across the UK. In Headcorn, Kent, Burden Bros Construction doubled the on-site storage for Sunmagic Juices Ltd, adding a 24m X 14m steel portal frame extension to the existing building.
While Burden Bros Construction is just 10 years old, it has the benefit not just of Tom’s extensive experience in farming but of the Burden Bros group, which dates back to the 1960s and is well known across the agricultural industry.
The construction company has grown to 30 full time workers on the ground and a further six office staff, all of which came about almost by accident.
Tom’s inspiration to form a limited company came when he was working for Burden Bros Contracting back in 2007 and had laid a concrete entrance road at the company’s headquarters, Old Rides Farm, Eastchurch, on the Isle of Sheppey.
Groundworks, Civil Engineering, Agricultural & Commercial Construction Specialists
“As a farmer’s son I can pretty much turn my hand to anything practical and I went on to farmyards and cattle corrals and then erected a building,” he recalled. Neighbours started noticing, and in 2009 Tom and some of his colleagues were asked to construct a concrete yard, silage lagoon and clamp for PHR Farms in Brabourne, Kent.
Burden Bros Construction Ltd is proud of its reputation of delivering high quality construction projects across agricultural and commercial industries.
“We used to do building work for most of the year and then drop everything to drive tractors at harvest time,” Tom said.
With our highly-skilled workforce, the company has the expertise to deliver projects across a range of sectors with services including Design & Build, Project Management with full CDM compliance.
As the building work increased, the parent company backed the initiative by setting up Burden Bros Construction Ltd, at which point Tom was appointed construction manager and brought on board the vastly experienced Paul Kelk as contracts manager.
“From that point on we have worked hard to establish the company as a reliable, professional, competitively priced building contractor with a focus on quality and a commitment to working in partnership with the farmer,” Tom concluded.
Agricultural & Commercial Buildings
Burden Bros Construction Ltd
Your Project Management
Specialists
⚪ Planning
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Health & Safety (CDM) Compliance
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Burden Bros Construction Ltd is proud of its reputation of delivering high quality construction projects across agricultural and commercial industries.
With our highly-skilled workforce, the company has the expertise to deliver projects across a range of sectors with services including Design & Build, Project Management with full CDM compliance.
Tom Foster
TRANSFORM YOUR FUTURE
As summer draws to a close, a new academic year begins, full of fresh opportunities.
For those reconsidering sixth form or looking for a different path, it’s not too late to join the students at Hadlow College this September.
EXPLORE OUR COURSES
Hadlow College is Kent’s only rural and land-based college, offering a wide range of courses designed to suit many interests and career goals. These include agricultural engineering, agriculture, animal management, equine management, fisheries management, floristry, and horticulture and garden design.
In addition, carpentry and joinery courses are run in a dedicated workshop and the college has a fully functioning garage, diagnostic centre and workshop for motor vehicle courses.
All full-time courses incorporate valuable work experience, helping students gain realworld skills. For those who prefer learning on the job, Hadlow College apprenticeships offer a perfect blend of training and workplace experience, covering sectors from horticulture to golf course management. Typically, apprentices spend 20% of their time in training and 80% applying their skills in a professional environment.
For those looking to continue into higher education, Hadlow’s leafy campus offers degree courses and comfortable residential accommodation. Find out more at www.hadlow.ac.uk/courses.
WHY CHOOSE HADLOW?
Set on a beautiful, expansive estate with 265 acres of farmland, woodland, commercial farms, show gardens, glasshouses and natural habitats, Hadlow offers an inspiring learning environment.
There's still time to switch to Hadlow College.
It boasts a host of cutting-edge facilities, including the UK’s first centre of excellence in greenhouse growing, the Thanet Earth Centre of Excellence @ Hadlow College, a ‘concept orchard and vineyard’ showcasing the latest technology, and much more.
Following last year’s Ofsted inspection, North Kent College (which includes Hadlow) was rated ‘good’ overall and ‘outstanding’ for behaviours and attitudes. Inspectors praised the welcoming, inclusive atmosphere and industry-standard resources that prepare learners to become confident, responsible professionals.
And for those looking to live on site, the college has some literally ‘outstanding’ residential accommodation, judged as such across all categories by Ofsted last summer.
START THE JOURNEY
To find out more about studying at Hadlow College, come along to our open morning on 15 November or visit www.hadlow.ac.uk
READY TO MAKE A CHANGE?
If you feel your current studies aren’t right for you, it’s time to explore the exciting options at Hadlow College. Call 01732 850551 for advice or to discuss your next steps.
For those looking to start at the college in September 2026, there is an open event on Saturday 15 November, from 10am to 1pm, where anyone interested can explore the facilities and speak to Hadlow’s industry trained lecturers and current students.
Harvest 2025 seems to be in the distant past, with planning and preparing for the crop season ahead now underway. The packed lunch maker has now gone on strike – until next time… GCSE results are in and we are all super proud of Zara’s incredible achievement.
It would appear that the crop yield/quality seems to be extremely variable from field to field, let alone area to area. The quality of wheat in our corner seems to have taken a big hit this year, with low Hagberg being a particular problem.
There would seem to be plentiful supplies of high-quality milling wheat in many other areas of the country. For whatever reason, our corner seems to have taken the brunt. The last torrential rain we had seemed to do irreparable damage to the Hagberg.
It seems bizarre that in a dry year when rain was desperately needed, the last downpour contributed to significant damage. This also applies to the straw yield/quality as well. In general, the straw yield would be vastly reduced in most areas for the 2024/2025 season.
Isolated fields that have had adequate manure seem to have produced better quality straw.
Amid the madness of harvest, we had the pleasure of welcoming Big Bale South to film a promotional video for these machines. We had the baler, trans-stacker and hunter chaser all working in one field following our combine.
To see these machines working is an incredible sight. It was a welcome distraction from the intensity of harvest. Who knows when Hollywood will make a call for the boys?
We have had an incredible team helping
ORGANISED CHAOS ANITA HICKSON
CROP YIELD/QUALITY EXTREMELY VARIABLE
us with harvest this year and are so grateful to each and every one of those who made it possible. Baling and carting straw took many weeks.
In previous years we needed two telehandlers, three tractors and trailers and many, many hours of labour. Now we have Fergus driving the baler and Tom and Monty on the trans-stacker and hunter chaser. Although still time consuming, the job is smoothly and swiftly completed.
Ted is now counting down the years until he can help them. I think he’s now a little fed up with the ice cream run and is ready to move onto bigger and more exciting things.
Hopefully, when drilling is complete we will return to the normal pace of life, although that stills seems to be 100mph.
The end of the summer is nearly upon us. I always find this time of year hard, especially when the children return to school. Bags are packed, and as we start the new term Zara will be going on to study A levels and Ted will be returning to Year 4. Monty will be leaving us to go to Reading University. I know he will have an amazing time as he moves onto the next challenge, but the house will be a quiet place without him although my food shopping definitely won’t miss him.
Until next time, stay safe.
ANITA HICKSON Farmer
FIVE MONTHS INTO A DROUGHT AND STILL NO GRASS
Unquestionably, in our corner of Kent the all-absorbing factor for many sheep keepers currently is the lack of any appreciable rainfall, a factor that is so high on the list of concerns that this is my second attempt at
starting this piece. I scrapped the first endeavour when I realised that I was simply repeating my August copy, excepting that we are now five months into a drought situation with something like a 70% shortfall in the March to July rainfall and still no grass.
