GSC Grays Magazine November 2021

GSC GRAYS Working together today to secure your tomorrow

ID EN T IF YIN G TH E C ARB ON BA LA N C E How reducing carbon emissions can also lead to increased farm efficiency, productivity, and profitability.

MULTIFUNCTIONAL WOODLANDS

FREE FARM BUSINESS REVIEWS

Delivering valuable ecosystem

Supported by the Future Farming

services, as well as timber.

Resilience Fund

ISSUE NO. 3 NOVEMBER 2021

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CONT E N T S 04

F A RMIN G WIT H O UT BPS: Jamie Charlton looks at how GSC Grays are working in conjunction with AHDB to deliver Free Farm Business Reviews.

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A UTUMN S P READ IN G

CA RBON CA P UTU RE IN L IVE S TOCK F A RMIN G

THE F A RMING IN P ROTECTE D L A NDS CA P E S S C HEME

How reducing carbon emissions can also lead to increased farm efficiency, productivity, and profitability.

WHEN IS THE RIG H T TIME TO B U ILD A SO LAR FARM?

B I O D IV E RS ITY NE T GA I N: Calum Gillhespy advises landlowners to be live to the potential opportunities.

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TH E AU TU MN FARMLAN D MARKET REPORT

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RU RAL PROPERT Y ROU N D U P

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EN V IRO N MEN TAL & SO CIAL G OV ERN A N C E Nicolle Hamilton explains how GSC Grays are walking the talk.

CA RB ON A U D ITS :

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ISSUE NO. 3 NOVEMBER 2021

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N EW STARTERS

A S H DIEBA CK

M U LT IFU N CT ION A L W O O D LA N D S: Holly Story shares some of the aspirations and challenges that lie behind the project

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WE L C O M E

THE NEW ENVIRONMENTAL FOCUS PRESENTS GREAT OPPORTUNITIES FOR THOSE LANDOWNERS WILLING TO RISE TO THE CHALLENGE. GUY COGGRAVE MANAGING DIRECTOR

01748 897606 gsc@gscgrays.co.uk

Welcome to the third edition of the GSC Grays magazine, hot on the heels of the Budget, COP 26 and the new Environment Act, our latest issue has a distinct Net Zero focus.

To recap, in the budget the Government renewed previous commitments designating 30% of England’s area for nature by 2030 and funding for further woodland planting and peatland restoration.

It was therefore unsurprising that in the Comprehensive Spending Review DEFRA’s budget is set to increase by more than 5% by 2024.

As part of COP26, the UK’s Net Zero strategy: Build Back Greener made a key commitment to have 75% of farmers in England engaged in low carbon practices by 2030, rising to 85% by 2035. The main vehicle for this is seen as the Environment Land Management scheme with its three components.

The new Environment Act, three years in the making, introduces new policies such as Biodiversity Net Gain, and tools such as Local Nature Recovery Strategies and Conservation Covenants, which will all have an impact on how land is managed.

What does all of this mean for Landowners? As many of the new environmental schemes are still in development and the banks now starting to turn their minds to looking at the environmental balance sheet as well as the farm accounts when deciding to lend, it has

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never been more important to get good advice.

At GSC Grays, we are supporting clients to help them determine their business strategy and identifying opportunities that are right for their business, including looking at both public and private funding where

Nixon use one of our Model Farms to demonstrate a Carbon Audit and show how it can help to inform business decisions. On page 8 Laura Cureton focuses on the steps livestock farmers can take to reduce their carbon footprint.

appropriate. A great example of this is Swinton Estate’s successful bid for the Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund (NEIRF), the only successful private landholding bid from the first round of the NEIRF scheme.

You can read more from Holly Story, who

supported the application, on page 16.

IT HA S NEV ER B EEN MORE IM P ORTA NT TO GET GOOD A DV IC E

We are also delighted to partner with AHDB in order to provide farmers with a free consultancy service aimed at appraising their current business performance, understanding the exposure of their business to reductions in support from the Basic Payment Scheme and to help start the process of considering what actions should be taken to strengthen the resilience of the business to the changes which are expected within the next few years. The results will provide a valuable framework for discussions with one of our farm business consultants, with advice on how their businesses can remain viable post BPS. See more from Jamie Charlton on page 4.

It is not just our clients who are getting to grips with the new environmental challenges. We are developing our own sustainability strategy, with Environmental Social Governance (ESG) reporting that will help to inform our decision making for the future and support GSC Grays Net Zero ambitions. We are at the early stages of developing our strategy, but can already see the value this will bring to our business, employees, clients and wider community. For more information, see Nicolle Hamilton’s article on page 30.

We are also supporting clients as they begin to manage carbon on farm. On page 12, Kate Tomlinson and Jake

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FARMING WITHOUT BPS HO W W I LL YO UR FARM FARE?

GSC Grays are working with AHDB to provide a FREE Farm Business Review service available to all farmers who are in receipt of BPS payments.

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As the detail surrounding future subsidy schemes is revealed and the reality of a reduction in annual BPS begins to sink in, it is time to lift the bonnet and take stock of what the damage might be.

HOW IT WORKS The scheme is available to all BPS claimants within the Beef, Lamb, Dairy and Arable sectors. There are three services available under the scheme, namely the Farm Resilience Assessment, Farmbench Dataset and Agri Business Appraisals.

The first stage, the Farm Resilience Assessment,

Worryingly, our Changing Landscapes report found

is available to all BPS claimants. Within this stage,

that only 26% of farm businesses believed they would

farmers will spend up to half a day with a GSC Grays

be profitable without BPS payments and a recent

consultant where they will discuss the implications

AHDB study found on average 70% of farmers have no

of reduced support payments, generate KPIs such as

plans to adapt their business or are adopting a “wait

crop gross margin per hectare, and assess the farm tax

and see” approach.

accounts where appropriate.

The agricultural transition period is well underway, with BPS reductions of up to 40% by next year and the introduction of a number of schemes to take its place. One thing is certain, it will be those businesses that have a clear understanding of their revenue and outgoings, in relation to their sector, that will survive.

This is why GSC Grays are working with AHDB to provide free Farm Business Reviews in the North East and North Midlands. Funded by the Future Farming Resilience Fund, the focus of the scheme is to assess the resilience of farm businesses, prepare farmers for changes in domestic agricultural policy (crucially reduced financial support) and assist them in accessing resources to help them grow and progress.

