South East Farmer January 2025

BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE

OUR FARM CONSTRUCTION FEATURE BEGINS ON PAGE 30

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FEATURES

KENT FARMING CONFERENCE

A sector divided: Is regenerative farming the way forward?

CONSTRUCTION

CAAV secretary Jeremy Moody explains how we now need to spend wisely and well for the coming decades as he introduces our end-of-year construction feature.

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STAXSON MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL SERVICES

With energy costs continuing to make up a large part of any farm business’s overheads, being able to monitor and use it efficiently is increasingly important.

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CHARLES PALMER VINEYARDS

www.kelsey.co.uk

Cover picture: Shortland Structures

©Martin Apps, Countrywide Photographic

Charles Palmer and his family moved to Winchelsea in 1998, taking on the lease of the 750-acre estate from the National Trust. At that time it was a mixed farming enterprise incorporating arable, beef and sheep.

BOVAER IS SAFE

Bovaer® is safe, but the industry needs to make sure the public is ‘on board’ when taking new initiatives aimed at tackling environmental issues, a leading NFU spokesman has stressed.

NFU Dairy Board chair Paul Tompkins made the comments following an online furore over the use of the supplement in trials looking at its ability to reduce the level of methane emissions from cows.

With social media channels showing activists pouring milk away in protest at the use of Bovaer in a trial at around 30 farms in the UK, the NFU was quick to stress that the additive, which the manufacturers claim can reduce enteric methane emissions from cows by an average of 27%, was both approved and safe.

But Paul was careful to point out that the public backlash against something the industry has generally welcomed was “a valuable reminder that we must tread the path towards sustainability with care and wider engagement”.

In a statement, the NFU said it had “played an active role in a government-led round table focused on methane inhibitors as we recognise the role they could play in supporting sustainable food supply chains” and pointed out that DEFRA had, in October 2023, renewed its commitment to reducing emissions in livestock by encouraging the use of methane-reducing feed products.

But it stressed that the organisation had “been very clear that any new product or innovation needs to work in real-life situations, suit a range of farm systems

and be incentivised alongside a range of other greenhouse gas emission-reducing techniques, such as genetics, efficiency improvements and new technologies”.

It went on: “We have also stressed the need for robust risk assessments to consider the impact of each product on animal health and welfare, food safety and the wider environment.”

On the question of safety, the NFU pointed out that Bovaer had been approved and was considered safe by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in the UK and by similar authorities in more than 68 countries across the world including Europe, Australia, Canada, North America and Brazil.

It added: “Regulatory and scientific trials, which have taken place over the last 15 years, have demonstrated that Bovaer does not pose a risk to health for consumers or animals”. It is designed to break down in the cows’ digestive systems and quickly decompose into naturally occurring compounds already present in the rumen.

Paul Tompkins said it had been “comforting to see in recent days the depth of feeling our customers share with farmers when it comes to the quality of the food we produce”, adding: “Only by exhausting a robust certification process, with health approvals and extensive trials, should any new feed product be introduced into our cows’ diets.”

He said that while FSA-approved products could be “useful tools in helping to reduce methane emissions and supporting sustainable supply chains”, there were questions over their “long-term efficacy,

how they can be used practically and effectively on different farm systems, cost and, importantly, consumer buy-in”.

He went on: “This latest trial, on a product which has already been approved by the FSA as safe for consumers, could help provide some of this evidence.”

The British Society of Animal Science (BSAS) also lent its weight to the use of the additive, pointing out: “Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, and feed additives, including Bovaer, represent a promising step forward in reducing methane emissions from ruminant livestock. Innovation in this area plays a key role in supporting planetary health, sustainability and global food security.”

The society added: “The product has undergone rigorous risk assessments in multiple jurisdictions, evaluating its safety for animals, humans handling the product, consumers and the environment.

“These evaluations, including a detailed review by the UK’s Advisory Committee on Animal Feedingstuffs (ACAF), have concluded that Bovaer is safe for all stakeholders and effective in reducing methane emissions when used as directed.”

In another nod towards the need to keep the public on board, the statement added that “transparency from industry and regulatory bodies” was “crucial in helping the public understand the thorough processes that underpin product approval”, pointing out: “Clear communication about safety and efficacy, supported by peer reviewed science, can bridge the gap between scientific innovation and societal acceptance.”

“Citizen science” and sharp-eyed members of the public have been praised for their efforts to stop the yellow-legged – or Asian – hornet from becoming established in the UK.

A new study has shown that although the UK has suitable climate and habitat for this voracious predator of pollinators, effective action has prevented it from making the UK its home.

The invasive, non-native species, which arrived in France in a container of pottery from China about 20 years ago, can kill 50 bees a day and has devastated honeybee colonies in France and Italy.

It was first seen in the UK in 2016, but while there have been regular sightings here, including 45 confirmed so far this year, mostly in Kent and East Sussex, the National Bee Unit has responded rapidly and destroyed the insects and nests that have been found.

A study by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) into the suitability of European countries for the establishment and spread of the yellow-legged hornet set out the threat that would have been posed by the predator in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands if rapid eradication had not taken place.

The EU-funded study, published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, found that over

WINNING THE FIGHT AGAINST THE ASIAN HORNET

1,500 square kilometres in the UK would have been colonised by 2020 without action to tackle the species. As of December 2023, it is considered to be established in France, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Jersey.

Lead author Dr Richard Hassall of UKCEH said there had been “no significant spread” reported in the UK and went on: “This is due to the fantastic efforts by vigilant members of the public who report suspected sightings of yellow-legged hornets, then rapid action by the authorities to locate and eradicate the insects and nests found.

“Significant resources have gone into monitoring and slowing the spread of this invasive, non-native species in the UK and parts of Europe, so it is encouraging to find

these efforts appear to have been effective.”

UKCEH oversees an alert system for Britain which enables people to report potential sightings of a number of priority invasive, non-native species, including the yellow-legged hornet. So far this year the Asian Hornet Watch app has received around 12,500 reports of sightings, though only a fraction of these have gone on to be confirmed as yellow-legged hornets.

Professor Helen Roy of UKCEH and the University of Exeter, a co-author of the study, said: “We are grateful to everyone who is helping to track the spread of the yellow-legged hornet. The contributions of volunteers to citizen science initiatives such as the Asian Hornet Watch app are inspiring.”

IT’S A NUMBERS GAME AS PROTESTS CONTINUE

Government claims around the number of farmers likely to be affected by the Chancellor’s planned changes to inheritance tax continue to be challenged by leading industry players.

Both the NFU and the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers (CAAV) have put forward evidence that the number who will be caught by the change in the rules – something farmers were promised would not be in the budget – will exceed the Government’s figures.

Leading figures in the industry have meanwhile been giving evidence to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee (EFRA), with NFU president Tom Bradshaw reported to have become “emotional” while warning that more farmers could take their lives because of the threat to their livelihoods and family farms.

Farmers themselves have continued to raise public awareness of the issues by mounting more high-profile demonstrations, driving tractors around Westminster in central London and staging go slows on dual carriageways.

Despite farmers continuing to put pressure on the Government on several fronts while calling for the proposals to be put on hold pending wider consultation, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was still insisting as South East Farmer went to press that the "vast majority" of farmers would not be affected by the tax changes.

In contrast, the NFU has put forward research suggesting 75% of family farms will be hit by changes to Agricultural Property Relief (APR)

set to be introduced from April 2026 that would mean farm businesses facing an inheritance tax rate of 20% on agricultural assets valued at over £1 million.

The CAAV has suggested that the Government has under-estimated the number of farmers affected by a factor of at least five, meaning that it would hit 75,000 producers over a generation, not 500 in 2026/27.

“Looking at HMRC’s express advice on tax returns, it states that where full business property relief (BPR) applies, as in most farming cases, the values given in tax accounts should be used, not the open market value,” said Jeremy Moody, secretary and adviser to the CAAV.

“Farmers’ accounts for assets that qualify for BPR, like machinery and livestock, are based on historic cost. This means they will be valued at significantly less than open market value.”

The CAAV statement pointed out that the new rules will mean all assets needing to be accounted for at current market value, bringing significantly more people into paying inheritance tax and adding more cost to those already affected.

The CAAV’s research shows that this change will have a particular effect on many livestock farms. “Not only does HMRC allow that the ‘deemed cost’ for cattle in accounts is 60% of market value, but the statutory ‘herd basis’ option for accounting for tax on breeding and production animals is based on the original cost of a herd or flock,” explained Mr Moody.

Photo: Nigel Akehurst

“Market value would mean a potentially massive uplift over the accounting value for a long-standing dairy herd, for example.”

When BPR was offered at 100% on these assets, it made sense for HMRC not to require them to be independently valued, so saving time, effort and cost, the CAAV said. But now livestock, machinery, silage and other operational farming assets will have to be valued upon death, with tax due on estates worth over £1m.

“All of this means that yet more money will have to be found to pay the tax, whether by selling more land or more operational business assets or foregoing more income and investment,” Mr Moody added.

“It was clear from the outset that the Government had not appreciated the potentially devastating implications of this new farm tax. Not only did our original research show it had underestimated its impact five-fold by omitting large numbers of farmers from its figures, it’s now clear that even more people will be affected. This hurts the people it claims to protect and protects those it claims to hurt. It is time to drop this tax.”

With the NFU estimating that three-quarters of family farms will be affected, Surrey Vice Chair Paula Matthews urged the Government to recognise it has been working off the wrong figures, revisit its plans and save family farms from closure.

She commented: “The evidence is clear for all to see that the Government is working off the wrong figures when it claims APR changes will only impact the wealthiest farmers.

“These changes will force the closure of many small and mediumsized family farms, which will need to sell up to pay the tax bill, and will impact tenant farmers, with landowners more inclined to sell their land, making less land available for farming here in Surrey and the South East.

“This will rip the heart out of rural communities, which are heavily dependent on the farming industry.

“The country’s national food security will be under threat, the great British countryside will suffer, an enormous amount of positive environmental work currently being done by farmers will discontinue and food prices in supermarkets could increase.”

The NFU also pointed out that while the Government had announced that the proposals would only impact the wealthiest farmers, with the Treasury claiming only 27% of APR claims were above £1m, DEFRA’s own figures showed that 66% of farms were worth more than the £1 million threshold.

The organisation said further analysis, after consultation with former Treasury and Office for Budget Responsibility economists, revealed that 75% of commercial family farms would be impacted.

“The new analysis finds that the majority of medium-sized working farms that will be hit by the liability will not be protected by the ten-year payment window because the resulting payments would still be unmanageably large relative to the economic returns they earn,” the NFU went on.

“Put simply, the majority of farms don’t earn enough money to pay the potential inheritance tax bill without selling off some of their land or business, making the farm business unviable.”

The EFRA committee heard from experts including Jeremy Moody, NFU president Tom Bradshaw, Tenant Farmers’ Association national chair Robert Martin and Country Land and Business Association (CLA) president Victoria Vyvyan.

2024 has been a challenging 12 months OPINION

Regular readers of this column, assuming there are one or two, will know that I enjoy a quotation. As 2025 begins, I’ve turned for inspiration to Alfred Lord Tennyson, who reassuringly tells us: “Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, 'It will be happier’.”

Well, let’s hope the Victorian-era poet, said during his lifetime to have been one of the three most famous people alive, alongside Queen Victoria and Prime Minister William Gladstone, will prove to be right as one eventful year ends and another begins.

Unhelpful weather, bluetongue, supply chain issues and, for farmers with a reasonable amount of land and equipment, the new threat posed by the Labour Government’s invidious decision to land family farms with potentially massive tax liabilities, are just a few of the things that have made 2024 a challenging 12 months.

But the new year brings not just a short-lived increase in gym memberships but a renewed sense of optimism and purpose. As daylight hours begin to increase, fields show signs of new growth and shepherds prepare for overnight sessions abiding in the fields, hope springs eternal once again.

And there are still reasons to be cheerful. This edition of South East Farmer highlights the enthusiasm of the current batch of Nuffield Scholars, all focusing their attention on ways of developing the industry, while news of another wellsupported regenerative agriculture conference highlights new opportunities to do things differently and perhaps more profitably.

