January 14: Farming in Five: Retailers speak out on family farm tax

In today's Farming in Five, head of news and business Alex Black discusses the messages from retailers Morrisons and Booths on family farm tax, the outbreak of foot-and-mouth in Germany and the first glyphosate resistant weed in Kent

Alex Black

14 January 2025 • 1 min read

Cabinet aware of 'pressure' on Chancellor Rachel Reeves after her Autumn Budget on small family farms

James Robinson on OFRC: "ORFC makes you a better person. It opens your mind; it grows connection."

March 17: Emergency roundtable called between farming organisations and Farming Minister later today to discuss SFI fallout

In today's Farming in Five, chief reporter Rachael Brown understands an emergency roundtable meeting has been called for later today between farming organisations and Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner to discuss the fallout from Defra's decision last week to suspend new applications to SFI. She also reports on the appointment of Dr David Llewellyn as the independent monitoring and reporting commissioner for the recommendations from the UK Farm Assurance Review. And why a Cambridgeshire tenant farmer has been left 'fuming' at Defra after he was left with no compensation from the Farming Recovery Fund

Rachael Brown

17 March 2025 • 1 min read

Farming in Five

Farming in Five: Defra under scrutiny over its decision to close SFI, with questions around why farmers were given little notice, and its transparency over the budget. But who will be the winners and losers?

In today's Farming in Five, chief reporter Rachael Brown reports on the latest from the fallout of the Sustainable Farming Incentive closure. Defra is under scrutiny over its failure to give farmers' notice as the industry questions whether all the budget has been spent. She also looks ahead to next week, a special podcast on Donald Trump, tariffs and what this means for machinery markets and UK farming going forward and the livestock team are heading to Borderway UK Dairy Expo at Carlisle this week, the first dairy show of the year

Rachael Brown

14 March 2025 • 1 min read

Farming in Five

February 13: Farming Minister said giving notice on SFI closure would have led to a 'spike in applications'

In today's Farming in Five, chief reporter Rachael Brown analyses the fall out from the closure of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), with the Farming Minister telling MPs that farmers were not given notice on closure as it would have led to a 'further spike in applications'. The National Trust says Defra's decision to close SFI to new applications will leave farmers facing a 'four month funding gap'. And she takes a look at the NFU's farmer confidence survey which is reportedly at an 'all time low'

Rachael Brown

13 March 2025 • 1 min read