I know of at least two, albeit relatively small, sheep producers who have simply been beaten by this year’s weather (or lack of it) and the resulting deficit in available grazing; shortcomings that have driven their decision sell up and walk away from the industry, a great shame as they are both young, enthusiastic, relatively new entrants who have worked hard to gain a foothold in the sheep sector. They were the sort of youngsters the industry desperately requires to help it move forward in what will be challenging times.
Needless to say, it is a difficult situation to overlook completely and is one of the main topics of conversation among local sheep producers. Just about any conversation elicits the question: “Have you got any grass?”; a bit of green would be most welcome, any significant amount of grazing a bonus.
Producers have largely accepted that the chances of any decent quantity of summer grazing, particularly of any quality, are now unlikely and are hoping for some decent rainfall towards the end of the summer (possibly rather optimistically) to provide for a generous autumn flush that will afford some decent grazing in the run up to tupping.
This in itself has the potential to generate a bit of a dilemma in as much as, having endured a fairly long period of challenge, many ewes will have switched into a survival mode in which reproduction becomes a dominant feature. That frequently means a bit of an uptick in fertility, which may then pose a problem when it comes to flushing ewes, particularly some of the more prolific breeds or crosses. Certainly, once prolificacy increases beyond 185%, much of the additional production will come from a rise in the number of triplets, which introduces yet another variable into the equation; some producers may relish having more triplets, but personally I could happily do without them.
I know that most of our Lleyn are sufficiently milky to cope with a set of triplets if they are a nice even trio, but two good-sized lambs and a littl’un, even with a good milky mum, presents rather more
of a problem, with sibling rivalry generally resulting in the smallest being pushed out when it comes to suckling. Mum is always best, and we certainly do whatever we can to avoid having lambs on the bottle, even if it means topping up
the odd lamb in the field.
Sock lambs are generally OK for anyone lambing a largish flock. Some even enjoy them, though this is quite a perverse sense of enjoyment, as far as I am concerned. The routine removal of one of a set of triplets to maintain a pool of lambs for cross suckling onto any ewes producing a single, or for artificial rearing, works well with few problems in a wellordered and resourced system, although sufficient attention to detail is always key, but for a few odd trips in a relatively small flock, they tend to be rather too time consuming, too much hassle and too expensive.
We are rather fortunate in as much as, having selected for twinning for decades, we will generally end up at between 195% and 200% lambing without too many triplets. I know we could increase prolificacy by flushing, but it’s a practice we avoid to minimise the number of triplets born, even in a normal year, although we do endeavour to ensure that all ewes, at this time of year, are on target to progress steadily towards their optimal 3 to 3.5 body condition score ready for tupping.
Many producers will chase a target of 200% lambing, inevitably generating more triplets. That’s OK if you are geared up to deal with the surplus lambs, but there is a big difference between lambing 200% and weaning 200%. More triplets will often mean a commensurate increase in lamb mortality; there are a lot more producers reaching the former goal than the latter. Extra lambs are not always a bonus. It is always important to consider the additional costs and workload involved; it’s the bottom line that is king, not necessarily performance targets.
That said, lamb trade has been reasonably good over the summer; understandably, the persistent dry weather and tight grass supplies has resulted in rather too many grass-finished lambs going into the market slightly below optimal condition, which has on occasions pulled average prices back a bit, but strong, well-finished, fed lambs have commanded good money. Plus, always a good indicator of producer confidence, store prices have made a reasonably good start, which is encouraging, no doubt assisted on their way by West Country buyers looking for a few mouths to make use of renewed grass supplies precipitated by some recent spells of decent rainfall in the south west.
It's early days yet, but the breeding stock situation is rather more mixed. Good, strong sheep appear to be selling well, with some strong prices, particularly for females. The overall picture is rather more complex, for understandable reasons; drought or near-drought conditions over much of the eastern part of the country has resulted in a reluctance on the part of some buyers to buy in additional mouths at a time when they may be struggling to find sufficient grazing for existing flock numbers. Tight grass supplies have also given rise to
ALAN WEST Sheep farmer
Summer 2024 – the sort of thing dreams are made of in 2025
DECLAN’S HOPPING MAD
South East Farmer occasional guest columnist Declan Hughes has taken the BBC’s Countryfile programme to task over an item on hop picking.
The veteran contributor, who worked on a hop farm near Tunbridge Wells between 1975 and 1986, took issue with the corporation’s decision to send correspondent Anita Rani to a hop garden in shorts, pointing out: “Had she done an actual day’s work in shorts in a hop garden, she would have been seriously injured, so why show the audience that this is alright?”
Pointing out that earlier attempts to persuade the BBC to film a serious piece on hop picking had met with no response, and adding that he still “loves” the programme, Declan said that the decision was “a travesty, and highly misleading”.
He went on: “As someone who lived and worked on a hop farm in Kent from 1975 to 1986, I know I never saw anyone do it in shorts, as they would have been ‘rasped’ to pieces!”
Declan explained: “Unless hop bines have been genetically modified over the past 40 years to the point where they no longer open your skin, a hop bine will find every square inch of exposed flesh – legs, arms, face and neck – and rasp it to bits.
“Coupled with the pollen and residual chemicals on the bines, plus the fact that you are picking in a traditionally hot month (September), your sweat will ensure the whole package seeps into your skin, and do more than simply ‘irritate’.”
Accusing the BBC of “giving viewers the equivalent of a ‘Barbie world’,” he told the corporation: “Anyone who has spent any time hop-picking would know to cover up, wear gloves or your hands will be cut to bits, and cover your face and neck, or you’ll be in trouble. Do all that and you’ll have a great month. Go out in shorts, and you’ll be shredded.”
His email to the BBC added: “Personally, I wish I could go back, but I’m now just shy of 72, and endure arthritis, so I can’t, unfortunately.” Declan said his email had met with “a standard response” but that the programme team had not replied to his specific point.
some breeding females coming forward in sub-optimal condition, which has probably helped to pull back average prices. That said, for anyone with a decent amount of spare grazing, those marginally plainer ewes will respond well to a bit of decent grass.
The current bluetongue situation presents an effective barrier to easy movement of breeding stock from England to other parts of the UK, adding yet another layer of complexity. It’s rather a muddled picture, understandably so, and one that may trigger a bit of a scramble for replacement females later in the season; watch this space.
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POSITIVE SIGNS FOR SHEEP
Despite the obvious annual day-to-day difficulties largely associated with the weather impacting on grazing and flock husbandry, it is fair to say that the sheep trade is in a satisfactory place for the middle of August, with the best lambs through 400p/kg, averages around 350p/kg and some of the best heavyweights close to, and over £200.
The professional industry interpreters always appear to be more cautious in their observations, and there are certainly issues ahead, but the talk at ground level is positive.
Of greatest concern is how we can stop, or at least slow, the decline in the size of the UK breeding flock which has again fallen and is down to 15 million, significantly lower than the pre-foot and mouth period, when numbers were over 21 million.
These shortening numbers are matched throughout Europe and consequently strengthen price, with home demand holding firm and exports to Europe, particularly, increasing strongly at the same time as imports are falling.