The threat to domestic pollinators posed by the Asian (now yellow-legged) hornet seems to have been avoided, thanks in no small part to ‘citizen science’ and the sterling efforts of those who made sure we were all able to recognise the beastie and report it quickly to the authorities.

And, surely, while the Chancellor’s egregious attempt to snatch the livelihoods of family farmers was a distinctly negative end to the year, the amazing response of farmers and farming organisations in fighting back in such a coherent and united way must give hope for the future.

Farmers are renowned for their resilience and there is no indication that they will meet the current challenges with any less determination and resourcefulness than they have mustered in the past. And if Tennyson’s words prove true, it will not be as a result of good fortune but will be born of the effort, ingenuity and sheer hard work which has seen farmers triumph over past difficulties.

Here's to a prosperous 2025.

EMAIL YOUR VIEWS, LETTERS OR OPINIONS TO: sef.ed@kelsey.co.uk or write to the address on page 3

® MALCOLM TRIGGS - EDITOR

Woodland Plants

Planning for the Future – Post Budget Review

Are you wondering what the future holds for our farmers, following the first Autumn Budget under a new Labour government?

for our winter farmers forum to hear from the experts in our local area. Our speakers include:

NUFFIELD FARMING SCHOLARS ANNOUNCED

The South East is well represented in the list of 24 new Nuffield Farming Scholars announced for 2025.

SAM BROOK

Sam, from Chichester, West Sussex, manages the agronomy team at Vitacress Herbs and is committed to transforming the industry by integrating natural processes and regenerative practices into crop production.

His study title, Biology based agronomy: how can horticulture grow in a more nature friendly way? is aimed at helping “lead a movement towards sustainable horticulture, enhancing both environmental health and food quality for future generations”.

NATASHA EDWARDS

Natasha is the managing director of The Garlic Farm on the Isle of Wight, where she focuses on sustainable farming practices and has achieved Organic, B-Corp, and Pasture for Life certifications.

As someone who is passionate about using certifications to drive agroecological outcomes, her scholarship will explore how certification can offer a better economic rationale for farming and lead to positive environmental and social values.

MOLLIE GUPTA

Mollie’s study title, How do we move British seaweed farming to commercial scale and reach its full potential? reflects her role as a seaweed solutions project manager at WWF UK.

Mollie, from Woking in Surrey, believes seaweed has an exciting future as a highly productive and low-input crop, and that seaweed farms could improve coastal pollution, support wildlife and provide meaningful employment. Her goal is to position British seaweed farming as a leader in regenerative agriculture.

SHARON MAY

Tadley, Hampshire-based Sharon is a mental health professional who has established a counselling practice offering mental health support to rural communities.

Her study title, No farmer is an island –supporting the mental health of farm families is aimed at helping her “understand the ripple effects of mental health on those who are

supporting farmers, including family and friends, and understand how we can best ‘support the supporters’”.

LAURA JAMES

As a senior knowledge transfer manager at the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, Laura, from Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire, is a dedicated advocate for the agricultural industry.

She is passionate about using her academic and industry background to simplify complex technical issues for UK farmers and plans to use her Nuffield Scholarship to explore how ecosystem-service markets can benefit UK agriculture both financially and environmentally while contributing to a sustainable farming future. Her study is entitled Pathways to participation: reducing barriers for farmers in biodiversity markets

ARCHIE RUGGLES-BRISE

Archie Ruggles-Brise, from Braintree in Essex, is the 11th generation to farm his family's land and is looking to innovation to ensure the business not only survives but thrives for future generations while supporting the local community.

He plans to use his scholarship, entitled Balancing the books. Does multifunctional

productivity represent optimal land use?, to learn more about multifunctional landscape (MFL) approaches and gather evidence to help UK land managers design and deliver MFL systems.

Nuffield Scholars are supported to travel internationally to gain an in-depth understanding of their study topic from global experts and leaders.

“Applications this year were incredibly strong, which made the job of our selection committee particularly challenging,” said Rupert Alers-Hankey, director of the Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust.

“The list of topics the scholars have chosen to explore is inspiring and reflects some of our industry’s most pressing challenges. Nuffield Farming Scholarships help develop future leaders in the UK’s agriculture and rural sectors.” Applications for the 2026 Nuffield Farming Scholarships will open on 29 January with an online open evening that will give potential applicants the opportunity to learn more about the process and hear from 2023 scholar Roisin Taylor.

Applicants must be aged 25 to 45, live in the UK and work within or influence the farming, food, horticulture, rural and associated industries. There is no requirement for academic qualifications or a connection to Nuffield Farming.

To register for the 29 January event email charlotte@nuffieldscholar.org www.nuffieldscholar.org/scholarships/how-apply

Sam Brook

Natasha Edwards

Laura James Mollie Gupta

Sharon May

Archie Ruggles-Brise

SARAH CALCUTT FOCUS ON FRUIT

SARAH CALCUTT ARA g S Chair Fruiterers Awards Council

November was varied and interesting. The 19th was a demonstration of the quiet dignity, strength of conviction and importance of British farming. For my team at City Harvest it was one of exceptional emotion and impact, too.

As the organisers began to formulate their plan in the preceding weeks, it was decided that an additional statement would be made, reinforcing the fact that British farmers feed the nation and would begin on the 19th with the poorest and most needy.

As an associate of the Royal Agricultural Society, I worked with that impressive network to ensure that not a single sprout of the finest of British produce would go to waste.

With a 7.5t truck and five vans standing by, my team waited on Richmond Terrace, not knowing if we would be dealing with one van’s worth of donated produce or six. We weren’t disappointed. The phalanx of sprout stalks parading past The Cenotaph followed by giant leeks, bags of potatoes, wheels of cheese, jam, honey, boxes of apples and produce from retailers totalled a staggering 6,693kg of highquality British food.

The donations equated to 15,400 nutritious meals that City Harvest shared with those living in food insecurity in the capital. With the donations came the letters, some from children concerned for their future in the industry, others from parents afraid that they might be the generation to end their family’s dedication to feeding the nation.

All spoke about their dedication to their vocation, the quality of their product (modestly

FARMERS MARCHING AND SERBIAN OPPORTUNITIES

of course) and all sounding fearful, but they were still thinking of others.

And where did the food go to? First to Acton to be sorted into deliveries for the 123,000 people we help nourish across 30 boroughs. It went into schools, church mission kitchens, homeless shelters, community centres and food banks caring for the most vulnerable.

It was greeted with great joy, because it was beautiful as well as nutritious, and British grown. City Harvest is grateful for the donations and knows how life-changing nutritious food is for people who struggle to afford fresh produce for their families. We are acutely aware that malnutrition is a huge generational threat to the UK.

The charity always needs more food. We can collect from the farm gate, return your field bins, off hire the crates and send you a report on where the food has gone, its social benefit and impact. You can even show your supermarket buyer the incredible value of the bit they don’t want.

We are so grateful to everyone who donated on the 19th, thank you!

Before joining City Harvest, I had been working on a project with the British Serbian Chamber of Commerce on opening new markets and creating a beneficial bilateral trade environment between the two nations.

In November I was kindly invited back by the Chamber of Commerce UK representative Jadranka Derbisevic. The first day was a trade and industry conference focussing on bilateral trade opportunities between the Western Balkan states and the UK.

Representatives from the UK included the Ambassador, Robert Ferguson, who talked about the British businesses engaged in the digital transformation sector in the Western Balkans, the agri-tech partnerships between the nations, and the opportunities for British businesses in the region.

Aleksander Vucic, Serbian President, talked about the need for great cooperation in the region and the importance of the British financial sector.

One of the other events on the trip was Wine Vision 2024, significant not just because there were 700-plus global vineyard businesses present but also because of the quality of the British wine industry’s presence.

The winner of the global best glass of bubbly was Knightor, from Cornwall, making it the first British vineyard to achieve this. The team was present at the event with samples of their Blanc de Blanc, Rosé and Pinot Noir alongside the 2014 winning vintage.

The British ambassador was presented with a magnum of Windsor Great Park sparkling wine, produced by Nyetimber. This was the result of an exceptional partnership with the late Duke of Edinburgh, who planted some of the vines in the park vineyard. Nyetimber sparkling wines also attracted a lot of attention from wine buyers and journalists from the Western Balkan states.

So, is there opportunity in the area for British farmers and British tech companies?

I would say definitely, with a good number of British investments already in place and British businesses focussed on the development of the region.

In the 1980s there was no after-dark lighting in Bedgebury Forest, in Kent. Returning home alone from the pub following an evening’s socialising might lead to certain minor trepidations, with only your imagination to give you ‘the willies’!

The main road from Hartley’s Duke of Kent pub (no longer, sadly), to the Bedgebury turn-off would be the easy bit in normal circumstances, and was a well-trodden path for generations of hop pickers. In my time there would have been a tractor and trailer at this juncture to ferry the revellers safely back through the forest to the farmhouse. However, in deep winter – long past September – this ‘perk’ was well and truly in the memory.

My eyes, which were never the best, always just about managed to make out the tarmac ribbon that would get me to the venerable old oak at the turn-off to the farm track. With my caravan not too far along this well-trodden lane, I could concentrate on allowing the adrenalin to leave my body, which is what a pitch black forest on a winter’s night will always engender.

‘SHIVELIGHT’ – A WINTER’S YARN

By Declan Hughes,

founder of the Irish Veterans military history charity.

The weather was colder than my jacket repelled, and again I was far from dressed for the occasion. I had that ominous feeling when the realisation dawned that I was beginning to shiver from my core. Luckily I had the sense to keep moving, even if I didn’t know where I was going.

conspired to jump down my back. My task at hand was survival, and step-by-step the light got brighter and closer, until my feet landed on solid ground. More importantly, the Land Rover I now stood beside declared itself to be a Forestry Commission vehicle.

This particular night, however, I got it wrong. Having entered at the other side of the forest – the Goudhurst side – I was not coming from the warm embrace of the ‘Duke’, and I greatly underestimated the cloak of heavy snow that lay, as tradition dictates, “deep and crisp and even”. Yes, it was that time of year, and somewhat before concerns about global warming.

The further into the black and white landscape I ventured, the faster my navigational skills deserted me, and within an alarmingly short space of time I had little idea where I was. The tarmac was white with deep snow, while the forest on either side was very dark black, with occasional slivers of ‘shivelight ’ flashing and tempting me in.

Then, I saw it; a flash of light that was holding steady through the trees. ‘Shivelight’ I could discount, as the natural phenomenon I’d heard of from older landworkers. The popular British lexicographer, Susie Dent, explains it as something seen “…in a dense forest, looking up at the canopy of trees above… you might see a lance of light shining through the leaves…”.

In truth, the Poet Gerard Manley Hopkins (born 1844 in London and, interestingly, died in Dublin in 1889, where he is buried in Glasnevin Cemetery), was earlier responsible for rescuing the old 13th century word shive, meaning a thin slice from a larger piece (think shave). However, Olde English lexicography did not concern me this night, and the quintessential ‘stiff upper lip’ I’d developed was nature’s way of telling me to shift my butt, pronto. The light I’d spotted was, admittedly, some way off, but definitely man-made and probably an outside light.

I entered the forest proper and headed cross-country straight towards it. Branches took wild swipes at my head, while snow

I had emerged at a forest ranger’s house, and was never more pleased to see a door open. Yes, it was embarrassing to explain that I lived in Bedgebury but had no idea where I was, but I could either die from the threat of hypothermia or survive a little embarrassment. This human St Bernard, who had heard it all before, simply fetched his keys – alas, no keg of brandy.

Before I knew it, I’d been dropped at my door. My ever-faithful dog, Leah, welcomed me home with a look of: “What time do you call this?” And the lesson learned is that the best cautionary tale is the one you can recount years later…

Bedgebury Forest in 1982

Tanyard Farm

EVERY DAY IS A BONUS

The grandchildren had a lot of fun decorating their Christmas trees and there was lots of expectation and excitement around Christmas Day. Preparation is key; let’s not pretend that it isn’t a lot of work, but the reward is seeing those awed and happy faces.

Farming families grow up learning that on Christmas Day the animals still need looking after, checking, feeding, milking etc. In our household, regardless of the weather everyone is bundled outside to help. A sense of purpose and a dose of fresh air work wonders for the appetite. It’s good to have a laugh, but I always reflect on my time working in the NHS. For some, this season can be sad and lonely.