‘OU R T EA M A RE HERE TO SU P P ORT C LIENT S T HROU GHOU T T HE AGRIC U LT U RA L T RA NSIT ION P HA SE, HELP ING TO AC C ESS F U ND ING SC HEMES A ND C REAT E B U SINESS P LA NS A ND AC C OU NT S F IT F OR T HE F U T URE.’

Participants will then be invited to attend a group meeting with one of our Directors to discuss the solutions and how top performing businesses are adapting within their sector and region.

Further funded services will be made available to those identified as having the greatest need. Those businesses will be invited to partake in one of the following: Full Farm Benchmarking, an Agribusiness Appraisal or a Carbon Audit.

Under the second stage utilising AHDB’s newly Chart 1. The expected reductions in BPS payments for the different claimant groups on arable land.

improved Farmbench Tool, the farmer will have access to a further day with a GSC Grays consultant to input

G S C G R A Y S NOVEMBER 2021

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all revenue and outgoings to the farm business. This

the future. The AHDB Farm Business Review is a great

will then be benchmarked against sector comparables

place to start that conversation and begin the journey

to identify strengths and weaknesses.

in futureproofing your farm.

In the third and final stage, a GSC Grays consultant

If this service is of is of interest to you, or you have

will conduct a Farm Business Appraisal. This will aim to

any further queries about the scheme, please do not

generate a simple one-year budget, a critical appraisal

hesitate to contact a member of the Farm Business

of the current business performance and explore

Team using the email: fbr@gscgrays.co.uk or call on

potential options for the business without BPS support.

01748 829 205.

The AHDB’s target is to undertake 4,000 Farm Resilience Assessments nationally, with 600 of those businesses (15%) progressing on to receive tailored advice in the form of Full Farm Benchmarking (5%), Agribusiness Appraisals (5%) or Carbon Audits (5%).

JAMIE CHARLTON

FARM BUSINESS CONSULTANT

Our team are here to support clients throughout the Agricultural Transition Phase, helping to access funding schemes and create business plans and accounts fit for

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07903 274356 jhc@gscgrays.co.uk

AUTUMN SPREADING On the 3rd of August 2021, Regulatory Position Statement 252 (RPS 252) was published on the Gov.uk website setting out how farmers and land managers could continue to spread organic manure this autumn despite being in breach of Rule 1 of the Farming Rules for Water*. Whilst this was initially reported as a ‘reprieve’ for this autumn’s spreading, it is far from it.

Many farmers and land managers have struggled to meet the requirements of the tough framework citing

level whereby organic manure produced can be dealt with within the new regulations.

GSC Grays have put together an RPS 252 checklist to aid farmers and land managers abide by the rules this autumn, though wording within RPS 252 does suggest that the EA reserve the right to make any final decisions on compliance. Should you wish to discuss this topic further or make use of our RPS252 Checklist please do not hesitate to contact a member of the Farm Business Department.

it as highly impractical and thrust upon them at a busy

We will continue to monitor updates and react

time of year with no notice. The approach from the EA

accordingly

and Defra is at odds with Defra’s position on soil health,

discussions with Defra and the EA on this topic.

as

industry

bodies

continue

their

for example, the Sustainable Farming Incentive’s ‘Arable and Horticultural Soils Standard’ financially

*Rule 1 of the Farming Rules for Water (The Reduction

rewards the use of organic manures for building soil

and Prevention of Agricultural Diffuse Pollution

organic matter.

(England) Regulations 2018) relates to planning the use of manures and fertilisers. Rule 1 says that ‘the

Some of the unintended consequences of the RPS 252

application of organic manures or manufactured

include the extensive use of field heaps which can cause

fertiliser must be planned so that it does not exceed

run off issues. The lack of storage infrastructure on

the needs of the soil and crop on the land or does not

farm potentially leading to large capital expenditure.

give rise to a significant risk of water pollution and

With a Slurry Investment Scheme promised for

also takes into account the weather conditions and

Autumn 2022, is it too late to help farmers struggling

forecasts for the land at the time of the application.

to comply this year.

In addition reasonable precautions must be taken to

More spring cropping, which

is generally speaking, less profitable than winter cropping.

prevent water pollution from the application’.

Spring spreading is also heavily weather

dependant and less than ideal weather conditions can lead to worse environmental outcomes. Spreading on a standing crop requires specialist equipment (more capital investment) and a consistent product for even spreading.

Alarmingly some livestock farmers have

SAM DALE

SENIOR FARM BUSINESS CONSULTANT

07973 866477 sjd@gscgrays.co.uk

stated their intention to reduce their numbers to a

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C ARBON CA P T U RE IN LIVESTOCK F A RMIN G Livestock production in the UK, alongside the wider landbased economy, will inevitably play an extensive role in tackling climate change and achieving ‘Net-Zero’ ambitions.

It is a unique sector in that it both sequesters carbon

emissions on-farm through increased productivity, use

and releases it into the atmosphere. Therefore,

of bio-energies to store and capture carbon, and on-

through suitably managed farming systems and new

farm carbon storage, will be vital.

technologies, the ability to enhance carbon capture can be achieved with the overall outcome to generate negative

emissions,

whereby

carbon

is

actively

removed from the atmosphere.

Climate change is one of the primary influences impacting all environmental systems on the planet that species depend upon to survive, evolve and thrive, therefore, knowing its effects and developing ways to

INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY Livestock farmers can seek to improve farm productivity by evaluating inputs and considering how they can be used more efficiently, thus reducing emissions. Ways in which this can be achieved are outlined below.

•

prepare for its impacts are essential. From a livestock perspective, Net Zero carbon goals may be quite the challenge to achieve, as the industry has such a

Energy efficiency – reducing electricity and fuel consumption on-farm.

•

Converting by-products of production i.e., manure and forage crops into renewable energy through

complex carbon footprint. This is due to considerably

anaerobic digestion.

variable factors such as feed composition, growth rates, fertiliser inputs and use of fossil fuels.

•

Soil compaction prevention on grassland.

Much focus for livestock farming businesses in recent

•

Use of additives to feed to reduce methane

months has been around achieving high levels of

emissions from beef and sheep.

•

Precision farming methods such as variable rate technologies to reduce fertilizer and spray usage.