The unexciting first and early second quarters seem a distance away, with the good lambing and early grazing period backed up by a sound trade that has steadily strengthened without getting out of control and displacing consumer attraction. This confident period has ensured that producers have been keen to get stock fit for market, often with supplementary feed giving that extra weight and increased returns.
Important for the future is ensuring that numbers slaughtered remain high (8.5% higher in June 2025), keeping the monthly carryover well under control.
We are well under way with the autumn sheep sales at Ashford, with close to 5,500 lambs sold at the end of July, averaging £105/ head, and 6,500 catalogued for mid-August. Of course, we could do with more grass in the South East, but it is more important that the grass exists further west and north, and that those buyers restricted for much of last year due to bluetongue are now back with confidence taking lambs for the short, medium and long term.
The currently firm fat trade is benefitting the stronger, short-term lambs, with plenty of good lambs £120 to £140 at the July sale. Many will have been shorn and creep fed and by now already turned around and slaughtered. On the rising trade their buyers will be back for more, giving that essential ingredient of confidence to the open market.
England sits happily in its entirety in the bluetongue zone, but it is a shame that the Welsh agencies do not recognise the futility of their decision to hold mosquitos back behind legislation, and not recognise the importance of free trade movement for the store lambs, and most importantly at this time of year, for the breeding sheep either side of the border.
It is a little early for breeding sheep trends, but first reports suggest a cautious start, with variable quality, after a difficult winter. The main reason, sadly, is that more are leaving the hard-working lambing end of the industry to run dry sheep, or to take up options within agrienvironment schemes that are causing problems with sheep farmers and the availability of keep at critical periods.
Maintaining quality is the key driver for breeding sheep, and making that positive decision in their lamb year is critical, setting the best towards breeding and the rest towards a grazing, fattening future.
The declining breeding flock is exacerbated also by the strength of the cull market. Demand is very strong, at home and abroad and from processors skilfully managing their margins when the primary product, lamb or beef, is flying high. Best purebred ewes can be regularly over £250. With commercial fleshed mules, crossbreds and Romneys up over £150 it is no surprise that flock masters draw hard at weaning to avoid the problems that always arrive with older sheep.
A good cull price certainly helps with replacements, but farmers will be after better-bred types that produce the premium lamb and longer-lasting ewe.
Weekly store lamb and breeding ewe sales now run every Friday from 29 August through to 10 October, complemented by the Annual Ram Sale on Monday 22 September and Romney Day on Friday 26 September.
PRIME CATTLE AT EXCEPTIONAL LEVELS
With a break in the weather during the previous month, the green shoots of grass were again being seen in the eastern counties, which also meant harvest was delayed perhaps further than most people were expecting during the drought period of early July.
The prime cattle trade continued at exceptional levels, as reported for many months now, with numbers totally inadequate for the trade, despite deadweight prices being pulled back. This was not seen in the live ring, where regularly cattle were trading well above 400p/kg liveweight for the U and E grade cattle, with the average runs of cattle between 360p/kg and 390p/kg every week.
As stated many times before, this is a fantastic trade, but it is needed, as there are still more people looking to retire from the beef fattening business than staying in it. Overheads are still high, despite feed prices being lower, and the price of store cattle is also not helping the confidence of finishers to replace sold stock.
Rumours of surplus beef in the world are not being proved; it does seem there is a worldwide shortage of beef.
In Colchester, we have seen exceptional quality cattle which are a real credit to the eastern counties’ beef finishers. As always, meat is paid for but fat still discounted if excessive.
Considering the numbers we are now selling compared with 10 years ago, it reflects on the number of producers who have finished selling prime cattle. The enormous reduction in dairy farms in the eastern counties is also reflected, with fewer and fewer calves available and some hesitancy from finishers to buy cattle from TB1 areas.
Surely we need to look at how the TB rules can be changed? We do not seem to be making the TB situation any better by the draconian rules we currently have.
As stated, cattle have regularly been trading at over 400p/kg, with the very best over 420p/ kg and over £3,000 per head in the live ring.
The price of over 30-month cattle, cull cows and bulls also remains at high levels, but numbers are short, as is normal at this time of year. The beef trade is very much dominated by the demand for processing meat, such as mince and burgers, particularly with the barbecue season upon us.
Store cattle are always short at this time of year, but those that are available are at exceptionally high value and, as previously stated, at levels not seen before.
The sheep section has seen a surprising upturn in the new season lamb trade, at levels now above 12 months ago, and demand for heavy lambs continues to be strong. Again as expected at this time of year, lean lambs are being purchased to feed on, although, despite the change in the weather, fodder is still short and there is some hesitancy to buy large numbers of store sheep.
Best lambs are trading at up to £200 per head and around 400p/kg liveweight, with general trade around 350p/kg.
The cull ewe trade is also exceptionally good, as reported in previous months, and is probably more than expected, following the various religious festivals. There is concern over the number of ewes being sold, but it should hopefully provide a good return for producers of shearlings in the coming weeks as the breeding sheep sales take off.
Store lambs are seeing the stronger stores
selling at over £100 per head, but it is noted that many of these are being sold to kill, as light lambs in the live rings are fewer in number.
Speaking to local farmers, those who are drilling stubble turnips are pleased to see the moisture but are still concerned that the general trend is for long dry periods.
The pig trade is as at previous months’ levels, with the supply very much equated to demand. By the beginning of August, most cereal crops in the eastern areas had been harvested, with mixed yields as previously reported. Sugar beet is generally looking good; the rain is certainly helping, as it did for the forage maize crops, which were under serious strain at the end of June and early July.
As always, the live market needs to be carefully followed for both cattle and sheep, but the general indications are that the trade will remain strong in all sections. Let’s hope that is the case. We are now looking at cattle still well over £1,000 per head up on the year, and prime lambs trading between £5 and £10 more than 12 months ago.
All these increasing costs must be met by the end user, the butcher, and support for butchers’ shops by the British public is very much needed.
ELLIS FRICS FAAV FLAA
LIVESTOCK
NEW REGULATIONS AIMED AT A FAIRER PIG SUPPLY CHAIN
The National Pig Association (NPA) has welcomed the introduction of new regulations aimed at bringing about a fairer pig supply chain.
The Fair Dealing Obligations (Pigs) regulations 2025 have been introduced following the pig crisis of 2021 and 2022 that the NPA said had “exposed serious imbalances of power in the supply chain and the lack of credible contractual relations in place between pig sellers and buyers”.
The new regulations, developed in consultation with industry over the past three years, follow similar legislation already in place in the
dairy industry, with the process also ongoing for the fresh produce and egg sectors. They will be phased in over 12 months.
The NPA has played a big part in drafting the pig regulations over the past three years, taking on board comments from members and working closely with the previous and current governments, but has stressed that they need to be kept under continuous review.
Chief executive Lizzie Wilson said: “We have worked hard to ensure these regulations provide the protection and clarity pig producers need in their contractual relations with buyers.
“At the same time, we have made sure they retain the necessary flexibility for both sides so that no-one is penalised for circumstances out of their control and the market can continue to function normally. We believe the regulations have achieved that balance.”
From 13 August, all new pig supply contracts need to be in writing by default. This will also apply to existing agreements from 13 August, 2026.
The contracts will need to include, among other things, clear terms on:
• the duration of the agreement
• the pricing mechanism used
• the supply of contracted pig numbers for both buyers and sellers
• force majeure clauses in relation to the collection or delivery of pigs for producers and processors
• a dispute resolution procedure.