So when the dog tries to eat the turkey, some pigs in blankets end up on the kitchen floor, (as a result of burning myself on the oven door), the sprouts are over cooked, the extra stuffing burnt to a cinder and I can’t find the cranberry sauce – I attempt to keep calm.

One grandchild might be having a meltdown, another urgently needs the potty and the oldest announces they’ve decided to go vegan. When chaos reigns, I try to “count my blessings”, fortified by a sip of cool bubbly – purely for medicinal purposes, you understand. I remind myself that every day is a bonus, Christmas Day being no exception.

Today, strong winds are interspersed by downpours. I prefer it cold and dry with some winter sun. While we can’t choose the weather, we can decide how to prepare for it. For me, wool is indispensable. Woollen socks and jerseys are my go-to for warmth and comfort.

Instead of lamenting the low prices received for our wool, I’m taking a more proactive approach. Rather than demonstrating, I’ve been researching how to achieve better returns for our fleeces, and it’s turned out to be quite enjoyable.

Deborah Barker, a director of South East England Fibreshed, recently invited me to a farmer/designer meet up. It was a chance to connect, share challenges and explore opportunities with South East arts and fashion designers interested in working with local wool.

We gathered at The Bell in Ticehurst. Upon arrival we were asked to write a label indicating our category – farmer or designer – and our name. Then we were divided, 11 farmers standing on one side of a long table, 11 designers on the other. What followed felt like speed dating. At the ring of a bell, we had one minute each to talk. Two dings meant time was up and the designers rotated to the next farmer.

Many designers handed out contact cards, which was helpful, though, predictably,

the farmers were less organised. Some farmers brought in samples of fleeces or wool products they had experimented with, while the designers showcased an array of creations incorporating wool. These ranged from coats and bags to scarves and knitted samples that demonstrated the variety of textures and styles achieved with various types of wool.

It was fascinating to learn how these different products are made, but what stood out most was the designers’ genuine enthusiasm for collaborating with farmers. Their goal is to ensure that the final products are fully traceable.

I didn’t have a fleece as we had sent ours to the wool board, but I did take a handknitted jersey that my mother made 35 years ago. When my parents retired from farming, they moved to a small cottage in Shropshire with a single field attached. My mother kept a handful of pedigree Shetland sheep and a couple of Jacobs. She joined the Guild of Spinners, processed her fleeces and spun and knitted countless creations. She even made each of our five children a custom-designed jersey.

At the time, I probably didn’t appreciate the effort that went into her work, but I recently rediscovered one of those jerseys and took it along to show. I still wear her knitted neck

Ewes on the Pevensey levels

Looking at designers' samples using wool

scarves, which are cosy and small enough to tuck into a pocket when you warm up. Looking ahead, we’re exploring a commercial flatbed knitting machine, with which we can create blankets, throws, hats and the like. The aim is to work with fashion designers and farmers from the High Weald and surrounding areas to add value to their wool. Anyone interested in this initiative can find out more by emailing southeastfibreshed@gmail.com

In other farm news, the spring calving cows are about to be weaned, so we are expecting some noisy days and nights while they adjust. The autumn calving cows are due to start shortly.

Our Farming Equipment and Technology Fund grant-funded equipment is now fully

operational. This includes a scoop attachment for the cattle handling system, roller galebreakers installed above both gates into the cattle shed and fixed brushes within the shed. Electric fencing is being used to divide fields and prevent livestock from drowning in rivers. We need to take photos and submit forms, with fingers crossed that everything is in order so our funding is approved. We ventured into Hailsham market to admire the stock at the 182nd Fatstock Show. Congratulations to all the winners, as we know a lot of hard work goes into preparing these animals for this event.

A special mention goes to Snowfields Academy, a school for 11 to 18 year-olds with a farm attached; they did exceptionally well. We could do with more schools like this. The

show brought together many from the rural community and it was good to catch up with familiar faces.

I’m planning to get some finished lambs into market in the new year. I’m pleased that both beef and lamb prices are holding up well, and rightly so if farmers are to stay in business. An update on Saffron (my poorly lamb); she made a full recovery. Yippee.

This autumn we were late putting our tups in with our ewes, but it looks like their work is done. When I checked our lambing start date, it came up as Easter Day; oops, looks like we’ll be hunting lambs not eggs this Easter. A bit of chocolate might still come in handy, though.

Hoping you all enjoyed a merry Christmas and will have a happy, healthy, prosperous new year.

Hailsham Fatstock Show

Showing our tree to grandma

Lambs heading home

Fibreshed book linking fashion and wool

Winter grazing

Decorating the Christmas tree

Focusing on a topic that is still hotly debated in agricultural media and learned journals alike, the fourth annual Kent Farming Conference on 22 January 2025 will delve into the pros and cons of regenerative farming.

Organised by the Kent County Agricultural Society, the Kent Farming Conference is an opportunity for farmers and those linked to the agricultural sector to come together for an evening of insightful discussion, thought-provoking speakers and relaxed networking.

MEET THE SPEAKERS

Lincolnshire arable farmer Andrew Ward MBE first made UK headlines when he founded the charity Forage Aid in 2013 to support some of the hardest-hit farms across the UK during an unprecedented snowstorm.

Since then, Forage Aid has continued to support farmers affected by severe weather, earning Andrew an MBE amongst other plaudits. His farm updates on his YouTube account, Wardys Waffle, receive up to 30,000 views.

The founder of Grassfed Farmer, Silas Hedley-Lawrence, is an agroecological farmer, coach and consultant with a decade of experience in regenerative agriculture.

Formerly farm manager at FAI Farms and English Farm, Silas has experience in both commercial and direct selling models. With ties to New Zealand through his family dairy farm and kiwi fruit orchards, he maintains an emphasis on lean, profitable farming systems that also deliver increasing biodiversity and soil health gains.

Finally, Sir Peter Kendall is a fifth-generation arable farmer from Eyeworth in East Bedfordshire who completed a degree in agricultural economics at Nottingham University before returning to a traditional mixed farm in 1984.

A SECTOR DIVIDED

Is regenerative farming the way forward?

The farm today is a specialist arable unit that undertakes contract farming for a number of local farmers, cropping a total of 1,400 hectares. In 2016 the business started a broiler unit, heavily based on renewable energy.

President of the NFU for eight years, Peter's overriding passion has been to change the image of farming from an old-fashioned industry to one that is innovative, exciting and central to facing the global challenges depicted in the UK Government’s Foresight Report on the Future of Food and Farming. Peter was appointed Chair of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board between 2014 and 2020.

The Kent County Agricultural Society is delighted to be bringing together three big names from across the farming industry for what promises to be a lively, in-depth discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of incorporating regenerative farming techniques into on-farm practice.

Taking place at the Kent Showground on the evening of Wednesday 22 January 2025, the event is free to attend and includes networking and complimentary drinks and light refreshments after the seminar.

The Kent Farming Conference 2025, a not-for-profit event, is kindly sponsored by South East Farmer, Crawfords Group, Brachers LLP, Forestry England, Azets, Wilson Wraight and the NFU Mutual Kent agencies.

The attack on inheritance tax is ‘misguided’

INTERESTING TIMES

“May you live in interesting times” is an ancient curse. Times are very interesting just now. The new Government, faced with a fiscal black hole, has retreated from its pre-election promises and done the usual Labour thing of raising taxes that will hit businesses including farming. No, I am not a deregulating, libertarian disciple of Liz Truss. A civilised society needs taxes to provide good public services and there isn’t a cheap option.

A country’s citizens are most content when the income gap between the richest and poorest is a multiple of four or five. This is true of Scandinavian countries where the standard of living is high, yet the wealth gap remains equitable. This is something encapsulated by ‘doughnut economics’, expounded persuasively by the Oxford economist Kate Raworth.

By contrast, the income gap in the UK has increased staggeringly, with CEOs and owners paid 60 to 100 times more than some employees. Those at the top of the pile have become disproportionally rich at the expense of others who see their living standards eroded. The result has been the disillusion, discontent and anger that produced the Labour landslide.

So what has all this got to do with farming, and South East farming in particular? Well we can’t escape politicians. Consider our climate; heating will accelerate, and we have, this year, already reached the ‘threshold’ of a 1.5°C average rise.

Weather will be increasingly erratic, with more events of the kind that devastated Spain. Can we really expect oil producers to turn their backs on their source of wealth? No. The COP conference in Azerbaijan has, sadly, been an empty exercise in ‘green-washing’. Farming gets more difficult. I believe it was a mistake for the Government to raise national insurance charges as it will dampen productivity and affect food production. Government has missed a golden opportunity, offered by the scale of Starmer’s election mandate, to close tax loopholes, allow councils to tax the largest properties, tax the supremely wealthy and increase taxes on the likes of gambling, airline fuel and private planes

to plug the ‘black hole’.

The attack on inheritance tax (IHT) relief on farmland is misguided, for it disproportionately affects smaller farms that demonstrably perform better for the environment. IHT relief inevitably attracted too much interest from non-farmers. Prices rose, exceeding the capacity to deliver a return on investment through farming.

We should not consider IHT relief sacrosanct. Changes could be acceptable, but the proposed threshold is absurdly low, even with allowances. A higher threshold is essential to avoid damaging real farming. A graduated tax would address distortions produced by non-farmers and corporates simply seeking wealth protection.

The Government proposes to support carbon capture, which has the hallmarks of an expensive, inefficient fig leaf promoted by fossil fuel industries. If their scheme really is what they claim it to be, then it is for oil to invest in it. The Government should stick to schemes that reduce fossil fuel use and the established methods to enhance natural sequestration that farms can deliver.

Commentators will protest loudly about food security. It’s important, but no more so than global heating, water management and biodiversity loss. Our very survival depends on those, too. Concentrating on one will not suffice.

Should we review the agricultural business model of large producers, long supply lines and huge outlets, to a more localised system with smaller outlets? The former is destructive for the environment while the latter less polluting. For example: what if every farm hosted a one- or two-hectare market garden. Could that work? Would it offer more local employment? Oxford colleges and pubs are already actively seeking local produce direct from growers.

Farmers will need to be even more resilient and nimble to tackle climate change, biodiversity loss and the challenge of feeding us all while remaining sane. We have the knowledge and capacity to lead. Let us hope government will listen and support our efforts to deliver the full range of public goods.

MARATHON NOT A SPRINT

By NFU East Sussex Chair Martin Hole.

“A marathon, not a sprint” is a concept farmers can understand and one that is advocated by our NFU leadership. While finishing in under five hours is respectable, it is not going to be possible in this race. The next five months, or even five years, form the horizon.

To convince the Treasury and the Prime Minister of the need to alter the agricultural and business property reliefs to inheritance tax is now a campaign on a war footing. The public is our biggest ally, their support essential. The challenge is to reach the right people in the best way with the most accurate information.

Nature restoration is another marathon. Agri-environment schemes began in 1987 with Environmentally Sensitive Areas, swiftly followed by the birth of Countryside Stewardship. Today a smorgasbord of opportunity for farming is delivered through DEFRA and the evolving Environmental Land Management schemes, the engine of a whole industry transition into nature-friendly farming.

Based on Prof Lawton’s principles of “bigger, better, more and joined”, changes to food production are being complemented by the creation of wilder landscapes. The target

is 30% of the UK by 2030, as promised in the international accord of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, though we are currently less than half way there. In real terms that’s about a quarter of the way to “half earth”, a target championed by the late great biology Professor E O Wilson as the least amount of land needed to stem the mass extinction. There is a long journey ahead.

Like the poor individual who gets up alone to begin the dance, early starters in these schemes were sometimes pilloried and then, later, joined by others who got the rhythm. The dance makes sense when everyone joins, especially for wildlife.

I believe in the preciousness of individuality, but to complete the dancing analogy, the effect of many working in concert is a thrilling uplift in performance. This is the essence of farm 'clusters', loose assemblies of neighbouring farmers learning the transition together. Rooted in the base of the community, it is activity from the bottom up. As a community we tend to dislike the top down diktats, so the cluster is an answer.

Pevensey farmers, in a thriving partnership with Natural England, have made much headway safeguarding the amazing speciesrich wetlands. This partnership is nearing its

50th birthday, if one reflects on the birth of the designation of Sites of Special Scientific Importance (SSSI), or thousands of years if you are a snail or yellow wagtail.