‘CRO S S - I N D U S T R Y CO L L A B O R AT I O N A ND SI GN I F I C AN T I NV EST M E N T W I L L B E REQ U I R E D’

It is anticipated that to achieve the goals above, the Farming Investment Fund will offer suitable grant aid to implement these practices.

BIOENERGY Increasing renewable energies to offset emissions from fossil fuels in agriculture will be a key element to

carbon capture in woodlands, soils, and hedgerows, as evident in the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) standards. Nevertheless, targeting the reduction of

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attaining net zero. For example: •

Producing energy from organic matter to capture and store the carbon produced.

•

Use of animal by-products, such as wool, for raw

As new policy and grant funding look to deliver ‘public

materials in housing developments.

money for public goods,’ it is highly anticipated that

For this to be achieved, it is noted that cross-industry collaboration and significant investment will be required, with partnerships built between producers, manufacturers, academics, and governments to achieve successful delivery on these ambitions.

ON-FARM CARBON STORAGE Conservation and restoration of farmland that already sequesters carbon is key to increasing carbon capture.

measuring and recording changes to carbon levels on-farm will become more common over the coming years. Benchmarks will likely continue to be set, using predictive modelling, to understand the ‘expected outcomes’ of putting the management changes as outlined above into practice. Mechanisms of support and user-friendly recording tools and calculators are now becoming available to support livestock farming’s journey into the world of ‘Net-Zero,’ but continued investment into research and development will be essential.

Alongside the SFI standards, there are varying ways in

It is therefore sincerely hoped that during the UK’s

which on-farm carbon storage can be improved:

hosting of the United Nations Framework Convention

•

Woodland and shelter belt planting.

•

Wetland restoration.

•

Peatland restoration

for Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP26) in November 2021, that there will be a great opportunity for the UK Government to hasten the repurpose of subsidies to build resilience against climate change and achieving Net Zero targets.

It is recognised that significant funding schemes such as the Woodland Creation and Maintenance grant and Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme will need to

LAURA CURETON

be maintained to deliver such projects, alongside Local

FARM BUSINESS CONSULTANT

Nature Recovery and Landscape Recovery aspects of

0191 303 6373 lac@gscgrays.co.uk

ELM.

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WHAT IS Fi PL? The Farming in Protected Landscapes Scheme (FiPL) is part of DEFRA’s Agricultural Transition Plan which was launched in June 2021. The FiPL application window opened in July 2021 and will run for three years, ending in March 2024.

The Farming in Protected Landscapes Scheme (FiPL) is part of Defra’s Agricultural Transition Plan which was launched in June 2021. The FiPL application window opened in July 2021 and will run for three years, ending in March 2024.

•

FiPL will provide funding for one-off projects that

Applications are to be made to the local protected

support the four key themes:

landscape body and they will work with applicants to

•

build a scheme that meets the aims and objectives set

Climate - Deliver net zero and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

•

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Nature - Deliver and support nature recovery.

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People - Provide a natural health and well-being service by creating more opportunities for people to explore the landscape.

•

Place - Enhance the quality and character of the landscape and support nature friendly, sustainable farm businesses.

For an application to be successful, projects must deliver on at least one of these outcomes, but the more outcomes delivered, the better the application will score.

out in their local management plans.

WHAT DOES THE FUNDING COVER?

gain. If there is a commercial gain, then funding will

Examples of types of work or projects that are relevant

eligible costs.

vary depending on the size of the gain. If there is a gain, funding will more likely be either 40% or 80% of the

to the outcomes could include: •

•

wildlife.

FIPL AND EXISTING DEFRA SCHEMES

Provide new and easier access opportunities,

A major positive of FiPL is that it can work alongside

including links to Public Rights of Way.

existing

Creation of wetland areas to support a variety of

•

Action to reduce carbon emission and plastic use.

•

Conserving historic features.

•

Restoring boundaries.

Defra

schemes,

such

as

Countryside

Stewardship. This is key, as it is highly likely that farms in protected landscapes will already be within an existing scheme. That said, works cannot be ‘double funded’, so applicants cannot receive a payment for a

These examples could be delivered by the grant paying for items such as professional advice, new farm equipment, a farm carbon audit, building works and permissive footpath infrastructure. To get started, all that is needed is an idea on what outcomes could be achieved, and applicants can work with their local FiPL officer to deliver a viable proposal.

project if they are already receiving a payment through stewardship.

In addition, other schemes can have strict restrictions and prescriptions in order to meet the outcomes and receive the payment. From initial experience with FiPL, there appears to be a more flexible approach to projects and their specification. If the project is the same as one that could be delivered through Countryside Stewardship, the applicant would receive

HOW WILL APPLICATIONS BE SCORED?

the same payment rate. As such, FiPL could certainly be beneficial to those wishing to undertake a bespoke project.

Applications will be scored using a four-stage system.

•

40% for project outcomes – climate, nature,

SUMMARY

people, and place.

The Government has clearly set out its key objectives •

20% for value for money.

•

20% for how sustainable the project is or the legacy it will leave.

•

20% for how likely you are to carry out the project.

for the Agricultural Transition Plan; improve the environment, improve animal health and welfare, and reduce carbon emission. It is clear that the Farming in Protected Landscapes Scheme will go some way towards these objectives.

It is expected that the local assessment panel will meet

It is believed that a well-designed scheme will not only

to make decisions every 6 – 8 weeks, meaning the

meet Government objectives but will also provide

application process is ongoing and flexible.

significant benefit to farmers and members of the public in England.

HOW MUCH FUNDING IS AVAILABLE?

RORY HODGSON

The amount of funding will vary depending on the

SURVEYOR

project. Up to 100% of the project costs could be

01347 820501 jrh@gscgrays.co.uk

offered if the applicant will not make a commercial

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CA RB O N A U D ITS As carbon accounting rises on the agricultural agenda, Graduate Surveyor Kate Tomlinson and Graduate Farm Business Consultant Jake Nixon explore carbon auditing and share key findings from an audit of the GSC Grays arable enterprise.

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In 2019, the commitment to reduce GHG emissions was solidified by both the NFU and the UK government. Net Zero targets have propelled the importance of carbon accounting and, within the agricultural industry, it is expected to become a major part of future policy and a requirement of farm assurance schemes going forward.