The NPA has developed detailed guidance for members, which is available in the members’ area of the association’s website. Public affairs manager Tom Haynes said: “The regulations should be relatively easy for all parties to comply with, but it is essential that everyone knows exactly what is required of them.”
During its discussions with DEFRA, the NPA was adamant that the ability to review and alter the regulations should be included within the regulation.
“We were pleased that DEFRA listened to us on this,” Lizzie said. “There is a requirement for the Secretary of State to review these regulations and publish a report at least every five years, including an assessment of whether the provisions need to be changed.”
She added that the new agricultural supply chain adjudicator was “keen to hear of instances where the regulations might not be delivering as, if a common theme is emerging, it is his duty to raise the issue and find a resolution”.
Photo: National Pig Association
The harvest is almost wrapped up, and some of the downland clients in the practice have been turning their attention to sheep work; weaning, sorting through culls, ram checks and purchasing replacement stock rams and ewes. A lot of my existing and new Clayhill Texel ram clients were quick off the mark this year, and we had sold out of shearling rams by early August.
We have had a tricky year for sheep, with bluetongue, haemonchus and a lack of grass all playing a part. Never before have we diagnosed haemonchus so frequently, on routine worm egg counts or all-too-often, post-mortem examinations.
We ran a well-attended farmer meeting on haemonchus, its early detection and management in July which was a great success. Monitoring for haemonchus is now a central part of our flock health plan advice. If you haven't seen haemonchus yet, it will sadly be coming to a farm near you soon.
As we source replacement mules from up north it is important to remember the risk posed by tick-borne fever. It causes abortion in ewes that have not had previous exposure to the protozoan.
I had a conversation with a client who usually sources their replacement mules from a neighbour who runs mule lambs for 12 months on the South Downs. This exposes the lambs in advance of tupping, so they are immune by the time they are in-lamb. Their correct concern was that if they bring them direct from the north just in advance of tupping, they will not be immune; autumn exposure will affect conception and spring exposure will risk abortion.
EMBRYO TRANSFER, TICKS AND HAEMONCHUS
Running these tupping and pregnant ewes on lower-risk ground is the only option in the short term in late autumn and early spring. Winter risk is low, as the tick is less likely to be active. Purchasing their own running lambs may be another option for future years.
The pedigree artificial breeding season is again up and running, and at Cliffe Farm Vets we are performing artificial insemination (AI) and embryo transfer on many flocks all over South East England, from Norfolk to Hampshire, as well as harvesting semen for freezing and storage.
Embryo transfer is usually reserved for high-value pedigree flocks that want to amplify good female lines. AI is usually used in pedigree flocks where frozen semen from
DOUBLE CELEBRATION
A Hadlow College student enjoyed a double celebration when she graduated on the same day as her daughter. Karen Adams, who studied equine management at Hadlow, graduated with a Foundation Degree in Science (FdSc) at Rochester Cathedral in the morning before watching her daughter Connie graduate with a Batchelor of Science (Hons) Degree in forensic science from the University of Greenwich that afternoon.
There was even more reason to celebrate as Karen graduated with a merit and Connie with a first, while Karen was also nominated for the college’s Landex Learner of the Year award. It was a big step for Karen, who returned to education after more than 40 years, having previously worked in childcare for over two decades. Initially planning on taking a level 2 or level 3 diploma, she changed her mind following encouragement from lecturer Patrick Delaney and enrolled on a degree course.
a particular ram is desired. We also, however, AI commercial ewes in early lambing flocks where sponging is used to condense lambing into five to six days and insufficient ram power (>1:12) is available. One ram with good fertility, if collected fresh on AI day, will easily cover 50 to 60 ewes using AI.
Texel rams
DIAGNOSING AND PREVENTING SCOURS
A proactive guide to protecting your calves by Dr Ami Sawran, Westpoint Farm Vets.
Scour is a constant and costly threat on UK farms, with significant welfare impacts, including the fact that mortality rates can reach up to 10% in severe outbreaks. It negatively impacts growth potential, with up to 15% reduction in average daily live weight gain for animals that recover. It's an issue that demands a clear, proactive prevention plan.
RUNNING THE NUMBERS
The financial cost of scours goes beyond veterinary fees and treatment. The most significant costs are the long-term impacts on a calf's health and lifetime productivity, which can prove difficult to place:
• Direct costs: The immediate cost of a single case of scour, including veterinary fees, on-farm labour and medicine expenses, is estimated to be around £60.
• Reduced growth rates: Calves that suffer from scour experience a significant reduction in daily live weight gain. This can mean it takes calves longer to reach target weights for weaning or sale, or for heifers to reach their target age at first calving.
• Increased vulnerability: Scour significantly weakens a calf's entire immune system, making it more vulnerable to other diseases. After scours, pneumonia is the most common cause of disease and death in young calves.
• Long-term impact: An early scour episode is linked to lower firstlactation milk production in dairy heifers and can lead to a reduced overall productive life.
TOOLS IN THE FIGHT: RAPID DIAGNOSTICS AND TARGETED THERAPY
Achieving a diagnosis doesn’t have to be too laborious or time consuming, as on-farm test kits can be utilised calf-side to provide answers in just 10 to 15 minutes.
These kits can identify the most common culprits: rotavirus, coronavirus, E. coli and cryptosporidium.
This matters because a scour is not a one-size-fits-all problem. A viral scour will not respond to antibiotics, and utilising antibiotic therapy unnecessarily can cause harm to the digestive system and gut microbiome, as well as being costly.
Knowing the exact cause lets a farmer use the right therapy and avoids wasting money and time on ineffective treatments. Once the culprit has been identified, be aware that diagnostics may need repeating if other cases crop up on farm, as immune challenges can change throughout the year and with different batches of calves, especially for a rearer with multiple sources.
Though it can be unrewarding at first to find that there isn’t a specific medication for a particular cause of scour, supportive therapy (including a combination of anti-inflammatory medications and intravenous or oral fluids) can hugely improve recovery rates, so support protocols should be put in place with your vet.
PREVENTION
The ultimate victory over scours is to avoid them entirely. We know this is an uphill battle, but it's one you can win. Prevention relies on a few core pillars that, while a constant effort, are a good investment.
• Colostrum management: the first and most critical line of defence. Ensure every calf gets enough good quality colostrum, ideally within the first two hours of life. This is the single most important thing that can be done to arm them against disease.
• Hygiene and environment: Pathogens thrive in dirty environments. Though time is precious and almost always fully accounted for, cleanliness is vital. Clean and disinfect calving pens between use, make sure feeding equipment is spotless, and ensure calves have plenty of dry, clean bedding. Your vet may have access to hygiene meters that can monitor the effectiveness of disinfection protocols to help guide improvements.
• Vaccination and biosecurity: For farms with a history of scours, vaccination of the dam can be a game changer, passing immunity on to the calf via colostrum. Similarly, managing visitors, disinfecting shared equipment and isolating sick calves are non-negotiable biosecurity measures.
A PRACTICAL CHALLENGE
The next time you see a calf with the first, mildest signs of scour, call your vet immediately and ask for a rapid diagnostic kit and a supportive therapy protocol. Don't wait for the problem to escalate across your herd. Learning to act early and diagnose precisely is the most effective way to protect the rest of your youngstock.