It is, however, the future that counts. Similar work is being done by farmers in other clusters, six of which operate in the South Downs National Park. Five combine to make the Weald to Waves project, which harnesses the power of a clustering of clusters. These landscape recoveries represent the transition, the essential mission in which the Government is the other key player.

Let’s return to the elephant in the room, the startling decision by the Treasury to target all business in its venomous tax raid on private enterprise. It is as if some dark force has put a spitting cobra into the children’s bedroom. Trust is eroded, even if there may be ways through the narrowing maze.

When cogs in the clusters begin to fail, then the clusters fail too, like unspringing clocks, risking decades of achievement in our vulnerable countryside. By pouring doubt into the ability to make good on long term aspiration, whether nature recovery or food production, this Government seems to have built the seeds of destruction into its own flagship policy.

COTSWOLDS FARMER TAKES THE CHAIR

Cotswolds farmer Mark Tufnell has been announced as the incoming chair of the Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE). Mark manages and owns Calmsden Farms, Cirencester, where he incorporates key measures for enhancing biodiversity alongside commercial arable operations.

He is a non-executive board member of Natural England and a former president of the Country Land and Business Association. He also chairs a number of local conservation groups and trained as a chartered accountant. Mark, who takes on the role in January 2025, said: “I would like to grow the membership and see the society have a strong financial base.

Farmer interaction will be key and extending the knowledge base out into the agricultural sector will raise the profile of RASE.” He added that he wanted to support RASE in “optimising agriculture alongside the journey to net zero”.

During his term in office, outgoing chair Philip Gready commissioned 2021’s Farm of the Future: Journey to Net Zero report which was published by the society and endorsed by Lord Deben.

“The report was initially very well-received, but it was even better to see how it snowballed into a whole series of activities carried out by RASE, which has included demonstration events, farm study tours and workshops for farmers,” Philip commented.

“RASE plays a crucial role by providing the farming community with insights from agricultural research and examples of how the latest science can be applied on-farm. This has been a core activity for RASE since the society was founded in 1838 and I’m sure Mark will continue to develop how the society achieves this,” he added.

Mark Tufnell

Philip Gready

VISITS:

TRANSFORMED INTO THRIVING DIVERSIFIED ENTERPRISE

This month Nigel Akehurst visits Hiltonbury Jerseys on the outskirts of Winchester, Hampshire, to meet tenant dairy farmer Oliver Neagle. Over two decades, he and his family have transformed their business from a precarious tenant operation into a thriving diversified enterprise, adding value, selling direct and building strong connections with customers.

It’s late morning as I arrive at Attwoods Drove Farm. Parking up in front of the farm shop and milk vending machine, I am greeted by dairy farmer and entrepreneur Oliver Neagle, who had just finished a chat with a regular customer stocking up on raw Jersey milk.

“Each week we sell around 400 litres of raw milk and another 400 litres of pasteurised milk direct to customers,” said Oliver proudly. “The vending machine and shop are the beating heart of what we do now.” His wife Shaleen manages the shop, which also stocks their own beef, homemade fudge, their own natural

soap made with raw milk and their famed Hiltonbury Jersey ice cream. Yet this bucolic farm scene didn’t emerge overnight.

FROM DRUM KIT TO PEDIGREE JERSEYS

Sitting down for a chat over a coffee, Oliver explained that his own farming journey began over two decades ago. At the age of 31, he sold his beloved drum kit – the only thing of real value he owned – to raise £900 for two Pedigree Jersey show cows, Hiltonbury Yarrow (Yarrow’s head is the current herd logo) and Hiltonbury Yuletide.

“I wanted to carry on our herd name after mum sold up. Those two cows cost £450 each, and the only way I could get the money was by selling my drums.”

“I wanted to carry on our herd name after mum sold up,” he explained. “Those two cows cost £450 each, and the only way I could get the money was by selling my drums.” His family had farmed locally as tenants for generations, but this move marked the beginning of a new chapter in Oliver’s farming career after working throughout his twenties for agricultural contractors in Somerset.

Today, Oliver keeps around 300 Jerseys, primarily home-bred, and milks about 120 at any given time. The rest are followers, replacements and a growing number of beef crosses that are sold through the farm shop.

THE CHALLENGES OF TENANCY FARMING

As a tenant farmer working with Hampshire County Council, Oliver’s path has never been straightforward. Over the years he moved three times, never certain when the council might need the land back. He spent 16 years at a holding in Botley with a rundown parlour, which made planning for the future very difficult.

“Dairy’s a long-term game,” he said. “You’re always thinking years ahead, but we never knew when we’d have to move on.”

Eventually, a prime site closer to Winchester became available. Oliver seized the opportunity, negotiating a deal that let

FARM FACTS

him design a modern dairy unit on councilowned land. The council invested around £1 million and Oliver added £250,000 of his own, installing a 24:24 Dairy Master parlour and improved infrastructure for silage clamps, young stock housing and a workshop.

“We moved the cows here five years ago,” he said, gesturing to the modern buildings.

“It’s made a world of difference; cut milking times, improved cow comfort and given us a proper base from which to diversify.”

GOING DIRECT –THE MILK VENDING MACHINE

Oliver’s first major step into direct sales

• 160-acre county council farm plus 35 rented acres and 25 acres for hay

• 120 Jersey cows (6,000 litres average yield), yearround calving

• Sexed semen plus Angus and Belgian Blue genetics for beef crosses

• 24:24 Dairy Master milking parlour

• Sells 400 litres raw and 400 litres pasteurised milk weekly direct to customers, with the remainder going to dairy processor

came in 2016 at the old Botley farm, when he placed a milk vending machine inside a lorry container. “I think I was the first in Hampshire with a vending machine,” he said. “At first, it was just testing the water, but people loved it. They drove from all over, and that’s when I knew we were onto something.”

Now, the vending machine sits in a permanent building outside his farmhouse. Customers come for a couple of bottles or sometimes 50 or 100 litres at a time. Raw milk and pasteurised milk fans are both catered for. This direct approach lets Oliver set his own price, providing vital daily cash flow.

“Without these changes, we wouldn’t be here,” he said.

• Produces 18 flavours of Jersey ice cream on-site to sell from the shop and via a mobile ice cream trailer throughout the summer months

• Sells approximately one body of beef per week through the shop

• Over 25,000 Facebook followers

• Considering Sustainable Farming Incentive options

• Website: www.hiltonburyjerseys.co.uk

• Does all his own tractor work, including forage harvesting

Oliver Neagle, Shaleen Neagle, Cova Butcher and her boyfriend Jamie Bramble

NIGEL AKEHURST VISITS: HILTONBURY JERSEYS

THE FARM SHOP AND ADDING VALUE

Keen to build on this momentum, Oliver and Shaleen established a farm shop in an existing building on the site, open seven days a week.

Shaleen runs it at weekends, the busiest times, while during the week customers use an honesty box, knowing the family is never far away.

Over time, they’ve steadily expanded their offerings. Around 2019, they invested in a dedicated hygiene room and a second-hand ice cream machine, as well as a mobile ice cream trailer to supply events.

“We do about 18 flavours now,” said Oliver. “In summer, it flies out of the freezers.”

They’ve added their own Jersey beef boxes, fudge, raw milk soap made locally with their milk, and even equestrian supplies and country wear. Some customers spend just a few pounds, while others spend hundreds, but it all adds up, providing a stable, diversified income stream.

FARMING AND ENVIRONMENT

FOCUSED JOURNALISM AND DIGITAL CONTENT CREATION

Storytelling through interviews, features, case studies, photography and videos.

For enquiries contact Nigel Akehurst via email on nigel@indiefarmer.com

Instagram @indiefarmer www.indiefarmer.com

Over time, they’ve steadily expanded their offerings. Around 2019, they invested in a dedicated hygiene room and a second-hand ice cream machine, as well as a mobile ice cream trailer to supply events

CONNECTING THROUGH EVENTS AND SOCIAL MEDIA

Hiltonbury Jerseys doesn’t just sell produce; they also share their story. “We’ve got about 25,000 followers on Facebook now,” said Oliver proudly.“People love seeing what we’re up to – milking, feeding calves, making ice cream, or even the odd tractor job.”

Videos and photos often rack up thousands of likes, proving there’s real appetite for understanding where food comes from. Events have become a key part of the farm’s identity.

“We’ve done food and craft festivals, bringing in 40 or 50 local producers. Last year, we reckon about 2,500 people turned up. We’ve got tractor rides, animals on display - the works”, he explained.

Shaleen orchestrates these events, which not only generate revenue but also help put the farm on the map and build connections with customers and other producers.

ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP AND HERD MANAGEMENT

Despite the focus on retail and events, Oliver hasn’t lost sight of traditional farming priorities. He works on free-draining, flinty, chalk soils, which lets him turn cows out relatively early, and he’s planted new hedgerows to encourage biodiversity.

The herd is managed with loose yards for better welfare and to produce valuable manure that’s spread back on fields, reducing artificial fertiliser use. He’s also introduced herbal leys and red clover to improve

Shaleen and Oliver

forage quality and cut down on fertiliser and bought-in protein.

“We’re always thinking about how to keep the system ticking over nicely without over-reliance on expensive inputs,” he added.

Oliver’s approach to grazing is simple and flexible. “I let them out as weather and conditions allow; they can come and go, find shelter if it rains, and I buffer feed them inside. It works for us,” he said.

NEXT GENERATION

Oliver’s stepdaughter Cova looks after the calves, milks and helps with field work. Even her boyfriend Jamie chips in, having learned the skills needed to help with fieldwork when he’s not off carpentering.

“It’s a proper family farm,” Oliver said. “We don’t employ many people. Between us, we manage the cows, shop, fieldwork and events. We’re flat out, but it’s rewarding.”

This family involvement brings its own challenges, especially when it comes to getting a break. “When one of us wants a day off, the others cover. It’s tough, but we manage. Maybe in time we’ll take on a relief milker to take a bit of pressure off.”

LOOKING AHEAD – FEWER COWS AND MORE DIVERSIFICATION

With the infrastructure now in place, Oliver has been thinking about the future. The dairy system produces a lot of milk, but he dreams of scaling back cow numbers to 30 or 40 milkers while growing direct sales.

“Why milk 100 cows for a processor at a lower price, when I could milk fewer cows and add more value myself?” he asked.

Selling raw milk at £2.50 a litre directly to customers far outweighs

the 50 pence per litre he might get wholesale. He’s open-minded about further diversification, too, thinking about perhaps adding glamping or more events to capitalise on the farm’s location and views over Winchester.

“We’ve just put in outside loos,” he said, before explaining that the family is in the process of looking into bell tents for the coming glamping season.

REFLECTIONS ON THE INDUSTRY

Like many farmers, Oliver has seen the sector contract dramatically. “When I started, there were nearly 39,000 dairy farms. Now it’s around 6,000,” he said. “It’s tough. Costs are huge, and we’re not always paid what we deserve. But if you want control, you have to go direct.”

He appreciates the spotlight thrown on farming by programmes like Clarkson’s Farm. “We need public understanding,” he said. While he believes collective action could force fairer prices, he knows it’s easier said than done.

A HOPEFUL VISION

As I prepare to leave, a steady flow of customers continues. Some pick up milk and fudge, others browse the beef. All tell the same storyHiltonbury Jerseys has found a winning formula by focusing on quality, transparency and building customer relationships.

Oliver and his family show how British dairy farms can thrive through direct sales, value-added products and strong community engagement. Here on the edge of Winchester, Hiltonbury Jerseys stands as a beacon of what’s possible.

Cova milking

ARABLE NOTES

WELL-MAINTAINED EQUIPMENT CAN BOOST THE BOTTOM LINE

This month’s contribution comes from Simon Roberts.

With field work coming to a close for the year, now is the time to maintain and prepare your sprayer and fertiliser spreader for the coming season.

If you consider the importance of these two implements on your crop output, making sure they are reliable and set up as accurately as possible is a must. An output variation of just 5% equates to a potential overspend of £40/ha on fertiliser and plant protection chemicals alone.

While a potential overspend should make you stop and consider the impact on your inputs, the costs can be wider ranging.