The potential for efficiency and profitability to be

THE PROCESS Undertaking a carbon audit is a meticulous yet rewarding process. To accurately audit a farm business, all aspects of operations need to be evaluated from production systems, quantities and types of fuel, fertilisers and feeds, cropping areas and livestock numbers, to on-farm habitats and soil analysis results.

Once completed, findings must be interpreted carefully to allow effective and practical recommendations to be made.

CASE STUDY - GSC GRAYS MODEL FARM CARBON AUDIT

addressed in the same stroke as carbon accounting has also encouraged a steady uptake of carbon auditing

The GSC Grays Model Farm is a 250ha arable

over the last few years.

enterprise with a mix of owned and tenanted land which follows a typical rotation of Winter Wheat,

WHAT ARE CARBON AUDITS?

Winter Barley and Oilseed Rape, yielding 9.25t/ha,

Carbon audits allow farmers and land managers to

baling and the cultivation strategy currently adheres

establish the level of greenhouses gases emitted from

to traditional inversion tillage practices. An area of

their businesses, whilst also calculating the amount

10 hectares is occupied by Countryside Stewardship

of carbon being sequestered on-farm. Not only does

options plus a further 10 hectares of farm woodland.

this establish the carbon balance of a business, but it

Within the audit, information regarding fuel and

also highlights areas of inefficiency, which may identify

material use, cropping, inputs, on-farm habitats and

ways to reduce costs as well as emissions.

sequestration was gathered.

8.40t/ha and 3.75t/ha respectively. All field-work operations are undertaken in-house with exception for

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KEY FINDINGS OF THE CARBON AUDIT •

•

The farm currently emits 186.31 tonnes of CO2e per year, equating to 0.78t CO2e per cropped hectare.

Fertilisers were the largest source of emissions, responsible for 56.25% of total CO2e emissions. Of this, Ammonia Nitrate made up 95% of emissions.

soil microbe structures. The Environmental Land Management Scheme is expected to support minimum tillage cultivation practices.

5. Active Management of Hedgerows and Woodlands – Thriving hedges with hedgerow trees and wellmanaged woodland will sequester more carbon, provide more food and cover for wildlife, shelter for livestock and may allow access to higher payment bands under the Sustainable Farming Incentive.

•

A 0.1% increase in Soil Organic Matter across the cultivated portion of the farm over six years sequesters 177.62 tonnes of carbon per year; more than all other on-farm habitats combined.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Furthermore, sustainable management of farm woodlands can provide an additional source of income or reduce heating bills if harvested timber is used on-farm.

It is clear from these recommendations for the GSC

From the results outlined above, it can be seen that

Grays Model Farm that reducing carbon emissions

the Model Farm’s carbon balance could be improved

can also lead to increased efficiency, productivity, and

by addressing its largest emission source, nitrogen

profitability. They align with governments aims, such as

fertilisers, and by continuing to increase soil organic

by improving water and air quality and in many cases

matter:

are incentivised under schemes such as the Sustainable Farming Incentive and the Farming Investment Fund.

1. More-Efficient Nitrogen Usage - Adoption of technologies such as variable rate spreading, GPS guidance and leaf N testers limit excessive nitrogen applications. This reduces not only emissions, but also fuel and fertiliser bills. Funding for such equipment is expected to be available under the Farming Investment Fund.

2. Cover Crops – Integrating cover crops into the

For those within National Parks or AONBs, there may also be funding available to undertake carbon audits and take steps to reduce your emissions through the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme (FiPL).

More information on FiPL can be found on page Whilst carbon accounting tools continue to be developed, it is clear that the use of carbon auditing

arable rotation can help to build soil organic

within

agriculture

will

only

continue

to

grow.

matter and sequester carbon, and protects against

Undertaking an audit now will not only identify a

soil erosion and run off, particularly over the wet

business’ carbon position, but help businesses prepare

winter months. Such a change in practice may also

for the upcoming industry changes and familiarise

attract payments under the Sustainable Farming

themselves with the processes that are likely to become

Incentive from 2022.

commonplace in the agricultural sector going forwards.

3. Legumes - Introducing leguminous crops such as peas, beans and lupins into the rotation will fix nitrogen, boosting soil nitrogen supply, and reducing nitrogen fertiliser requirements. A more diverse cropping rotation will also vary the rooting zones, compared to predominantly cereal rotations,

KATE TOMLINSON SURVEYOR

01748 897601 ket@gscgrays.co.uk

which can improve water infiltration and reduce soil compaction. Introducing leguminous crops may also attract payments from the Sustainable Farming Incentive from 2022.

4. Reduce tillage – Soil disturbance releases nitrous oxide and carbon from the soil and hinders the development of soil organic matter by destroying

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JAKE NIXON

FARM BUSINESS CONSULTANT

07399 136304 jrn@gscgrays.co.uk

ASH DIE BACK Ash Dieback disease is a concern from both a conservation and a liability point of view.

already be instructing regular surveys of trees on roadsides and on public rights of way, which must be undertaken by a qualified arboriculturist, then following up all recommendations made.

2.

In addition, landowners should keep an eye on

their trees between surveys and be alert the possibility of damage to people and property away from roadsides.

In particular, landowners should undertake a basic visual inspection after storms and high winds, to identify damaged trees, hung up branches and the like which may be the cause of an accident.

As a species, the ash tree tends to prefer the more open aspect of fields and boundaries compared to woods and shelter belts, making it one of the most common trees found on our roadsides.

This fungal disease was first identified in the UK in 2006 but is thought to have been present since the early 1990s. A ban on ash tree imports in 2012 was introduced to help reduce the spread of the disease, but sadly with each year that passes more trees are identified as having fallen victim as the spores of the fungus travel on the wind, meaning the disease can spread over a wide area and quickly. Whilst there is some evidence that trees only mildly affected can recover, or at least tolerate the disease without significant damage, once a tree is badly infected it is

MANAGING THE RISK: Once Ash Dieback has been confirmed and any immediate risk is managed, there may be options available.