The conference is FREE to attend, in person or online, but visitors must register at www.seas.org.uk/farming-conference
Charlotte Smith, plus guest speakers Helen Browning, John Gregson and Richard Means
FARMING IN A CHANGING WORLD
Sponsors of the event are:
Described by organiser the South of England Agricultural Society (SEAS) as “one of the most urgent questions of our time”, this year’s farming conference will explore how farming can “survive and thrive in an era defined by volatility and change”.
The 2025 conference will take place on Wednesday 12 November at the South of England Showground in Ardingly, West Sussex, and will be titled: Adapting with Purpose: Farming in a Changing World
Led once again by the highly respected Charlotte Smith, broadcaster and presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Farming Today, the conference will bring together leading voices in agriculture to tackle this important issue.
The society points out: “The familiar pillars that have underpinned British agriculture for generations are shifting. Subsidies are fading into history. Global markets are in flux. Extreme weather is no longer an occasional disruption but an escalating threat.
“Farmers today stand at the frontline of these converging pressures, forced to navigate a landscape where certainty is scarce and resilience is paramount.
“Yet with challenge comes opportunity. New technologies, fresh thinking, and alternative business models are emerging that could transform not just how we farm, but how we define success itself.
“In this conference, we will ask: Which farming models are truly fit for purpose in this unpredictable world? What does resilience look like when the old certainties
have gone? And can the industry afford to cling to tradition, or is it time to back bolder, more radical alternatives?”
Confirmed speakers are:
• Helen Browning OBE, chief executive of the Soil Association and a pioneering organic farmer. Helen brings decades of experience, including from her time running the organic family farm in Wiltshire and as a member of the Curry Commission on the Future of Farming. Her work has focused on healthy soils and landscapes and championing high standards of animal welfare, particularly developing innovative organic pig systems.
• John Gregson, UK general manager at Regenified and passionate advocate for regenerative agriculture. His career has spanned journalism, commodity trading and senior roles at Waitrose including communication, agriculture, public affairs, ethics and sustainability. John’s upbringing on a 100-acre tenant farm in West Lancashire has shaped his lifelong commitment to the vital role smaller and family farms play in the food system and the transition to regenerative agriculture.
• Richard Means, managing partner at Ceres Rural and a Norfolk farmer. Richard advises farms on productivity, sustainability and resilience, as well as running his own 650-hectare business. He’s a Fellow of the Institute of Agricultural Management and qualified in BASIS, FACTS, BETA and FAAV. Richard is
actively involved in national farming trials including ADAS YEN and Kellogg’s Origins, and brings governance experience from roles with CAAV, IAgrM, GWCT and as Chair of Fengrain during its financial restructure and sale.
SEAS added: “This will not be a comfortable conversation. Expect challenges to convention, critical reflection on received wisdom and an exploration of ideas that push beyond the familiar. The goal is to inspire and provoke farmers, landowners, advisors, policymakers and those involved in the wider food system to think differently.”
Duncan Rawson, a Nuffield Scholar sponsored by the society and the chair of the conference organising committee, said: “At a time when so many forces are conspiring to make farming harder, it has never been more important to create spaces for honest reflection, constructive debate and shared learning.
“This conference will provide an opportunity to step back, ask searching questions and reimagine what farming could and should be in a world where change is the only constant. We look forward to an energising and essential discussion at this pivotal moment. Together, let us chart a course toward a farming future that is adaptive, innovative and purposeful.”
The South of England Agricultural Society Farming Conference will run from 7pm to 9pm on Wednesday 12 November 2025, with networking and refreshments available from 6pm to 10pm for those attending in person.
Call us today or visit our website: 01227 763939 furleypage.co.uk
A TIPPING POINT FOR FAMILY FARMS?
Esther Woolford, partner and agriculture sector lead at national law firm Clarke Willmott LLP, looks at the latest on government reforms and what lies ahead for farming families.
As Parliament winds down for the summer recess, the question on many minds is: “Will the Government be for turning?” Judging by the current political turbulence and the looming break, a U-turn on the proposed agricultural property relief (APR) and business property relief (BPR) changes seems unlikely.
What’s striking is the silence from ministers on the CBI Economics analysis suggesting that the proposed inheritance tax (IHT) reforms could cost the UK economy £14.9 billion and 200,000 jobs over the next five years. This is in stark contrast to the Government’s own estimate that the APR and BPR changes would raise just £0.5 billion in revenue per year, a figure that now appears dwarfed by the potential economic fallout.
Assuming no reversal and no major revisions in the autumn budget, the industry must prepare for a new reality. The proposed changes represent a paradigm shift in succession planning for farming families:
• Be proactive: The old regime allowed for conservative, often last-minute planning. The new rules demand early action. Assets must be passed down during the lifetime of the current generation.
• Engage the next generation: There are upsides. Younger family members becoming owners earlier can foster a stronger sense of responsibility and longterm thinking.
• Transparency is key: This shift requires openness within families about wealth,
intentions and expectations. Gifting becomes central but so does solving the perennial GROB (gift with reservation of benefit) problem.
• Rethink priorities: The traditional balance between farming and non-farming children may need to tilt toward securing the retirement of the older generation. The ‘retirement pot’ becomes paramount.
• A repeating cycle: Succession isn’t a one-off event. The next generation will face the same challenges, and so planning must be cyclical and continuous.
• Profitability under pressure: Is the farm business resilient enough to support multiple generations while absorbing new tax burdens? For some, the answer may be no.
• Market signals: We’re already seeing more farmland on the market than usual. For some, this is an existential threat, for others, it’s an opportunity. The market is shifting.
• Legal safeguards: Nuptial agreements are back in focus, not just because of recent Supreme Court rulings, but because transferring assets earlier increases exposure to life’s uncertainties, including divorce.
• Holistic planning: Wills, trusts, and business structures must be aligned across generations. Synchronisation is essential to preserve continuity and purpose.
• Insurance as a tool: More families are turning to insurance to cover the risk of seven-year gifts. It’s often more affordable than expected and can be structured to spread the cost.
In short, the proposed IHT reforms are not just a tax tweak but a structural shift in how farming families must think about succession, security and sustainability. Whether this is a threat or an opportunity depends on how early and how well families prepare.
With rising energy demand and increasing pressure on farmers to diversify, solar and battery storage projects are becoming more common across the South East. These schemes can generate reliable income, but they also involve long-term commitments that affect land use, succession planning and tax exposure.
STRUCTURING THE DEAL
Most projects begin with an option agreement, giving the developer time to secure planning permission. If successful,
GETTING THE LEGAL STRUCTURE RIGHT
Renewable
this is followed by a lease, often lasting 25 to 40 years. These documents must be carefully negotiated to protect the landowner’s interests, particularly around rent, access, insurance and reinstatement.
A key concern is what happens if the developer ceases to exist and leaves equipment in place. Without robust reinstatement clauses, the cost of removing infrastructure can fall to the landowner, often with no residual value to offset the expense. This can be a significant financial burden, especially where the land is to be returned to agricultural use or sold on.
PLANNING AND AGRICULTURAL USE
Planning permission is usually a condition of the lease being granted. But even with consent, landowners must consider how the project affects ongoing agricultural use. In some cases, land remains partially farmed alongside solar panels, which raises questions about access, maintenance and compliance with agricultural schemes. These practicalities should be addressed in the lease to avoid future disputes.