Under-dosing can be as costly, if not more so, through poor efficacy and its impact.

Simon Roberts

Sub-optimal rates of herbicide could lead to reduced efficacy, weed survival and risk of resistance build up, not to mention seed return resulting in future issues.

This season we have seen delayed application of fungicide and/or poor coverage caused by boom height issues let brown rust take hold, resulting in significant infections and yield loss in certain varieties.

Making sure the sprayer is in good condition, well maintained and accurate all helps reduce downtime, increase efficacy and reduce any potential environmental impact.

A recent NROSO training event highlighted that the NSTS certification scheme’s highest recurrent issue was leaking non-drip valves. Proactively replacing these with quality EPDM or Teflon diaphragms will help reduce wear from some of the harsher products used and reduce dripping during the season, although daily checks should be best practice during the season. Replacing any pump diaphragm/seals at the same time will also reduce in-season downtime due to deterioration.

During the calibration process, nozzles should be checked for any damage and uneven wear, usually highlighted by uneven patination or output. Replace the whole set if output variation is greater than +/- 4% between nozzles.

When replacing nozzles, consider what options you require and look for improved

drift reduction where possible. In principle, the smaller the target the smaller the droplet required for good coverage.

For pre-emergence applications, potential for drift is high, and so the use of the 90% drift reduction option is advised. Once we move into the spring, coverage is more important. Small grass weeds require smaller droplets (flat fans), which are prone to drift, to get best coverage.

Attention to forward speed (max 12km/h) and boom height (50cm max) helps mitigate the drift effect of smaller droplets. For fungicide applications, especially later into the season for growth stage 32 applications onwards, a combination of coverage and penetration through the canopy is required. The air inclusion nozzles that maximise droplet numbers, such as Guardian Air, are the best options here.

Regarding fertiliser spreaders, I recommend that all our clients get regular spreader calibrations to ensure an even spread of fertiliser and maximise the field potential.

The past couple of years have seen many farms switching between fertiliser products to ensure they purchase at the best price. However, most products will spread in a slightly differently way and therefore calibration will be essential to ensure a uniform spread. A co-efficient of variation above 20% will lead to visible striping in crops and therefore a likely yield decrease.

Photo: Stephen Richard McAdam / Shutterstock.com

STEPHEN CARR

HIGHLIGHTING THE WRONG PROBLEM WITH THE BUDGET

As I write this, more than 600 tractors, some of which have travelled from as far away as Exmoor, Worcestershire, Somerset and even the Isle of Wight, are circling Parliament Square protesting the recent Labour Government budget.

So far, I’ve not joined any of the London farmer protests as it seems to me that the demonstrators, by endlessly banging on about inheritance tax, are highlighting the wrong problem with the budget.

Farmland was subject to inheritance tax for much of the 20th century at much higher rates than the 20% now proposed, and the industry survived it. And DEFRA secretary Steve Reed himself has taken the trouble to remind farmers that paying inheritance on farmland can quite easily be avoided by us giving away our land at least seven years before we die.

But what would get me heading up the A22 from Eastbourne (although even my best tractor is so worn out I’m not sure I’d trust it to take me to Brighton, let alone to Whitehall and back), would be to demonstrate against the shock near-complete immediate removal of basic payments (or ‘delinked payments’, as we have been told to call them since 2023) announced in the budget.

The impact of this on farmers has hardly got a mention, even in the farming press. I did raise the subject briefly in these pages a month ago, but I suppose the accelerated removal of an old EU subsidy that’s already in the process of being phased out is not a very sexy issue to demonstrate about.

But the immediate 76% reduction in the first £30,000 of delinked payments and a 100% cut to any payments above will hit many farm businesses hard, my own included. This has now been confirmed by a piece of research just published by land agents Knight Frank. The average English arable farm can expect to see a 24% drop in profit next year due to delinked payment cuts, with even worse outcomes predicted for livestock farms. Less favoured area (LFA) farms will see incomes nearly halved.

Why is the NFU not making more fuss about this? It’s not as if delinked payments are going exclusively to wealthy landowners. Nearly 31% of UK farms rent land, and the rents they pay are very much ‘linked’ to assumptions about subsidy receipts through to 2027. Similarly, many farmers’ borrowing commitments to banks and planned mortgage repayments are ‘linked’ to receipts of this subsidy.

By introducing these massive cuts, Chancellor Reeves has simply misunderstood what delinked payments are. They are not ‘delinked’ at all but very much something that tens of thousands of farmers are dependent on for their livelihood.

The NFU needs to make the catastrophic cuts to delinked payments the centre of its protest. Then I too will be giving my best tractor the mother of all services and setting the sat nav for Cromwell Green.

STEPHEN CARR

The farm has a pub, the Sussex Ox at Milton Street, which serves the farm's pedigree Sussex beef, Southdown-cross lamb and fruit and vegetables from the farmhouse kitchen-garden.

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Stephen farms near Eastbourne in East Sussex in partnership with his wife and four of his daughters.

ANITA HICKSON ORGANISED CHAOS

DESPONDENT AND DISHEARTENED

Here’s hoping everyone enjoyed a very merry Christmas and is looking forward to a happy and healthy new year – and that this fiasco of a government will see a little bit of sense with regards to farming in 2025.

Despondent, disheartened, in low spirits, are all words that I would use to describe the mood in farming today. The rallies that have been taking place in London and around the country are all signs that the farming community is pulling together but we ALL need to pull together.

Voters seem to be abandoning Labour in droves since the general election. That’s certainly true of the owners of small and medium-sized businesses after the budget threatened business viability and the future of rural economies.

Despite all the petitioning, the Government has refused to back down on the ‘tractor tax’, arguing that the majority of farms will be unaffected. They have severely underestimated the number of farms, farmers and private business (in any field) that will be affected. I believe it may take a miracle to force the Government to change its plans as I am sure it is all part of the Government’s bigger plan with a major investment company to force the sale of farmland, but we all need to write to our MPs to voice our opinion.

The recent events surrounding 30 trial farms using the Bovaer® feed additive in dairy cows’ feed seems to have sparked a huge debate. Misinformation and false claims have been

circulating on social media and appear to have been gaining momentum.

Some of this has been fuelled by small companies and businesses distancing themselves from the perception that this is unsafe in an attempt to protect their own business, with no consideration for farming as a whole or, indeed, potentially their own farming neighbours.

Bovaer is not a new or untested feed additive; on the contrary it is already on the market and has been used in more than 200,000 cows in more than 25 markets. It has been approved for use in more than 68 countries.

This approval is based on scientific studies, with evidence that feeding with Bovaer does not harm animals or negatively impact their health, productivity or the quality/quantity of their milk.

Bovaer is specifically designed to break down in the cow’s digestive system and decomposes into naturally occurring compounds that are already present in the gut. One major company has been targeted by the misinformation that has been surrounding Bovaer, but perhaps if we looked closer to home it would appear farmers are also involved by hyping the spread of misinformation to enable their own products to rise to the top of the market.

Farmers have been posting videos on social media of people discarding Arla products without seemingly making the connection that this will potentially impact their dairy farming

HIGHLIGHTING

Farmers from across the country attended LandAlive at the Bath & West Showground in Somerset, the latest event to highlight regenerative farming and sustainable food.

Organisers said the two-day conference, which attracted more than 80 speakers, 50 exhibitors and 550 delegates, had highlighted the way ‘regen’ agriculture was not just good for nature but could “kickstart Britain’s economic revival by making farms more profitable and improving the nation’s health

neighbour. How would a sheep/beef farmer react if a dairy farmer was advocating a boycott of British lamb/beef? Unity or fragmentation? You decide…

Fortunately for us Monty has returned from his work in Scotland on a large Holstein herd in time for the festive season. He would appear to have worked hard, learnt lots and have some rather ambitious ideas for the future. We will certainly be glad to have him home, but I know a small person who has been desperate for him to return.

While having some down time he took part in a charity tractor run that raised vast amounts of money and involved more than 400 tractors one Saturday evening. The streets were lined with many pro-farming members of the general public, all supporting British farming.

The farm seems to be functioning as per normal. Christmas Day is the same as any other, according to the animals; the only difference was the presents we exchanged. Father Christmas obviously thought we had all been good in 2024!

A birthday for Zara on Boxing Day and a new baby due in May. At least I will be a granny before I am 50. Oh, and a trip to the panto! Until next time stay safe.

REGENERATIVE FARMING

with foods that are higher in nutrients”.

One of the speakers was Merrick DentonThomson, former president of The Landscape Institute and author of a new DEFRA-funded study which looked at the impact of farming on a single English county, in this case Hampshire.

The study concluded that the cost of ‘clearing up’ – particularly excessive nitrogen use –after conventional farming was more than the value of the food produced in the county, leading conference organisers Sustainable Food Somerset and The Royal Bath and West

of England Society to suggest conventional farming was “a drain on the local economy and the public purse in ways that regenerative farming would not be”.

ANITA HICKSON Farmer

Launched at Hutchinsons’ Connected Farming Technology conference in early December, head of marketing Nick Rainsley explained that the reasoning behind this extensive research was to understand better where farmers are on their digital journey, explore some of the key issues that exist and share the results amongst the farming community to stimulate discussion and actions.

The survey covered 200 growers and farms of over 100 ha of either arable only or mixed arable and livestock, and asked whether respondents were early adopters, more results-focused or just cautious.

The research lends weight to the role digital technology is going to play in the future of UK farming. Half of the farms researched said digital technology was going to be of increasing importance in farming and this rose to nearly two-thirds among the largest farms.

A large majority sees data-driven decision making as important in the future. Nearly two thirds ranked it six or more out of 10, with 10 being the highest importance.

With an increasing array of tools and solutions being used, particularly weather-related apps and generic tools such as What3Words, it was unsurprising that the research suggested a whopping 72% of farmers believed climate change and weather considerations were the biggest challenges facing farming.

Nick pointed out, however, that almost half or more of farmers surveyed unsurprisingly cited the additional challenges of high input costs, market prices and overall farm profitability. This was reflected in the principal reasons they gave for using digital tools; savings on costs, improving yields and being more efficient.

Of the current tools in use, 76% of respondents said they were using auto-steer, with around 40% adopting variable-rate technology for fertiliser applications and

HOW UK FARMERS ARE USING DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

Farmers across the UK are extensively using digital technology to help them run their businesses now and to help them plan how they will run their businesses in the future, according to exclusive research carried out by leading crop production specialists Hutchinsons.

seed drilling. A smaller proportion, 21%, used variable-rate applications for spraying.

More than a third said they used digital technology for soil management, environmental and carbon accounting, disease monitoring and stock-taking/recording. Almost half said that digital technology would help them meet the growing challenges of compliance and more environmentally focused production.

While these technologies have been around for a while, it should come as no surprise that their adoption is increasingly popular when the environment and cost drivers are taken into consideration.

When asked about potential barriers to adoption, cost and return on investment were clear issues, while for the larger farms, integration between different software packages was also a notable barrier to usage, suggesting that this was possibly a reflection that bigger businesses were using, or were interested in using, more digital tools.

Across the whole survey, more than a quarter cited solution integration as being important in the future, making it the number one requirement.

In an encouraging sign, Mr Rainsley pointed out that 77% rated themselves as five or above (out of 10) when it came to their confidence in using digital tech.

Looking at variances, Mr Rainsley said the

SURVEY KEY FINDINGS

• UK farmers are confident in use of digital tech

• Adoption is now embedded in UK agriculture

• Saving costs is the biggest driver

• Half can see digital tech improving compliance and audit

• Two thirds see data-driven decision making as important

• More opportunities are needed for better training, awareness and support.

early adopters were more positive about digital technology. Staffing challenges were more relevant to the bigger farms and, not surprisingly, they rated work and resource planning as being a more important area that could be improved by digital technology than the rest of the cohort.

NICK RAINSLEY Head of Marketing

T: 07909 686866

E: nick.rainsley@hlhltd.co.uk

Canterbury: 01227 830064 www.hlhltd.co.uk

RURAL EDUCATION EXPERIENCE

NEW YEAR’S REVOLUTIONS

Deputy head of curriculum for equine, Sarah Hankey, shares her top tips for keeping horses happy and healthy during the colder months.