Grants, such as the Forestry Commission’s Tree Health Pilot can offer funding for the removal of diseased or dangerous ash trees, however this Pilot is currently only available in the North West and parts of Southern England. Alternatively, the Wood into Management Innovation Fund contains many funding strands, one of which would apply if an innovative timber market can be accessed for the Ash, for example for the use in the production of charcoal.

likely to require removal. This must be undertaken with

Liability is of course a concern, but that’s not say that

caution by professionals; there are well-documented

the answer is to remove all trees to avoid a future risk.

reports of infected trees being brittle and prone to

Roadside and field boundary trees play an important

sudden failure, making felling dangerous if not managed

role in our landscape from both a visual and ecological

correctly.

point of view. Thought should be given to replacement

SPOTTING THE SIGNS:

of lost landscape trees using appropriate species and in appropriate locations; this is a key part of the Tree

It is common for infected trees to have lesions in the

Health Pilot Scheme and will be of significant interest

bark (mainly at the base of limbs), spotting/blotching

when it becomes more widely available.

of leaves and sometimes dead lifeless branches as the disease progresses.

For more information on Ash Dieback, your obligations in respect of roadside and other trees, and on the

If such signs are identified, a qualified opinion

availability of funding for woodlands, whether affected

should be sought immediately. Since hard winters or

by Ash Dieback or not, contact your local GSC Grays

prolonged dry spells render the trees more prone to

office.

being overcome by the disease, a greater incidence of dead branches has been evident across the north of England this summer.

What should landowners be doing?

1.

PETER KNOX SURVEYOR

0191 303 9546 pck@gscgrays.co.uk

In terms of managing risk, landowners should

G S C G R A Y S NOVEMBER 2021

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PIONEERING A MODEL FOR MULTIFUNCTIONAL WOODLANDS Earlier this year, we were successful in securing funding from the Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund for an ambitious woodland creation project on Swinton Estate.

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As the project gets underway, Holly Story shares some of the aspirations and challenges that lie behind the project.

ecosystem services alongside timber.

The goal is to have a strong business case for ‘Phase 1’ (150 ha in the first 10 years) of the new planting programme to present to the Estate’s board of trustees next July.

Swinton Estate extends from the River Ure across 8,000 hectares of farmland, woodland and moorland.

The majority of the Estate is in the Nidderdale AONB

MAXIMISING BENEFITS

and borders the Yorkshire Dales National Park and

Woodlands have the potential to offer an amazing array

it encompasses several designated sites which are

of benefits, for people and nature through recreation,

protected for their biodiversity or historical value.

air and water quality improvements, natural flood

There are around 700 hectares of woodland on the Estate, and the proprietor, Mark Cunliffe-Lister, has an ambitious goal to increase this area by half within the next 20 years. Even more ambitious, is his vision to plant and manage this additional 350 hectares in a way

mitigation and carbon offsetting. But planting and locating woodlands to deliver greater environmental benefits will in some cases compromise timber yields, and/or

increase

planting

or

management

costs,

resulting in a drop in net return.

that maximises environmental and social benefits that woodlands can offer, while remaining commercially viable.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY Earlier in 2021, the Natural Environment Investment Fund (NEIRF) opened for applications, and we saw an opportunity to secure funding that could open up new sources of revenue for the Estate and lay the foundations for Swinton’s woodland creation programme.

The aim of NEIRF is to help deliver on commitments in the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan and Green Finance Strategy by providing grant funding for

‘T HE P ROJEC T WILL T EST IF MULT IF UNC T IONA L WOOD LA ND S C A N GENERAT E A N INC OME ON PA R WIT H OR EXC EED T HAT F ROM T RA D IT IONA L C OM MERC IA L F OREST RY ’

organisations to develop and secure private funding for nature projects. The grant supports the development of new funding models and business cases which are replicable and scalable and encourage private sector investment in nature projects.

To offset that drop, we are planning to secure new income streams from the sale of ecosystem services

We worked with the Estate, and their new forestry

from the new woodlands, including carbon and

manager Charles Clark, to design an application for a

biodiversity offsetting. This is an innovative approach.

12-month project and were awarded funding in July

Carbon markets for woodland carbon credits are now

2021; Swinton Estate was the only private estate to

well developed in the UK, but other ecosystem services

be successful. The project will test whether ‘multi-

are not commonly quantified and marketed. Under the

functional woodlands’ can generate income on a

Woodland Carbon Code ‘co-benefits’ from planting

par with or exceeding that that would be achieved

projects are recorded and scored, and may help to

from traditional commercial forestry, by marketing

attract a stronger price for the woodland carbon

G S C G R A Y S NOVEMBER 2021

17

credits, but they do not generate a supplementary income in their own right. We hope that our approach will help to attract a greater range of beneficiaries and higher returns.

Commercial forestry or planting for biodiversity is often presented as an ‘either/or’, but by combining payments for ecosystem services with timber sales, the Estate hopes to pioneer a more diversified, resilient model, that is well suited to the challenges of the future.

FIRST STEPS

‘IT IS IM P ORTA NT TO T HE ESTAT E T HAT T HE P ROJEC T SU P P ORT S P OSIT IV E OU TC OM ES IN T HE LOC A L A REA A ND C OM MUNIT IES ’

The project has just started and at the moment we are conducting baseline surveys of potential planting sites

18

to assess their suitability, understand the baseline

We are also researching the market for ecosystem

position pre-planting and optimise our planting plans.

services in our region. Businesses are facing pressure

GSC GRAYS

to reduce or offset their environmental impact, and

systems and monocultures which are more susceptible

many are responding by providing financial support for

to pest and disease threats.

‘nature-based’ initiatives that deliver environmental gains. It is important to the Estate that the project supports positive outcomes in the local area and communities, so we are exploring how much interest and support there is from local businesses in the first instance, rather than targeting national offsetting markets.

We hope that the model we are developing at Swinton Estate can be part of the solution, by providing landowners and investors with an attractive return from multi-functional woodlands that are designed and sited to deliver valuable ecosystem services, as well as timber.

There are a whole host of challenges on the horizon.

Rural estates and landowners are facing pressure to deliver environmental benefits and having seen the impact of global environmental change on their own land and businesses, many of the farms and estates we work with are motivated to act. Forestry managers too are increasingly looking for alternatives to clear fell

HOLLY STORY

SENIOR ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT

01748 897603 has@gscgrays.co.uk

G S C G R A Y S NOVEMBER 2021

19

WHEN IS THE RIGHT TIME TO BUILD A SOLAR FARM? Solar farms have been a subject of discussion at farm gates for years now.