SARAH GAINES
Partner and Head of Commercial Property, Brachers LLP
T: 01622 690691
E: SarahGaines@brachers.co.uk
www.brachers.co.uk
THIRD-PARTY LAND AND TENANCIES
Where land is subject to agricultural occupancy conditions or farm business tenancies, additional steps may be needed. For example, if adjoining land is held under a tenancy, it may need to be surrendered or renegotiated to allow the project to proceed. Coordinating this with third-party landowners and tenants requires careful legal planning and timing.
LONG-TERM LAND MANAGEMENT
These projects can also affect the marketability and value of the land. Buyers and lenders may be cautious if the land is subject to long-term leases or infrastructure. It’s important to consider how the agreement fits with your wider estate strategy, including succession and potential sale. Clear provisions should be included for termination, assignment and decommissioning, ensuring the landowner retains control over future decisions.
TAX AND SUCCESSION IMPLICATIONS
Renewable energy schemes can also impact eligibility for agricultural property relief and business property relief. Where land is held in family trusts or company structures, it’s essential to align the commercial arrangements with inheritance tax planning, especially in light of recent changes proposed in the October 2024 budget.
At Brachers, our commercial property and private client teams work together to help landowners structure renewable energy projects that deliver long-term value without compromising control or future flexibility.
LATEST CHALLENGES
As lawyers specialising in rural and agricultural businesses, from family farms to landed estates and large companies, Whitehead Monckton’s rural team has supported generations of farming communities.
Farming in East Kent has always required resilience, and two of the latest challenges involve changes in the law.
1. INHERITANCE TAX (IHT)
Limitations to business property relief (BPR) and agricultural property relief (APR) and inclusion of pension funds for IHT
From April 2026, 100% BPR and APR will be limited to the first £1 million of qualifying assets. Above this, the reliefs will halve, resulting in an effective rate of 20% IHT over £1 million. This, in addition to the Government’s plans to include unused pension funds in estate calculations for IHT purposes from 2027, has the potential to have a significant impact on estate planning for farming families.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
It’s important to understand the full picture. Talking to expert succession lawyers will help you understand the wider implications for your estate planning strategy and give you confidence when considering what actions to take.
2. THE 2024 EMPLOYMENT RIGHTS BILL
The bill’s range is vast, and if you employ people it will affect you in some way. So what’s
changing, and when? Here’s a summary of what we know so far:
• Now: Repeal of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 and parts of Trade Union Act 2016, giving further protections from dismissal for those participating in industrial action.
• April 2026: Day 1 paternity and unpaid parental leave, enhanced whistleblower protections, removal of lower earnings limit and waiting period for statutory sick pay (SSP), protective award for collective redundancies.
• October 2026: Ban on fire and rehire, trade union rights expanded, employers’ duty regarding sexual harassment strengthened.
• 2027: Mandatory gender pay gap and menopause action plans, strengthening of rights for pregnant workers, protections against zero-hour contract abuse, introduction of the day one right to unfair dismissal.
KEY CHANGES
Perhaps the greatest change is the granting of day one unfair dismissal rights (a change from only being available to those with a minimum of two years’ service currently), which is estimated to affect nine million more people. Additionally, the banning of zero-hours contracts has been a key focus. New laws will give employees a contract that reflects the number of hours regularly worked and reasonable notice of any change in shifts
or working time, with compensation in proportion to the notice given for shifts cancelled. These new laws seek to provide all workers with a baseline of security and predictability.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Review your employment policies to ensure your organisation stays compliant and you and your employees are protected. Our specialist employment lawyers can help you make these plans now, so you won’t be left scrambling later.
Dominic Buscall, co-owner and manager of Wild Ken Hill, was looking to explore Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) as a new land diversification option for the estate.
Wild Ken Hill is a 4000-acre nature and sustainable farming project on the coast of west Norfolk that’s featured in programmes such as the BBC’s Springwatch.
Since 2022, Environment Bank’s ecologists have been working with Dominic and the team at Wild Ken Hill, creating a BNG Habitat Bank across an almost fifty-acre parcel of low-biodiversity farmland.
Since going live, Heacham Habitat Bank has been added to Natural England’s biodiversity gain sites register and Biodiversity Units from this Habitat Bank are ready for developers to purchase from Environment Bank.
What made you consider a BNG Habitat Bank for your land?
“For me, it’s about diversification and nature conservation. There’s an evolving funding landscape and we are trying to take advantage
of those new opportunities.
At Wild Ken Hill, we have a project to restore nature, fight climate change, and engage people about the natural world and farming. We do that through three land use techniques: rewilding, traditional conservation, and farming an area of land regeneratively.
Historically, we’d work with the UK Government on relatively short cycles of five-to-ten-year deals through Countryside Stewardship, but I was interested in diversifying into other private income streams.”
Why did you choose to partner with Environment Bank?
“We were farming here unprofitably until we went into partnership with Environment Bank. We chose this parcel in particular because it’s some of our worst farmland.
We’re finding that the income stream that we can get through this partnership is significantly superior to our arable farming on the marginal land, which we have quite a lot of here, and it’s a known funding source over three decades.”
What have been the benefits of your BNG Habitat Bank?
“We know that we’ve doubled the plant diversity in the last three years, and that’s just one statistic – there is a plethora of evidence to show that what we’re doing on the ground is really working for nature.
Our farm has turned Net Zero and we’re also now providing a range of benefits to the local community – so lots of permissive access but also new jobs and volunteering opportunities. We do free school visits, and we work with our local mental health charity to bring their clients onto the site to benefit from spending time in nature.”
What advice would you give to others considering BNG?
“The project we’re doing with Environment Bank on Biodiversity Net Gain is exciting to me. What we’re showing is that – whether it’s through public or private funding – we can make fantastic changes to the landscape.”
Our vision for Heacham Habitat Bank
Dominic Buscall, co-owner and manager of Wild Ken Hill.
Crowborough, East Sussex
Crowborough 1 8 miles Tunbridge Wells 8 9 miles Central London 54 miles
A traditional 5 bedroom farmhouse An array of equestrian facilities including over fifty stables, a large modern indoor arena, lunging pen, covered horse walker and a cross-country course A range of traditional buildings offering potential for conversion, subject to necessary consents A range of agricultural buildings In need of some investment but offering exceptional potential
Available as a whole Freehold
About 106 acres | Guide Price £2 25 million
Hartfield, East Sussex
Hartfield 1 8 miles Tunbridge Wells 9 8 miles Central London 49 1 miles
An impressive, six bedroom detached family house An array of equestrian facilities including over fifty stables, an Indoor arena, two outdoor arenas, surfaced canter track and a covered horse walker Additional buildings that have been converted offering grooms/staff accommodation A range of agricultural buildings for use as hay barns/ machinery stores In need of some investment but offering exceptional potential
Available as a whole Freehold
About 88 acres | Guide Price £2 75 million
Chris Spofforth Rural Agency 01732 879050 CSpofforth@savills com
BTF Partnership is offering for sale 38.18 acres of grade 2 and 3 arable land in one enclosure known as Little Preston Field on the outskirts of Aylesford Village, near Maidstone, Kent for £450,000.
The land has 42.35 identified habitat units and 8.97 hedgerow units and is considered to offer natural capital opportunities, with scope under the Environmental Land Management scheme, including a possible biodiversity net gain management plan. A baseline assessment is available.