The equine unit at Hadlow has extensive facilities including two indoor arenas, a large outdoor arena and stabling for 64 horses, which makes them a big part of daily life at the college.

As the year revolves, so the way we care for horses changes. This revolving annual pattern might see those caring for horses digging out thicker rugs and battening down the hatches ready for the bitter temperatures typical of January and February in the UK.

Horses can be simple creatures, requiring not much more than food and water, shelter and company, or they can be ‘divas’ who require a higher tier of needs to be met. As an owner you hope to have the former, as it will cost you less in heartache and stress as well as money.

At Hadlow College there is a combination of both, along with everything in between. We aim to show the next generation of equine enthusiasts a range of methods, types, traditions and strategies for managing horses as they study across a range of further and higher education equine programmes.

FEEDING

Feeding forage (grass, hay, haylage and sometimes straw) over winter is important, not only to maintain condition when the body is burning up calories to stay warm, but because the digestion of fibre in the hind gut creates heat, which means it’s like giving them an internal hot water bottle.

We can provide this as grazing (if there is any left), hay bales or mangers in the field, or as haynets, racks or piles in the stable. The divas won’t be happy if their hay has been mixed with their bedding, or been sat around for too long though…

On average, healthy horses should consume 2% of their bodyweight on a daily basis, with a high proportion of that being forage, depending on their exercise regime and energy needs. For the ‘good doers’ who hold their weight, feeding straw can be a way to provide adequate forage without the increased calories of hay and haylage.

HEALTH CHECKS

Daily health checks are important to check that horses haven’t sustained any injuries or caught their rugs on fences and are in good health.

Picking out hooves is essential to check no stones or foreign objects are wedged there. The underside of the hoof is a perfectly designed hollow in which things can become so solidly packed that you can want a hammer and chisel to get the mud out.

If snow is on the ground, this too can get packed in the underside of the hoof; greasing the sole of the foot can help stop this.

SHELTER AND WARMTH

Shelter should always be provided from the elements, but it doesn’t have to be a built structure.

Hedging and trees provide great shelter in the lee of the prevailing wind and can provide a range of varying leaves and berries which can help meet the horse’s medicinal as well as nutritional needs. Horses are able to self-select medicinal compounds in foliage, something which is called zoopharmacognosy. It can help older horses in particular, but do check no poisonous species are within reach.

In terms of warmth, horses were living outside in a range of conditions before humans domesticated them, but domesticate them we did, and through evolution some breeds struggle to cope in different climates.

If a horse grows a thick enough coat and maintains sufficient body condition over the winter they probably don’t need a rug. If a horse gets clipped to help reduce sweating during exercise, however, or hasn’t a thick coat, they will benefit from rugs, which can be layered with blankets and duvets to maintain body condition. It is worth considering whether the horse needs this or whether the owner just thinks they do, as well as how attached you are to your goose down duvet - because you won’t want it back!

The next revolution will bring us spring, with warmer days, more daylight and the start of new growth. Just keep telling yourself that as you scrape chunks of mud off your boots and head into the warmth at the end of the day, leaving a pile of wet coats and gloves behind you.

To find out more about studying Equine at Hadlow College visit www.hadlow.ac.uk/courses/equine-management

MISCANTHUS OPPORTUNITY

A new opportunity has opened up for farmers in the South East to supply miscanthus, a highly sought-after material in the animal bedding market, particularly for the equine industry.

The expansion is being driven by growing demand from Biosorb, a family-run business led by third-generation farmer and entrepreneur James Martin, based in Weeley. Following increasing demand for miscanthus bedding, James is actively seeking regional growers to supply approximately 2,500 to 3,000 metric tons of dry miscanthus material annually. This material will feed into a dedicated bedding production line that includes a bale breaker, chipper, hammer mill and packing station.

James’s business model ensures convenience for growers, offering:

• a turnkey service: The cutting, baling, chasing and transport to the processing plant are all handled by Biosorb.

• a guaranteed income: Growers receive £55 net per metric ton of dry miscanthus material, including all harvest and transportation costs. Additional payments are available through Sustainable Farming Incentive actions.

• long-term commitment: Miscanthus has a lifespan of 20-plus years, requiring minimal maintenance after planting.

JAMES MARTIN’S SUCCESS STORY

James Martin operates a 120 hectare family farm and leases an additional 120 hectares. Previously managing 600 cattle, the family made the bold decision to sell their livestock and invest in cutting-edge bedding machinery

to focus on producing high-quality bedding materials.

“We’ve been in the hay and straw merchant and bedding supply business for three generations,” James explained. “Diversifying into miscanthus bedding through Biosorb was a natural step. It’s incredibly absorbent, making it the most sought-after bedding in the equine industry.”

As well as recruiting neighbouring farmers to grow miscanthus to supply his business, James planted 12 hectares of Terravesta AthenaTM miscanthus in 2024 and plans to expand further in the spring of 2025. “I’ll have my first commercial harvest in 2026,” said James. “But I’ll be able to top it and harvest some cane in spring 2025.”

James is working in partnership with miscanthus specialist Terravesta, which has established long term contracts with power stations in Norfolk and Lincolnshire as well as other regional bedding markets in the UK. The company collaborates with an increasing number of local farmers to supply whole miscanthus bales annually under long-term, index-linked contracts.

SUPPORT FOR GROWERS

James provides a guaranteed offtake agreement for all miscanthus grown under this initiative. In collaboration with Terravesta, any surplus biomass not used for bedding is supplied to power station customers, further safeguarding growers' investment.

“The demand for miscanthus bedding has outstripped our current supply,” said James. “This is a great opportunity for farmers to secure a reliable, long-term income stream

while contributing to a sustainable industry.”

WHY MISCANTHUS?

Miscanthus is a perennial crop that offers numerous benefits. It:

• improves soil health

• requires minimal maintenance after establishment

• thrives on less productive and flood-prone fields

• stores 2.35 tonnes of CO2e per year in the soil.

• its economics are such that it offers better returns than any of the remaining SFI options.

Another benefit is that James’ regional market is backed up by supply chain specialist Terravesta, which will take any surplus miscanthus to supply renewable power stations in the north east and east midlands.

GET INVOLVED

Farmers near Essex and surrounding counties are invited to set aside land and invest in planting miscanthus. With the first harvest expected in the second year after planting, the crop offers a viable, long-term, diversification option.

James takes care of the cutting, baling, chasing and transportation, which is all factored into the £55/tonne price paid back to the grower.

Farmers who are interested in becoming a miscanthus grower or looking at investment opportunities should visit www.terravesta.com, contact James at bedding@biosorb.co.uk or call 07887 686466.

CELEBRATING T LEVELS WEEK

Alan Johnson, Agri-Food & Environment Curriculum Management reports.

The first week of December saw the college celebrate T Levels week. T Levels is a new two-year qualification for 16 to 19-yearolds, equivalent to three A Levels, which combines classroom theory with practical work placements. T Levels are designed with employers to ensure students have the right skills needed by industry.

T Levels include:

• core theory, concepts and skills for industry

• specialist skills and knowledge

• an industry placement to prepare the student for his or her next steps towards a career or move into higher education.

Lucy and Finn, first-year T Level students, are studying the livestock production route of our agriculture, land management and production T Level, and have been learning a multitude of core subjects such as sustainability, relationship management, biosecurity, machinery repair and information and data. They are developing a solid understanding of specific sector knowledge of agriculture livestock.

LUCY SAID:

“I chose the T Level at Plumpton because I enjoy working with livestock more than other aspects of farming. I really like that the course teaches in-depth care for livestock, covering all aspects including feeding, bedding up, fencing, breeding and medical care of each species throughout the year. What I am learning at college is boosting my knowledge, and I now feel more confident working on my family farm with the livestock.

“For example, when I started I was very nervous about vaccinating sheep, and the college has taught me how to vaccinate properly with ease, so I can now be more hands-on and practical when vaccinating my sheep on my farm. The theory side of the T Level is valuable and interesting, and I especially enjoy learning about livestock anatomy. I'm looking forward to getting my qualifications next year and gaining more practical experience from this course.”

FINN SAID:

“The T Level gives us a broad understanding of the livestock we care for in our practical sessions and work placements. It also gives us a more detailed overview of livestock farming, whether writing out an entire farm plan including all the finances, key performance indicators and so on, or out drenching sheep or learning how to put up a solid livestock fence. The group sizes are also reasonably small, so we can get to know each other and work better in our teams.

“The skills we learn in our theory and practical sessions are all taken into our work placements. It helps me understand what we are doing, why we are doing it, and what we need to do it, as well as having previous practice in our practical sessions. The lecturers are all experienced and can answer any questions related to agriculture and explain the importance of all the components we cover.

“It's also an excellent gateway to getting related qualifications, for example, our vet-meds certificate, which helps us at our placements and in future jobs because it gives employers confidence that we can competently use medication and administer it to animals. It means they don't have to spend so much time training us and means we don't run the risk of injuring the animal or ourselves.

“Overall, the T Level is a brilliant course for me because the depth of knowledge and the skills I gain are all related to livestock production and can be applied to different jobs within the livestock sector.”

Lucy and Finn

If you are an employer and would like to know more about the

of

on

apprentice, the college would be delighted to help; get in touch with our apprenticeships team at

ADAPTING TO CHANGING WEATHER PATTERNS

Residents of the sunny South East are no strangers to the capriciousness of weather, but the challenges associated with it are becoming increasingly pronounced. In 2024, the region experienced significant variability in both temperature and rainfall, reflecting broader climate trends across the UK.

During the growing season, cooler than average temperatures caused by a southwardshifted jet stream bringing Arctic air were accompanied by below average rainfall, between 50% and 70% of the historical norm. We saw a markedly low level of sunshine hours, which impacted the quality of fruiting crops. Spring and early autumn followed a similar pattern, marked by cooler days interspersed with brief warm spells. These inter-season fluctuations present mounting challenges for vineyards and orchards, highlighting the critical need for growers to adapt and innovate in response to a changing climate.

REDUCTION OF CHILL HOURS

Fruit crops like apples, pears and cherries rely on a critical period of cold weather, known as chill hours, to ensure proper bud development and flowering. Warmer winters, though, have led to a reduction in the number of chill hours, resulting in uneven blossoming, weaker fruit set and ultimately lower yields, which was particularly notable in pears.

To address this, future strategies may involve planting varieties that require fewer chill hours and are better suited to milder winters. While apples like Jazz, Magic Star, and Russet traditionally require between 800 and 1,000 chill hours for successful development, certain Gala clones only need around 600 hours, making them more adaptable to regions with reduced chilling. Varieties such as Ein Shemer and Anna, which require as few as 350 and 200 to 400 chill hours, respectively, are already grown in temperate climates and are well adapted to warmer temperatures.

MEGAN FITZPATRICK MRES

Horticultural Agronomist at Hutchinsons, SFI Specialist and BASIS qualified

UNPREDICTABLE FROST EVENTS

Frost events can occur even when the weather appears mild, particularly during early blooming when fruit crops like apples, pears and cherries are most vulnerable. A late frost in April 2021, for instance, caused widespread losses for fruit growers. A range of frost protection methods is currently used in vineyards but may also become more widely adopted in top fruit orchards.

One common method in vineyards is the use of wind machines, which help mix warmer air from above with cooler air near the ground, reducing the frost risk. Another widely used vineyard tool is frost candles, which create a localised zone of warmer air to protect vulnerable buds.

Particularly for vineyards and cherries, delayed pruning can help to ensure later flowering and reduce exposure to frosts. In vineyards, growers may also leave spare canes and delay tying them down until the frost risk has passed. Mulching can further help

maintain more consistent soil temperatures and provide an additional layer of protection.

DRIER SUMMERS

Although 2024 didn’t experience high growing temperatures, general trends highlight longer and hotter summers which will increasingly put pressure on water resources, particularly in the South East, where drought conditions are becoming more frequent. Methods to conserve and capture water are essential to ensure consistent fruit growth and quality. Key strategies include drip irrigation, which delivers water directly to the roots, minimising evaporation and enhancing efficiency.

Rainwater harvesting allows growers to collect and store rainwater during wetter months, providing a valuable supplement during dry spells. Additionally, the use of soil moisture sensors enables real-time monitoring of water levels, ensuring precise irrigation and preventing overuse of this vital resource.