20

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In the mid 2010s, developers were building solar farms of about 25 to 30 acres, but since the subsidies were withdrawn, they are now building much larger projects, often covering hundreds of acres. In the future we could see the industry change again, for better or for worse. This is leading to many landowners asking if they should commit to a solar farm now, or hold out for a better deal in the future.

of capacity, you have a reasonable chance of building a solar farm, but only if you can secure the capacity before it disappears.

At this point, you have two options, either you commit to a solar farm, knowing that you could be missing out on a better rent in the future, or you could wait a year or two in the hope the capacity is still there, and you can get a better rent.

This raises a new question, how likely are we to get a better rent if we wait a year or two?

A solar farm built 7 years ago may be achieving a slightly better rent per acre than one built today, but once we account for the fact a modern scheme could cover 200 acres instead of 25 acres, the total rents have improved dramatically.

It has been a different story with wind farms though,

To answer that question, it helps to look at the

I have worked on some of the first wind farms in the

interaction between solar farms and the power grid.

country where the rents are poor by modern standards

Naturally, for a solar farm to be successful, it needs somewhere to send the electricity it generates. In some rare cases there are opportunities for private wire connections to local businesses, but in the majority of cases, we need the power grid.

When the UK’s power network was built, we relied almost entirely on a small number of big power stations, so the network was designed to distribute power outwards from these central points. In recent years though, we have been turning the system on its head. Old fossil fuel power stations are being decommissioned, while wind and solar farms are feeding power ‘backwards’ through the network, in a

and the landowners can be forgiven for envying any neighbours who build a modern wind farm with a better rent. That said, almost no new onshore wind farms have been built in England for several years, so anyone who waited too long will have missed out completely.

The reality is that we can only speculate about the future of the energy industry, and we will only know the peak of the market when it is too late. As I see it, the regret one might feel for accepting a mediocre rent will surely be insignificant when compared to the regret of missing the opportunity altogether. So to answer the question, the best time to look at a solar farm is right now.

way it wasn’t built to do.

Because of this, some parts of the network are running right at their limits, while pockets are appearing with lots of spare capacity, these pockets are what solar developers are targeting. The network is constantly changing as new wind and solar farms connect, and fossil fuels disconnect. Because of this, capacity can disappear just as quickly as it appeared.

What does this mean for landowners I hear you ask?

It means not all land is treated equally. If you are

CHRIS THYER RURAL DIRECTOR

07917 611531 ct@gscgrays.co.uk

lucky enough to own land near one of these pockets

G S C G R A Y S NOVEMBER 2021

21

BIODIVERSITY NET GAIN NEW CO M M ERCI AL O P P O RTU NI TI ES

With a focus on COP26 and the Net Zero agenda, associated issues are also looming large on the horizon. One of these is Biodiversity Net Gain, an ecosystem service which will introduce a new use/ enterprise that landowners ought to be live to.

The Environment Bill introduced us to the concept of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG). Simplistically, in order to secure planning consent for development, the biodiversity on site not only needs to be maintained, but increased by 10% on completion of the work.

Provision on site is currently favoured in the metrics used in the site assessment, however, the replacement habitat can be created off site and failing that, BNG credits can be secured through a Government insurance scheme.

Given the cost of getting sites to the point of a Planning Application, there will be a significant penalty for developers with sites which are stalled because they

22

GSC GRAYS

cannot deliver BNG in an acceptable form.

Over the coming months and years, a market place will become established for receptor sites. (Those on which new habitats will be created.)

It appears that there is a train of thought within Natural England that they might try to use off site BNG provision to help deliver their Local Nature Recovery Strategies. There is nothing in the current legislation which requires BNG receptor sites to be proximate

BNG early adopters should not be afraid of this void, but before stepping into it should be as well informed as they can be.

BNG is likely to be one of the first wide-spread commercial applications of ecosystem services and might well open other doors.

Those might lead to

carbon sequestration, improving the sustainability of

investments

or

addressing

corporate

social/

environmental governance issues.

to the development, nor to be like for like. Given that

We are entering exciting times for landowners with

most development in the region will take place on

a plethora of alternatives to purely food production.

intensively farmed land, the baseline bio-diversity is

These new opportunities can, of course, work hand

likely to be low and unexceptional. Arguably, there is a

in glove with commercial farming and should not be

justification in seeking receptor sites which are located

viewed as mutually exclusive but rather, a means of

and designed to help deliver the Local Nature Recovery

making the existing business more resilient. On this

Strategy.

basis, if you have land which you might think could do

Whilst the metrics currently favours on site provision (by scoring it more highly), my personal belief is that

more for you, then it might be suitable as a receptor site.

a better quality habitat will be created away from the hustle and bustle of a development and I therefore favour off site provision. I suspect that there will be regional variations in approach as we all start to live with this new legislation.

A peculiar quirk of BNG is that brownfield sites are often the most diverse as they have frequently been allowed to re-wild to some degree. The consequence is that the BNG bar for these sites could be quite high,

‘B NG SHOU LD OF F ER LA ND OWNERS SOM E GOOD OP P ORT U NIT IES’

adding to what is often already an inflated development cost.

In purely financial terms, this brings with it

viability issues. If a brown field site is viable, because like for like replacement might be far more appropriate, the re-creation/retention of these habitats could add to the complexities of the site, making it more difficult to deliver. This is because most people would view a pile of rubble as an unsightly blot on the landscape, not a valuable wildlife habitat and this could influence master planning decisions or make it more difficult to secure a receptor site.

BNG should offer landowners some good opportunities, but much of the detail needed to actually implement the provisions of the Act will come forward in secondary legislation. We will likely face a period of time during which the primary legislation is enacted but the detail

CALUM GILLHESPY DIRECTOR

01833 694931 crg@gscgrays.co.uk

needed to deliver it, does not exist.

G S C G R A Y S NOVEMBER 2021

23

THE FARMLAND MARKET REPORT AUT UM N 2 0 2 1

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Supply to the UK farmland market has increased year on year with around 55,000 acres being offered for sale on the open market according to the Farmers Weekly annual tally to the end of September.

Whilst there has been an 11% annual increase in

Demand for this land has been steady, driven, in the main by farmer buyers but also by lifestyle and institutional buyers with a keen eye on environment and sustainability opportunities.

In our region of North Yorkshire, County Durham, Northumberland and Cumbria, we have a similar message to report with supply levels up across the market sector with noticeably more arable acres (although mainly in bare land parcels) than in recent years.

land brought to the market, only 1,234 acres of land

Farmers have been more active than non-farmers than

was brought to the market at the end of September,

in recent years with rollover funds released from the

representing a -23% difference compared to this time

increasing demand for house building land, driving

last year.

prices through competitive bidding, particularly on prime arable land.