The land is one large enclosure with very little wastage, and it adjoins the River Medway with good vehicular access over a right of way from Frank Sando Way. The most recent crop, just harvested, is oats; a more detailed cropping history is available.
Alex Cornwallis, director at BTF Partnership, commented: “This is an interesting parcel of arable land which offers a chance for the new owner to generate additional income from enhancing or creating new habitats to offset nearby development work.
“This could provide a long-term income stream as well as a lasting environmental legacy in an otherwise busy part of the heart of the county. The frontage onto the river also adds potential.”
BTF Partnership is offering for sale Barngate Farm on St Clere Hill Road, three miles from Wrotham in the popular North Kent Downs. The farm consists of a substantial, well designed and maintained family home with ‘wow!’ factor, agricultural and equestrian buildings with potential and land, all with a guide price of £2,400,000.
AYLESFORD |
ARABLE PARCEL WITH BNG OPPORTUNITIES
In the centre of the 10.72 acre holding is the eight-bedroom Barngate House, a 6,161 sq ft family home which is spacious throughout. The attached annexe/guest wing has a separate access to the main dwelling but is currently used as part of the main house. This comprises, on the ground floor, an entrance hall, utility room and studio. On the second floor are two double bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, providing additional space for a family member or income potential.
Outside there are large gardens, a patio area, swimming pool and seating area and two summerhouses. There is planning permission for a double garage and tennis court.
Away from the main house are two agricultural barns with a gross internal area of 5,231 sq ft. There is also a large hardstanding yard area. The building closest to the house includes a workshop and stable barn, a steel frame portal building with four loose boxes and a tie-up area.
Further away from the dwelling is the cattle barn, also a steel portal frame, which is used for storing farm equipment and cattle throughout the winter. There is potential to convert both buildings to residential or commercial use, subject to the necessary planning permissions.
The paddock land and woodland are to the south and west of the house, well fenced throughout and currently used to graze horses. The grade 3 land totals 10.72 acres.
A parcel of Grade II & III arable land situated on the outskirts of the village of Aylesford, with frontage to the River Medway. 42.35 Habitat Units have been identified onsite, along with 8.97 Hedgerow Units.
Approximately 38.18 acres Guide Price OIEO £450,000
FOR SALE BY PRIVATE TREATY
Barngate Farm, Sevenoaks, Kent
Detached 6 bedroom house (EPC: D) with landscaped grounds. 2 bedroom annexe with income potential. Agricultural barn with internal stabling adjacent to the main dwelling. Swimming pool. Planning permission for a double garage and tennis court granted. Additional cattle barn with potential.
Approximately 13.51 acres Guide Price £2,400,000
Seaview Farm, Burwash Common, East Sussex
A detached 6 bedroom farmhouse (EPC: C) set off a ‘no-through’ lane in a rural and elevated position with splendid views over the High Weald AONB. Detached garage, yard with a range of outbuildings (in need of renovation), and enclosed pasture fields.
Approximately 31.24 acres Guide Price OIEO £2,000,000
Challock Office
FOR SALE BY PRIVATE TREATY
Challock Office
Heathfield Office
While arable land sales have dominated the supply of farmland marketed during the first half of the year, land values have remained stable, with a small increase of 1.8% seen in the South East.
Supply overall was 15% lower in Great Britain during the first half of 2025 than for the same period last year, according to Savills' latest analysis.
In the South East, 10,503 acres were marketed in the first six month of 2025, the second largest amount marketed during the first half of the year for the previous eight
Reads Farm – 132 acres of attractive Wealden farmland in East Sussex with a guide price of £1,900,000: https://search.savills.com/property-detail/gbmqrumru250004
ARABLE LAND SALES DOMINATE SUPPLY OF FARMLAND
years, surpassed only by the 12,265 acres marketed during the same period in 2024.
During H1 2025, 49% of the acreage launched across Great Britain was farms that are predominantly arable enterprises, compared to the 10-year average of 37%. In total, the arable farms marketed in H1 2025 covered 41,600 acres, which is the most since 2015; the average for the intervening nine years is 27,800 acres. Meanwhile, dairying land across Great Britain is consistently at 4% to 5% of the market, while livestock and mixed farms currently account for a smaller proportion of the land marketed.
Andrew Teanby, Director of Savills rural research, commented: “The performance of ‘corn’ versus ‘horn’ appears to be influencing the types of property marketed and how these launches are received by potential buyers.
“Our analysis shows that, currently, arable land accounts for a much higher proportion of the market than usual.
“Beef and lamb prices are presently high, while cereal prices have fallen by 14% over the past 18 months, and margins for combinable crops are currently low. This, coupled with the sharp reductions in delinked payments for 2025 and 2026, could be prompting arable farmers to evaluate their options, potentially leading to some sales.”
Chris Spofforth, Savills head of rural agency in the South East, said: “The dominance of arable land transactions in the south during the first half of 2025 highlights continued demand for productive farmland.
“Equally, we are still seeing demand for more modest parcels of
farmland, whether arable or livestock. Notably, the volume of land marketed in the South East, though down from 2024, still surpasses levels seen in a number of years, and the number of successful sales so far this year indicates a sustained appetite for land across the region.
“Land values have remained largely stable, with a modest uplift in the South East, suggesting resilience in the market. Pricing has become more acutely driven by individual circumstances, principally quality of land, buildings and infrastructure, and location. The presence, or absence, of high-quality infrastructure is playing a more prominent role in determining the strength of buyer interest.”
THE OUTLOOK
The dry weather has led to an early harvest, and although yields have been affected, early reports suggest they are often exceeding expectations, so sentiment and demand for all types of arable land may well improve. There are numerous policy changes underway that affect farmers, including the inheritance tax reform legislation, which is expected soon, all of which is bound to influence the farmland market.
WINTER GRAZING
FOR EWES AND LAMBS WANTED Grass, forage or cover crops.
from 6 April 2026
Each
The allowance will cover both lifetime transfers and transfers on death, including failed ‘potentially exempt transfers’ (PETs) that don’t meet the seven-year rule. Assets above £1m will qualify for 50% relief.
The draft Finance Bill 2025-26, which sets out the proposed changes to inheritance tax (IHT) that look set to have a major impact on many family farms, has now been published.
Disappointingly, despite a huge amount of lobbying and a number of alternative suggestions being made, the draft bill has not been amended, which will leave many farmers worried about the effect of the proposed changes to agricultural property relief (APR) and business property relief (BPR) on their family businesses.
With the Government showing no sign of changing its mind, there is little time for farmers and landowners to act ahead of the new rules taking effect on 6 April 2026.
Table one provides a simple summary
CHANGES IN CAPITAL TAXATION
How do you plan your future?
of the main provisions as we currently understand them. The fundamental point is that, while most in-hand farms and rural businesses previously secured agricultural property relief (APR) or business property relief (BPR) at 100%, these reliefs are to be
dramatically reduced.
The impact for most farms and businesses will be significant. Table two sets out a simplified case study for a typical 300 acre, in-hand farm. Here it is clear that the future liability to IHT is set to increase substantially.
Table two: simple current and future tax position for an in-hand farm
Table two: simple current and future tax position for an in-hand farm
Table one: Inheritance tax rules –effective
taxpayer will have a £1m combined allowance for both APR and BPR.