By Jeremy Moody, secretary and adviser to the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers.

It seems things are not meant to be easy in modern life for the construction industry, as everywhere else.

We have had the supply chain problems and cost increases of the pandemic, the general shortage of tradesmen, and increasing regulation. Activity later resumed, but the rural world has now been upended by the October budget’s proposals, and wider business confidence has taken a knock.

There are widespread reports of farms and other businesses taking the immediate step of cancelling projects, at least until they have a clearer view of the future, with ripples from this spreading further across the economy.

If the inheritance tax changes are enacted as drafted, the lottery of the timing of death will see a cash call that will then often crowd out much investment for the affected business. We hope that common sense will bring practical change, as it did in the end when the high death duties of the 1970s were tempered by the needs for agricultural and business reliefs.

As the dust settles, we will look again to the future, with building work as one aspect in that, needing to spend money carefully to futureproof our farms in a new age of risk.

The extreme weather of advancing climate change may not only affect the work of construction but its design. Farm buildings anyway take much wear and tear from the elements, as well as from machinery and livestock, but we now have to think of more issues for the future, so that money spent now is wisely spent for the next 20 or more years.

Relevant issues and questions might include:

• With more intense periods of rainfall, do the gutters and downpipes have enough capacity for what can come? Where will the water go? Is rainwater to be harvested?

• With the greater incidence of storms, is the design robust enough for the high winds we will see more often?

• Especially for livestock, how might periods of sustained heat be handled for comfort and therefore productivity and health? As well as considering ventilation, some dairy buildings abroad provide misting for cattle to sustain milk yields.

INVESTING FOR THE FUTURE

• How best to take advantage of the opportunities offered by renewable energy generation and storage to strengthen farm resilience.

More fundamental questions come for buildings, existing and new, facing the threat of increased flooding.

The risks come from rapidly rising rivers, surface water saturation and, in coastal areas, rising sea levels and surges, now in the summer as well as the winter. A generation ago, the memory of where floods reached in 1947 set a benchmark that has now been long overtaken.

The Environment Agency has just warned that a quarter of commercial and residential properties will be at risk of flooding by 2050. Existing flood-prone sites may become more expensive or even impossible to insure, prompting risk management measures or relocation.

New construction gives the moment for fresh thinking about location, protection and design to minimise future risk to the advantage of the farm.

Extreme weather can also bring drought, in the winter as well as in summer. It may be wise to ensure reservoir capacity that can carry water between years, making the least call on water abstraction when it might be most pressed. Ponds near the farmstead may aid firefighting as well as storing water.

Insurers report subsidence damage increasing in susceptible areas, as well as those areas spreading, again a point when considering location or construction design.

Developing new technologies will again

influence design. Robotic milking drives a different layout for dairy buildings, while glasshouses, vegetable stores and poultry buildings can, with their automation, increasingly resemble machines as much as buildings. The unknowns of future technology may make it wise to provide larger areas of flexible covered space, giving freedom for future uses.

The other week, I was on a dairy farm where the new parlour, with its walls, had been fitted entirely within an older building, with access to services possible in the space between old and new walls. Consciously making space for such future flexibility could be appreciated in coming years.

Many of these points might mean spending more now but saving money over time, futureproofing the business. It is likely to be more expensive to adapt a building after it is erected than to ensure future capacity now.

The same applies to the prospect of meeting future standards when retrofitting now, where it is feasible. This may most obviously concern such issues as slurry storage and handling, conservation of nutrients and resources, animal housing and welfare, biosecurity and greenhouse gas emissions.

Farming operated for a century and more on the investment in buildings made in the high farming period of the mid-nineteenth century. Many farms have since lived on the reinvestment of 40 and more years ago. We now need to spend wisely and well for the coming decades, futureproofing now by saving future cost.

Powering possibilities, unmatched excellence.

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SOPHISTICATED MONITORING AND CONTROL SYSTEMS

With energy costs continuing to make up a large part of any farm business’s overheads, being able to monitor and use it efficiently is increasingly important.

Achieving that goal goes beyond simply buying the right kind of low-energy equipment but relies on sophisticated monitoring and control systems that are designed to optimise operations and reduce costs and depend on the kind of expertise Staxson Mechanical and Electrical Services excels in providing.

Founded in 2018 by director Steve Ingram, the Sittingbourne-based company has rapidly built a reputation for delivering high-quality mechanical and electrical solutions across residential, commercial, industrial, healthcare and, more recently, agricultural sectors, with projects ranging from hospitals to large-scale farming operations.

Staxson is increasingly collaborating with agricultural clients, including top fruit growers and arable farmers, to deliver bespoke solutions that improve efficiency and sustainability.

A major player in this expansion is James Tumber, who joined the team in 2023. His expertise has enabled the company to address the unique challenges of modern farming, providing innovative solutions tailored to the needs of growers and farmers across the region.

When it comes to electrical, mechanical, refrigeration and controlled atmosphere technologies, few people are as well known or as experienced as James, who served his apprenticeship with J T Herbert between 1990 and 1995 and has since worked in a variety of roles in the industry.

His arrival at Staxson has turbocharged the

company’s agricultural offering and given farmers the opportunity to improve their efficiency, cut their costs and boost their bottom line.

James has recently installed a comprehensive remote energy monitoring system for fruit grower Tom Hulme, of ACH Farming Ltd. It means the grower now has daily reports on energy usage based on a custom software package written by Staxson and which are helping to give him impressive cost savings, showcasing the tangible benefits of tailored energy management solutions.

“Running controlled atmosphere stores takes a lot of energy and it is crucial to be able to use that energy efficiently,” James explained. “To achieve efficiency, you need to understand your energy usage and adapt to changing demands. This requires a sophisticated control system that delivers regular updates and allows for remote access. That’s exactly what we’ve developed for ACH Farming”.

MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL SOLUTIONS

<<

“During the summer the integrated control system was running so efficiently that Tom was able to export surplus electricity from his solar PV panels to the grid, while still operating his cold stores during what is typically the most energy demanding period of the year.”

Staxson also maintains the electrical systems for ACH Farming at 19 controlled atmosphere stores at Hoaden Court Farm, Ash, facilities originally installed by James during his tenure at J D Cooling Ltd.

Solar PV-based systems are meanwhile unlocking new possibilities for farms operating entirely off-grid, providing cost-effective and sustainable solutions.

“We have been asked to design a solar installation that will power all the necessary equipment in a grain store literally ‘in the middle of nowhere’,” James explained. “Our scheme, using low-energy LED lights and highly efficient fans, can all be powered by solar panels and would cost roughly half the capital outlay needed to install mains power on the site, let alone the ongoing cost of the energy."

In addition, Staxson is preparing to carry out the electrical fit-out for a wine store in Kent. "This project is particularly exciting," James said, "as it will operate entirely on solar PV panels and battery storage, showcasing the potential for renewable energy to power even the most isolated operations."

Steve Ingram brought years of experience

Solar PV-based systems are unlocking new possibilities for farms operating entirely off-grid, providing cost-effective and sustainable solutions

from a large mechanical and electrical contracting firm when he decided to establish his own business in 2018. He soon picked up a number of contracts, including a direct contract with the NHS to conduct electrical testing at Medway Maritime Hospital.

When Covid-19 impacted operations, the hospital approached Steve for additional maintenance support. Recognising the opportunity to assist, he promptly provided the required workforce, establishing a strong partnership with the hospital that has continued to thrive.

Since then, Staxson has undertaken

a wide range of projects at the hospital, including infrastructure upgrades, electrical maintenance and installing new equipment, all aimed at keeping essential systems running smoothly.

“We responded quickly to the needs of the hospital management during a challenging period and have since built on that foundation by demonstrating a flexible, customer-focused response to their ongoing requirements,” Steve explained. “That’s also the kind of long-term relationship we are developing with farmers across the South East as we expand our offer.”

James Tumber

MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL SOLUTIONS

<< company, Tudor Multi Services, which later amalgamated with JD Cooling.

Staxson’s success is rooted in its skilled team, many of whom have progressed within the company since its inception.

Day-to-day operations for large-scale contracts are managed by experienced supervisors, supported by a knowledgeable management team that ensures high standards of quality and service are maintained across all projects.

As the company continues to grow, it remains focused on building strong relationships with its clients, particularly in the agricultural sector. Recent contracts include ongoing maintenance of controlled atmosphere systems and new installations for ripening rooms, offering farmers integrated solutions to manage costs and improve profitability.

“Our collective experience in the industry has enabled us to hand-pick the team we can trust and rely on to deliver the high-quality workmanship our clients expect,” said Steve. “With skilled supervisors leading a talented workforce, we have complete confidence in the quality of every project we undertake.”

After learning the ropes with J T Herbert, James spent six years working with the well-respected John Haffenden at Mardenbased Farm Refrigeration, where, among other things, he gained experience of the then up-and-coming controlled atmosphere technology.

After a break from the industry, he gained more valuable hands-on experience as head of maintenance for top fruit grower Gaskains Ltd and then as a service manager with ripening rooms specialists MTX. He then set up his own

With such a wealth of experience and knowledge of the agricultural industry at his fingertips, James was an obvious choice when Steve was looking for someone to help Staxson’s continued growth and its diversification into providing integrated solutions for farm businesses.

Staxson oversees mechanical and electrical services for several ripening rooms previously managed by James, and supports operations for The Avocado Company in Paddock Wood.

The company has also recently secured a contract to deliver the full installation of six state-of-the-art Softripe ripening rooms at an undisclosed location. This cutting-edge system uses the latest AI technology to optimise the ripening process, reducing waste and improving efficiency, further solidifying Staxson's position as a leader in the fresh produce sector.

James is particularly excited about helping farmers reduce costs and improve profit margins through integrated systems that can be remotely monitored and controlled.

“With advanced technology, farmers can better understand and manage their energy usage,” he explained. “Cooling and storing fruit or drying grain are just two examples where our systems can make a significant difference.

“At ACH Farming we are able to provide a daily report on energy use that can show detailed information on all the equipment in use, right down to an individual CO2 scrubber.

Steve Ingram

Once you can monitor it, you can make sure your cost base is as low as possible and make any necessary changes.”

Staxson offers a comprehensive range of services including design, installation, servicing and maintenance of mechanical and electrical systems for all kinds of end-users, delivering customised solutions to meet diverse needs.

“We can handle everything from control systems and grain store ventilation to refrigeration, controlled atmosphere technology and packhouse machinery,” said James. “Once installed, we ensure these systems operate efficiently, delivering the best possible results at the lowest cost.

“Through our expertise and dedication, we continue to help agricultural businesses across the region achieve their goals with innovative, cost-effective and sustainable solutions.”

COMPLETING CONTRACTS ON BUDGET AND ON TIME

With 2025 set to be a busy 12 months for Shortland Structures, the team is set to hand over its first completed building of the year by the end of March.

The Horsham, West Sussex-based steel-framed building company is currently putting the finishing touches to the waste transfer station at Northwood Farm, Yapton, also in West Sussex, for farmer Graham Abbott.

“The floor is already in place and we are set to install the cladding and complete the job over the next couple of months,” commented owner Brett Shortland, who has 40 years’ experience in the business. “It will be ready for the tenant by the end of March.”

Completing contracts on budget and on time has always been important to Brett and his team and is an approach that has seen his order book full well into 2025.

“Farmers expect you to be there on time, do the job properly and charge what you said you would. That’s always been my approach to business, and it has helped me develop a number of long-term repeat customers who turn to me first whenever they are looking for a new building.”

The waste transfer station at Northwood Farm, an impressive 43 by 35 metres and 10 metres to the eaves, will be let to TJ Waste as a recycling centre catering for the waste created by a growing population. It has four metre concrete panels at the base and features acoustic insulation aimed at reducing noise nuisance to nearby residents.

Brett is also able to advise farmers and landowners on health and safety and other technical issues, taking away what can otherwise be an unwanted headache for busy clients. “I am fully certificated and can provide a range of support as well as great buildings,” he commented.

YOUR VIEWS OR COMMENTS:

HOUNDING FARMERS

Dear Sir,

For a party which doesn`t believe in blood sports, the present posse in No 10 Hunting Lodge seems determined to hound farmers to extinction.