Farmers have been more active than non-farmers than

Whilst discussions around possible retirement have

in recent years with rollover funds released from the

become more regular, encouraged by the ‘lump sum

increasing demand for house building land, driving

exit scheme’, ultimately decisions on whether to leave

prices through competitive bidding, particularly on

the industry have come down to timing rather than

prime arable land.

any meaningful retirement incentive. Selling while

Competition is also increasing from several sectors on more marginal and hill land driven by demand for tree planting and other environment and sustainability

demand is high and bidding competitive, has been much more likely to achieve a larger retirement pot, further supported by a favourable capital tax regime.

criteria.

G S C G R A Y S NOVEMBER 2021

25

Much less has been said about the impact caused by

In

lifestyle buyers moving to the countryside in the search

permanent pasture has seen values measured in low

for more space. Such demand impacts on smaller land

single figure increases this year as supply has generally

parcel sales and can distort average farmland price

been met by demand. Average prime arable land in

figures if not carefully analysed. Even with CGT to pay,

North Yorkshire and the North East levels out at

small parcel sales can be hugely profitable for farmers

approximately £10,800 while rotational grassland is

selling to these buyers, but it makes it overly expensive

averaging £8,000 per acre as shown in the graph above

for those wishing to add to their existing farm holdings.

taken from our own data sourcing.

Grassland farms in Cumbria and West Northumberland

Forecasting next year’s market trends is increasingly

are averaging at approximately £6,500 per acre.

difficult with new market influences entering the

summary,

arable,

rotational

grass

and

The most dramatic changes have been on rough and hill ground with some extraordinary bidding experienced in the hills of the Dales and the North Pennines. The main driver is forestry planting land with bidding from private individuals, consortiums, ESG motivated funds and institutions battling it out for a limited number of plantable acres.

Prices of £4,000 per acre are being offered without planning consent for afforestation. This translates through to equally exceptional prices being achieved for mature forests with timber prices at their highest level for many years, and supply in our region very limited. Buyers are generally heading for Scotland for greater opportunity with prices for the best mature woods exceeding £12,000 per acre (£30,000 per hectare).

26

GSC GRAYS

‘C OMP ET IT ION IS A LSO INC REA SING F ROM SEV ERA L SEC TORS ON MORE MA RGINA L A ND HILL LA ND D RIV EN B Y D EMA ND F OR T REE P LA NT ING A ND ENV RIONM ENT SU STA INA B ILIT Y C RIT ERIA’

most

arena. We remain unclear how much natural capital will influence land values, nor the level of demand from big business or institutional investors with ESG their motivating interest.

BPS payments will be further

reduced, but hopefully the value of support through Environmental Land Management (ELM) will become clearer but there is no doubt that the focus will move the market further away from food production and closer to creating greater natural capital.

We have been expecting for some time now, changes

impact competition in the market.

There is still some way to go before the impact of all these changes will be felt in the land market and we therefore predict that the old influences of supply and demand will be the simple drivers of the direction of land prices next year. Increases of between 3% and 5% are expected on average although if the clamour to buy land for tree planting continues to grow, significantly greater increases could be seen on suitable planting land.

to be made to the treatment of capital taxation on our farms and land sales. The removal of Agricultural Property Relief is all but inevitable and if it is not announced in the October Financial Review it will surely be delivered in the Spring 2022 Budget. This will impact most on those who have bought farms to shelter wealth from Inheritance Tax, usually non-

JOHN COLEMAN DIRECTOR

01748 897627 jarc@gscgrays.co.uk

farming buyers and this may well curb demand and

27

GSC GRAYS

G S C G R A Y S NOVEMBER 2021

27

SO

SO

LD

LD

PROPERTY ROUNDUP

STOK E SL E Y

A cha r m i ng a nd s p acio u s, f ul l y r enov a t ed G rade II Li s t ed F a r m hous e with a s epa ra t e hol i day c o ttage a nd l oca t ed i n pr e tty count r y s i de.

Su bstan tial fo u r bed r oom farmh o u se, with two additio n al smaller pro perties, in 3.12 ac r e s .

Equ estrian facilities and lan d available.

GUIDE PRICE: £895,000

GUIDE PRICE: £755,000

28

GSC GRAYS

SO

SO

LD

BENSE BRIDGE FARM

BARNARD CASTLE

LD

DIAL HOUSE

THE OLD VICARAGE

SWALLOW BARN

E AST COWTON

C AT T E R IC K VIL L AGE

A ha nds ome, G ra d e II Li s t ed G eor g i a n V icarage w i t h s el f -cont a i ned, o n e bedr oom ed a nnexe an d l a r g e g a r dens .

A strikin g fo u r bedr oom barn co nversio n , wit h expo sed beams an d p ar t of an exclu sive develo p me nt .

GUIDE PRICE: £895,000

GUIDE PRICE: £520,000

LD SO

SO

LD

We have ha d a hugel y s ucces s f ul 12 mont hs s el l i ng r u ral p r op e r tie s of a ll shapes a nd s i z es a cr os s our r eg i on. I f yo u a r e think ing a b out s el l i ng i n 2022 pl ea s e g et i n t ou ch .

LOW HALL FARM

THIRSK

H UN TON

A hi g hl y pr oduct i ve blo ck of pr edomi na nt l y Grade 2 a ra bl e l a nd w i t h excell ent a cces s a nd versatile cr oppi ng opt i ons . A bo u t 131. 44 a cr es ( 53. 19 h a).

A pro du ctive small farm with sign ifican t develo pmen t po ten ti al .

A bo u t 73.74 acres (2 9 .6 6 h ectares) in all.

GUIDE PRICE: £1,175,000

GUIDE PRICE: £1,050,000

SO

LD

U O ND FF E ER R

LAND AT KIRBY WISKE

BARTLE BRIDGE

COPPERS LODGE

GRE AT AYTON

H UN TON

A bea ut i f ul l y pr es en ted f a r m hous e i n a n a ttractive l oca t i on w i t h s ubs tan tial g a r dens , hi g h qua lity s t a bl i ng & out bui l din gs a nd a bout 8. 7 a cr es o f m ea dow s .

