The NFU’s regular survey found more farmers starting new enterprises. 37% of farmers surveyed were operating non-farming activities, which is significantly up on previous years’ findings. Renewable energy was the most popular non-farming enterprise, followed by non-holiday property letting. Holiday accommodation was in third place, followed by livery / equestrian, farm shops and caravan / camping sites. 11% of farmers yet to diversify say they now plan to do so in the next five years. Please contact Strutt and Parker’s Edward Mansel Lewis for professional, experienced advice on identifying and developing diversification opportunities that are appropriate to your land, location and personal interests.
The Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, NIAB and The University of Kent are partners in an EU-funded project on developing bespoke wildflower mixes to deliver pollination and natural pest control services. An aim is to produce guides and training for farmers on management of pollinators and measurement of pollination. The team is conducting a survey to understand which interventions are attractive and which are not. The survey takes five minutes and is thought provoking.
The agreement eliminates tariffs on all UK exports to Australia and the government says it will boost jobs and businesses. It has also said that British farmers will be protected by a cap on tariff-free imports, using tariff rate quotas and other safeguards.
Beef tariffs on imports to the UK will be eliminated after 10 years. Sheep meat tariffs will also be eliminated after 10 years, and dairy tariffs will be eliminated over 5 years.
The government published an update on the Agricultural Transition Plan and a second one on the principles it will apply to payments under environmental land management schemes.
Most of the news on the Agricultural Transition Plan relates to the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), which can be considered the basic level of the new Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes that will replace the current generation of agri-environment schemes. It was confirmed that the pilot will start in October 2021 – but little additional detail on the pilot – and that some core elements of the full scheme will be available from spring 2022 to anyone who claims Basic Payments.
The four standards that will be available are:
Final versions of the initial set of standards will be published by November 2021.
The Henry Dimbleby-led review, which has taken two years to produce, is a detailed, thought provoking and in some places radical vision for what the food and farming sector could be.
Some of the main points and recommendations are:
Predictably, the plan has not been welcomed by all. The NFU supported the emphasis on eating natural, whole foods but urged a clear distinction between grass-fed British meat and cheap imports.