LAND AND FARMS
Arable
Grassland
Environmental Scheme land
The Farmhouse Part only
Secondary dwelling
Farm worker cottage
Woodland
Let cottage
So, what can you do now to assess your own position and plan for the future? Each case will be different but, from experience, we have found the following steps to be integral to most successful tax planning strategies. In many cases there are steps that can be taken to reduce your exposure.
STAGE ONE –DEFINE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN
The first step must, of course, be to decide what you want and what is right for the farming business. Do you wish to farm throughout your life? Does the next generation wish to take over from you now or in the future? In what parts of the business do you wish to invest?
STAGE TWO –UNDERSTAND YOUR POSITION
Everyone’s tax position is individual, and understanding how the new rules are likely to affect your business and your family is a critical first step to planning how to mitigate that affect.
The first step is to ask yourself:
• What are your assets worth?
• Do you own those assets outright or jointly? Does the partnership own them outright?
• Which of your assets might attract APR or BPR?
• What are the possible capital gains tax implications of any gift or transfer?
• What is your current and future exposure to IHT?
• Importantly, do you have access to the right professional advice?
While it is important to wait for the detailed legislation to be passed into law before making firm decisions, this is a good time to secure a proper understanding of the facts
Livery Enterprise
Pony Paddocks
Growing Crops
Grain in store
Livestock
Intensive rearing buildings
Agricultural Tenancies
Business Units
and to appoint the right team of experts to ensure you have the right arrangements in place well before April 2026.
STAGE THREE –REDUCING YOUR IHT LIABILITY
While the effectiveness of APR and BPR in reducing IHT has been weakened, a valuable 50% relief is still available on assets that meet the rules. Table three sets out where APR or BPR might apply. It also indicates where the case may be arguable; it is these areas where we spend a lot of our time. For example, it may be possible to secure either APR or BPR on properly managed woodland.
A major area of work lies in securing APR on the farmhouse. For an active farmer in his or her middle years, this should not be an issue, but what about the elderly farmer who no longer runs their own livestock?
Here, the reliance on grazing or forage agreements can quickly lose relief on the farmhouse. Perhaps a contract farming agreement would work better? Proof is everything, and ensuring the elderly farmer can be shown to be actively involved in the management of the farm is essential. A farming partnership or company can also prove useful.
Lifetime gifts have always been a valuable option in tax planning, but there are three key points that need careful consideration. Firstly, will the gift or transfer give rise to a capital gains tax (CGT) charge? Hold over relief may be available on the transfer of business assets, thus deferring CGT. Secondly, any lifetime gift is a potentially exempt transfer, with the full tax relief only secured after seven years. Finally, beware reservations of benefit, which can undo any gifts, with disastrous consequences.
STAGE FOUR –GET THE BASICS IN PLACE NOW
All too often we are called in to assess tax liability on the death of the owner, only to discover that some fundamental issues could have been dealt with earlier. So:
• Secure a valuation of your property now
• Check all property is registered
• Investigate the options open to you
• Ensure farming partnerships are in writing and up to date
• Review your Wills.
And remember, get the right team in place now. There is likely to be only a comparatively short time in which to decide on the best course of action and implement it.
LEO HICKISH FRICS FBIAC Chairman and Partner
E: l.hickish@batchellermonkhouse.com
T: 01892 509280
This article is necessarily a simplification of the rules. Our role at Batcheller Monkhouse, in addition to advising on values, is to advise on implementation and especially on how to structure matters to maximise the availability of reliefs, working closely with your accountant and solicitor.
Table three:
Table three: APR BPR or neither?
Steel frame buildings.
Sheeting, cladding and oversheeting.
Gutter replacement, repairs and lining.
Steel frame, concrete frame alterations and repairs.
Asbestos removal.
Roof light and sheet changes.
Refurbishments and usage changes.
24
Demolition, groundworks and site clearance.
Roller shutters, sliding and personnel doors.
Condition reports and dilapidation work
before solar panel installation
Mezzanine floors
Insurance and repair work
On
CROP DRYING
CWP fencing
Cleft post and rail
STORAGE TANKS
Standing Sweet Chestnut Wanted
Standing
Standing Sweet Chestnut Wanted
Cleft post and rail
Cleft field gates
Cleft field gates
Cleft field gates
Fencing stakes
Fencing stakes
Fencing stakes
Straining posts
Straining posts
Straining posts
Chestnut fencing
Chestnut fencing
Chestnut fencing
Tel: 07985 298221 colin@cwpfencing.co.uk
Tel: 07985298221 colin@cwpfencing.co.uk
Tel: 07985298221 colin@cwpfencing.co.uk
COMPLETE OUR CROSSWORD TO WIN
ACROSS
1 Schedule of events (9)
5 Muffled explosive sound of a slow running engine (4)
8 Boat type (9)
9 A wetland habitat (5)
11 Type of bait (4)
12 Exhibit (7)
13 Jane Austen novel (9,4)
16 A pond that has been emptied, usually by a leak (7)
18 Sufficient (6)
21 Imitate, copy, mimic (7)
24 Tight fit (4)
26 Breed of chicken laying blue/green eggs (8)
27 A tree that loses its leaves each year (9)
28 A constant small amount of liquid falling from a tap (4) DOWN
1 Preserve using vinegar/brine (6)
2 Carnivorous mammal found in freshwater and the sea (5)
3 Risky cricket shot (4)
4 Cocktail with either Vodka or Gin and Vermouth (7)
6 Have a great weight (5)
7 Bird of prey (7)
10 Slow, heavy-footed walk (4)
13 Character from Alice in Wonderland (5,4)
14 Male offspring (3)
15 Inferior quality (4)
17 Anger, rage (3)
18 Additional (5)
19 --- Palace, early Victorian drinking establishment (3)
20 Breakfast crockery (6)
22 Furry substance that develops on food (5)
23 Open grassland (3)
24 Tear or cut into narrow strips (5)
While many farmers come to an end of their harvest, ours will soon be in full swing. For more information about the vineyards, please visit www.biddendenvineyards.com or call 01580 291726.
*Subject to availability
Crossword by Rebecca Farmer, Broadstairs, Kent
6250R 2022, John Deere 6130R 2021, Horsch Sprinter 6ST
SD 2023, Lemken Heliodor 6m, x4 16T Stewart Trailers,
Claas Lexion 8700 2020, Fendt Rogator RG655 2018, Fendt 724 2019, John Deere 6250R 2022, John Deere 6130R 2021, Horsch Sprinter 6ST 2021, Horsch Avatar 12.25 SD 2023, Lemken Heliodor 6m, x4 16T Stewart Trailers, John Deere XUV865M Gator 2018
Other arable machinery, trailers and workshop equipment Selected genuine lots from
Other arable machinery, trailers and workshop equipment Selected genuine lots from local farms TO
Other arable machinery, trailers and workshop equipment To include selected lots f rom local farms
Claas Lexion 8700 2020, Fendt Rogator RG655 2018, Fendt 724 2019, John Deere 6250R 2022, John Deere 6130R 2021, Horsch Sprinter 6ST 2021, Horsch Avatar 12.25 SD 2023, Lemken Heliodor 6m, x4 16T Stewart Trailers, John Deere XUV865M Gator 2018
Avatar 12.25 SD 2023, Lemken Heliodor 6m, x4 16T Stewart Trailers, John Deere XUV865M Gator 2018