Five bedro o m detac he d family pro perty in a su per po sitio n with ve r y pleasan t garden s en j oy i ng an o pen aspect over co u n tryside to fro nt and rear.

GUIDE PRICE: £1,695,000

GUIDE PRICE: £595,000

G S C G R A Y S NOVEMBER 2021

29

WALKING THE TALK ‘We are connected by a passion for the countryside and supporting the rural communities in which we live and work.’

In the year of COP 26, the Agricultural Transition Plan rollout and a new Environment Act, Landowners are being challenged to find dynamic and innovative solutions to the world’s climate change problems. They are also being asked how their land can be used to improve nature and the well-being of the communities around them.

Firms like GSC Grays are no different. We are on our own sustainability journey to make our environmental footprint, societal contribution and internal governance measurable and transparent. To demonstrate what we are already doing well and discover where we need to improve.

We are in the process of integrating

Environmental Social Governance (ESG) into our company strategy and departmental business plans, in a way that resonates with our people, our clients and the communities within which we live and work.

From

a

Rural

Business

perspective,

having

a

sustainability strategy in place can give a commercial advantage.

Creating a framework against which

decisions can be made, demonstrating credibility while ensuring actions are aligned with the business

30

GSC GRAYS

values. The new green agenda is already causing many

Before we commit to a formal accreditation scheme,

rural businesses to make knee-jerk decisions on the

we are looking to The United Nations’ Sustainable

future of their enterprise.

Having an ESG strategy

Development Goals (SDGs) as a blueprint for building

helps inform that decision making process, ensuring

a more sustainable business. We see the Goals as a

the outcomes are meaningful, tangible and relevant to

valuable framework to translate our strategy to broader

their stakeholders.

sustainable development, provide measurement and indicators of progress as well as opportunities to

WHAT IS ESG? ESG is often used in the context of sustainable or ethical investing, but more recently it has come to replace Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as the standard for socially responsible business practices.

engage and unify around common themes.

Data and transparency are critical to capturing our commitment to ESG and to articulate the resilience and sustainability of our business. As we begin this journey, we are taking baseline measurements of where we are at this moment in time, we will review the steps that we

It covers the three main areas of concern that any

need to take to improve our impact and then report on

business looking to create positive social impact and

our progress.

long term resilience should address.

Areas we plan to focus on include, working towards Net

ENVIRONMENTAL

Zero status by measuring and taking steps to reduce

The way a business responds to and impacts on

the work we do for clients on environmental schemes,

environmental issues such as their use of renewable

measuring and reporting progress along the way.

energies, carbon footprint, and use of sustainable

And producing data on our employee training and

materials.

development, health and wellbeing and gender equality.

SOCIAL A business’s social impact in terms of the people whose

our carbon footprint. Creating an impact report for

OUR JOURNEY

lives their products and processes affect. This includes

We are taking the first steps to embed ESG into our

employees, as well as customers, and issues such as pay

strategy, with the Board driving the transition towards

equity, data protection, diversity and inclusion.

becoming an environmentally and socially responsible

GOVERNANCE The structure of a business’s executive decision making and board. Governance encompasses issues such as executive compensation, diversity and independence of board members, and legal structure. High quality governance enables accountability and transparency on strategy and how an organisation measures progress.

business. Our challenge is to ensure that the outcomes are tangible and meaningful for our stakeholders.

As a business that works within and alongside rural communities, the focus of much of this work will be determining our impact in these areas and selecting projects that are in line with our values. We intend to use this space in the magazine to take our clients and contacts with us on our learning journey – so watch this space.

MEASURING OUR IMPACT In the coming years, we intend to generate ESG data to show exactly how hard we have been working to improve our processes in these three areas. We will become ESG accredited with a scheme that fits with our business.

NICOLLE HAMILTON HEAD OF MARKETING

07904 687477 nch@gscgrays.co.uk

G S C G R A Y S NOVEMBER 2021

31

WELCOME TO THE TEAM At GSC Grays we bring extraordinary people together to build a brighter future for the rural land and business community and as a rapidly growing business, we have been delighted to welcome plenty of new faces to our teams over the last few months.

Jamie joined GSC Grays in 2021 to become part of the farm business team. Prior to starting at GSC Grays Jamie had been working in Anaerobic Digestion in the South West. Jamie’s background is in Agri-Business having graduated from Harper Adams University in 2019.

Jamie has a range of first-hand experience within livestock, arable and renewable energy farm enterprises both in the UK and in New Zealand.

ELIZABETH CLEMENTS

AMY CHARLTON

Elizabeth is an ecologist with 18yrs experience, working throughout the UK and Ireland. She has worked for statutory agencies, a charity, as a consultant ecologist; both self-employed and within a multi-disciplinary environmental consultancy, and for two national parks.

Having lived on a farm in North Yorkshire for the past 15 years, Amy has plenty of practical as well as academic experience in the rural sector with both an undergraduate degree from Newcastle University in Agri-business Management and a Postgraduate Master’s degree from Harper Adams University in Rural Estate and Land Management.

Most recently Elizabeth was the Head of Natural Environment at the North York Moors National Park Authority where she managed a team of ecologists, conservation officers and woodland specialists. Alongside over seeing a suite of externally funded landscape scale and catchment scale projects securing external income of several million pounds.

Lilly joined GSC Grays in September 2021 as the Recruitment Manager and HR Coordinator to manage and oversee the Recruitment and HR function.

Nicolle Hamilton joined GSC Grays in June as our Head of Marketing. She has extensive knowledge of the land management sector, having worked for two rural membership organisations and a UK land agency firm.

Nicolle has a background in Law, is CIPR accredited and her previous roles involved rural policy, PR, marketing consultancy and providing technical advice to landowners and farmers on a wide range of issues.

GSC GRAYS

Amy is currently involved in estate management and rural professional work in County Durham and Northumberland. Amy also has a keen interest in valuation and is hoping to develop more experience in this sector.

LILLY YUILL

NICOLLE HAMILTON

32

JAMIE CHARLTON

With extensive experience within business operations Lilly has worked in multiple sectors , recruiting for roles at all levels across the UK and EMEA.

* Please note that the information contained within this briefing is based on the current understanding of Government Legislation and is subject to ongoing change. Before making any decisions that will affect your business you should seek further advice.

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G S C G R AY S . C O . U K