Land and property

Extreme weather and pressure on margins across the board has prompted new Tenant Farmers Association (TFA) chairman Mark Coulman to call for early rent abatements for tenant farmers.

Britain’s rising need for food security in a post-Brexit world will lead to a higher strategic value being placed on farmland, delegates attending a seminar at the Floodex event heard.

March is already upon us, with spring soon approaching as gauged by the daffodils, primroses and the date on the calendar. However, most days these last few weeks, the climate has been extremely changeable, with four seasons on several days, but the constant theme has been rain and more rain.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer has been warned that the scrapping of agricultural property relief in the budget would damage family farms across the country.

NFU president Minette Batters has urged the Government to think responsibly about the impact land taken out of food production can have on farm businesses, following the prime minister’s confirmation HS2 will be built.

A potential move to simplify inheritance tax could sweep away special reliefs for farmers and leave them with tax bills they would struggle to pay, a specialist agricultural lawyer has warned.

This year could present more farmers and landowners with opportunities to put their land forward for development.

A storyline in the long-running Radio 4 soap The Archers has prompted a solicitor to warn farmers about the dangers of scrutinising contracts before signing on the dotted line.

Though the average price of bare agricultural land in England and Wales has fallen by roughly one per cent over the past year, prices are still 40 per cent higher than they were 10 years ago.

Britain’s next generation of farmers are overwhelmingly positive about how the industry will fare in the 2020s, exclusive Farmers Guardian research has revealed.