Funding

Farm groups have welcomed a series of emergency measures issued by Government to support Welsh farmers during the coronavirus outbreak.

A raft of business support has been introduced to keep firms afloat during coronavirus disruption and support workers who may have to be laid off. Cedric Porter reports. 

The coronavirus crisis has exposed the Government’s failure to think about food policy, and it needs to be properly considered now, says Tim Lang, professor of food policy at City, University of London.

In these unprecedented times, farming’s pivotal role in feeding the nation has been brought back into sharp focus.

Defra Ministers are ‘in constant discussion’ with industry about delaying the phase out of direct payments, as the Agriculture Bill faces a fresh hold up due to the coronavirus epidemic.

No farm should face the prospect of losing more than a quarter of its direct payment before the new Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme is up and running, the CLA has said.

The CLA has claimed the Chancellor’s 350 billion business stimulus will bring farm enterprises ‘much-needed relief’, as the spread of coronavirus takes hold.

The National Sheep Association (NSA) has challenged the Government’s focus on tree planting and peatland restoration as a means to mitigate climate change.

Loans given to UK farming businesses increased by 22 per cent to £572m during 2019, according to new figures released at the Agricultural Mortgage Corporation’s (AMC) annual agent conferences.

FBT tenants face the prospect of being excluded from post-Brexit support because of a legal loophole in the Agriculture Bill.