Family farmers do not support the tax-avoiding millionaires who are shielding their wealth in land, so hunt them instead and leave us to feed you. Culling is a precision exercise using a rifle, not an atomic bomb of the kind that will hit our farms.

The average age of farmers in this country is, I think, 69, and the average "wage" for these working people is £30,000. The best advice

for them is to sell the 200 acres for two million pounds, invest it at a minimum of 5%, sell the farmyard and the machinery to pay the tax, keep the farmhouse and retire on the £100,000 per year.

Then tell your children to get a proper job as an MP; no experience necessary, two homes (one taxpayer funded, including heating), London expenses and a gold-plated pension as they are now a working person.

Kier Starmer said in a speech he wanted Reform – he may achieve that in four years’ time.

David Steed, Manston, Kent

NEWS FROM THE VINEYARD

VIN E YAR D

HISTORIC VINTAGE

Charles Palmer and his family moved to Winchelsea in 1998, taking on the lease of the 750-acre estate from the National Trust. This was a mixed farming enterprise incorporating arable, beef and sheep.

The drive to Wickham Manor passes through a 13th Century archway ironically called New Gate that once formed part of the walls of Winchelsea. The site is steeped in history, with the current grade II* listed building dating from 1580, although the farming history of the land can be traced back centuries before this.

References to this land have been found from 1200, and William Penn (founder of Pennsylvania) is among the previous owners. Standing in the courtyard surrounded by buildings of various ages that have had various purposes, it is clear that a site this unique may have been owned by various people, but its longevity underlines that ownership by any one person or family is transitory and actually

those who have lived and worked here over the centuries have been the guardians of something truly special.

In 2006 Charles and Sally made the decision to add vines to the other enterprises on the farm. “Making a living as a farmer can be difficult, so it’s important to diversify,” said Charles. It was a decision that Charles and his wife Sally spent time researching. “We had a friend who had studied at Plumpton gaining a degree in Oenology and viticulture, and we also went to visit organic producers in the Champagne region,” said Charles.

The history of the site indicated that the area had once been a hop garden. “The sandy loam, free draining soil rests on a deeper moisture retaining clay and we have close proximity to the sea, so to

Sally, Charles, Chantal, Andy and Robert

NEWS FROM THE VINEYARD

plant vines was not re-inventing the wheel,” said Charles pragmatically.

The initial planting was two hectares of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines. “We decided that we didn’t want to include Pinot Meunier because we wanted to keep the planting simple, also Pinot Meunier would have been a really small percentage of the initial planting,” explained Charles. Instead the focus has been on selecting a variety of different clones in order to produce both still and sparkling wines. “I really like red wine, so that was always in my mind,” said Charles.

There are Germanic clones of Pinot Noir - “these add a slightly spicy and fruit-forward flavour profile to the wine and the Burgundy clones such as 777 are perfect for our still red wines,” Charles said with enthusiasm.

Interestingly, these numerous clones are not necessarily kept separate at harvest. “The first harvest was 2009 and we won a medal for that initial wine. At that time the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay were fermented together, and although it is different now we have maintained the same principle. The grapes are picked according to the ripeness levels and then placed in tank and so in this respect some important decisions are made in the vineyard pre-ferment,” he added.

There are striking parallels between the actual buildings on the site and the way the land is managed.

Over the centuries, Wickham Manor has been adapted to ensure it continues to be practical, and Charles Palmer Vineyards’ attitude to viticulture has mirrored this. There has been a gradual expansion of the vineyard plantings and there are currently 16 hectares under vine. The latest planting on the site was in 2024 and this included a substantial number of vines of the Piwi variety Sauvignac. <<

The focus has been on selecting a variety of different clones in order to produce both still and sparkling wines

Photos: Martin Apps, Countrywide Photographic

NEWS FROM THE VINEYARD

“The crossing of Sauvignon with Riesling offers a very balanced acidity for more palate variation,” said Charles, as he explained why Sauvignac had been selected.

Over the centuries Wickham Manor has witnessed outbreaks of the plague, the English Civil War, the Bloodless Revolution, the Great Fire of London and two World Wars, to name just a few major milestones in history.

Future generations will include the Covid-19 pandemic amongst these momentous events. The pandemic saw the family turn an unused lambing shed into an atmospheric tasting room with practical outside space that enabled the business to adapt to the challenge of social distancing rules. The manor itself was also altered to allow for one wing to become self-contained private suites available for rent as holiday accommodation.

The Covid-19 pandemic also led to significant shifts in the vineyard as well. “The 2020 harvest was traumatic due to a shortage of labour,” said Charles. The difficult weather in 2021 saw the vineyard turn to a Pellenc mechanical harvester hired and operated by Sam Barnes. “The machine harvester picked only the very ripe grapes, which would not have been achievable with hand picking,” said Charles. The results were so impressive that the vineyard took delivery of its own Pellenc harvester in 2022.

“The machine harvest picked only the very ripe grapes and this would not have been achievable with hand picking”

All the fruit at Charles Palmer Vineyards is picked by machine, with the machine being set up by Robert Palmer, who works alongside his father Charles in both the winery and the vineyard.

Charles then travels on the machine and looks at sample quality until they decide that the machine is set perfectly. Charles estimates that the machine is capable of harvesting 20 tonnes a day, but the wet season of 2024 left downy mildew in the top of the canopy, which caused the machine to block.

Despite this, Charles believes the grape harvester works in line with nature. “The mechanical harvester only picks clean ripe fruit. Naturally, ripe fruit falls from the vine and cutting the bunches from the vine is actually human intervention in the natural process,” said Charles with a smile that indicated he knows this is a controversial opinion.

Father and Son work well together and throughout the conversation their different approaches dovetail to provide a comprehensive insight into the daily workings of the business. “We are family working for a common goal, so we are allowed to be a bit more outspoken, the generational difference is beneficial, and Robert has good ideas,” said

“The biggest problem we have is still the weather as realistically we are growing vines on the edge of what is possible”

Charles with a hint of paternal pride.

“There is nothing like working with family,” said Robert with a mischievous smile that makes the whole family chuckle. The mechanical harvester has fitted seamlessly into the operation of the vineyard. “The headlands are eight to 10m as we always had machinery such as sprayers in mind and we already had quality posts in place. The vines were planted in 2.7m rows with a spacing of 2m but the most recent planting since the harvester has been purchased was planted at 2.5m rows at 1.5m spacing,” Charles said.

Charles’ previous experience of the land led him to believe that the vines might suffer due to over vigour, and accordingly the vines were initially trained to the Scott Henry system, but the system did not work so the vines now are single guyot, cordon trained.

Talking about pests and diseases in the vineyard, Charles said: “The biggest problem we have is still the weather, as realistically we are growing vines on the edge of what is possible.” The vineyard was originally organic, but the young vines were not progressing as well as they should have been. “I took the pragmatic approach; we still use a sympathetic land management policy but I won’t lose a crop because of disease,” said Charles.

A Grade II* listing means that any work undertaken in the property and its curtilage has to be considered and undertaken with extra care. There are of course certain restrictions. “There are some fireplaces we are not allowed to use,” said Sally with a whimsical smile. These restrictions do not, however, mean that these buildings are museums; their continued use secures the future as much as it preserves the past.

In 2016 Charles took the decision to move winemaking on site and the 2017 vintage was the first vintage to be produced in the on-site winery.

NEWS FROM THE VINEYARD

“The original winery was very basic and covered about 2,000 sq ft,” said Charles. “It was not an inviting space to work in and felt quite isolating as it was a long way from the centre of the site,” added Robert. As of 2024 this is no longer the case as two cattle yards have been converted into a 10,000 sq. ft custom-designed winery.

Situated just a stone’s throw from both the tasting room and the vines, the new winery is so sympathetically blended to its surroundings that it requires a second look to realise that it is newly converted.

“This was a conversion rather than a new build so it was not straightforward. It was important that the construction company was able to do what we wanted but in a manner that was in keeping with the rest of the site, for example the black exterior was important as it reflects what is seen in the other buildings.

“We were aware that GJ Elgar had built a good reputation within the industry, and Graham’s previous experience of building wineries meant he was able to provide valuable advice about installing drains and falls in the floor of the winery,” said Charles.

“The drains that have been installed are stainless steel, food safe drains,” Graham Elgar pointed out. “Although the conversion of existing buildings to a winery is not that common, we do have a lot of experience of converting agricultural buildings to alternative uses.”

The project was complicated by the presence of asbestos, which

was swiftly and expertly dealt with, and the need for special drainage works to ensure the building was fully weatherproof. “One elevation was below ground level and had been leaking since the original building was constructed somewhere around the 1950s. Using multiple techniques, we were able to remedy the problem and the building is now watertight for the first time,” said Graham.

The project also involved work to improve the access road, which is vital to help the new winery with the logistics of harvest and deliveries. “It was such a pleasure to work with the whole family at Charles Palmer Vineyards, they were all so helpful and understanding,” Graham said.

Graham and his team were able promptly to complete this new project, which will enable Charles Palmer Vineyards to produce 100,000 bottles a year. “This is the productive extent of the vineyard,” Charles said. The new winery houses a variety of tanks ranging from 1,000 litres to 5,000 litres. “This is the maximum size tank we work with as big tanks make the wines taste the same and that is not what we want,” Charles added.

There is a new disgorging line on order from WR Services which will also give more freedom in the winery. “The new winery is a space which I enjoy working in and means I want to be proactive; it is much easier to keep clean and therefore time in the winery is far better spent,” explained Robert. This makes the point that for a small vineyard and winery team such as the family business of Charles Palmer Vineyards,

efficiency is extremely valuable.

“It makes me happy when customers are pleased with their new winery,” said Graham. “But what really brings me satisfaction is hearing that the winery building at Charles Palmer Vineyards is really working for them, saving them time and creating a space they enjoy working in.”

The wines produced at Charles Palmer Vineyards are vintage specific and Robert pointed to the 2017 Rosé as being particularly interesting. “It was inoculated with a tiny amount of yeast,” he explained.

“We produce smaller batches of wines and when these wines run out customers have to wait for the next vintage, encouraging customers to look forward to what we release next,” said Charles.

One of the wines that customers will be waiting for is the popular demi sec. “This is a wine with a wide appeal and is very popular; it is a perfect toasting wine,” said Chantal, who is married to Robert and runs the cellar door and tastings at the vineyard. Wickham Manor featured in the popular TV series The Crown and was also used as the setting for Mr Holmes featuring Ian McKellen and Laura Linney.

It has often been suggested that restaurants do not want wines that vary from vintage to vintage, but the vintage-specific wines are popular with the vineyards’ on-trade clients. “Our wines are popular on pairing menus as the vintage variation allows chefs to be expressive and creative,” said Charles.

The vineyard is on the 31-mile 1066 Country Walk and many visitors find the vineyard as part of this popular walking trail. “We are able to provide a picnic hamper for people to enjoy on a self-guided tour of the vineyard and this has been really well received,” said Chantal.

The vineyard also offers bespoke packages including lunch for a maximum of 30 people. Vine and Country wine tours also cook long, lazy lunches at the vineyard as part of their bespoke wine tours service.

The vineyard holds trade tastings for those who stock their wines. “Tastings give confidence to those stocking the wines,” said Chantal. There are about 14 tastings a week and tastings have provided good experiences for Chantal. “I once held a tasting with six winemakers and sommeliers from Estonia. There are not many vineyards in Estonia but it was such a rewarding experience. I learnt so much from them and they were excellent company too.”

Andy and Heidi Rixon live in a neighbouring property and help out at the vineyard and winery. Andy also hosts tastings. “On one tasting I met an intensive care nurse who had cared for me after a motorbike accident and that was an amazing experience,” he said.

Originally calling it Palmer Vineyards, Charles faced objections from not one but two French vineyards, and selected Charles Palmer Vineyards as the name. The label design and branding is inspired by th ePalmer family coat of arms. “Family is paramount,” said Charles with gravity. The traditional medieval hound is pictured seated instead of the usual running pose in order to bring a sense of relaxed enjoyment.

The atmosphere at Charles Palmer Vineyards is one of inclusivity towards everyone, from clients who arrive by helicopter to walkers who didn’t know the vineyard was there. Everyone is welcomed with a sense of family and enjoyment.

"I love meeting the guests,” said Sally, and the sentiment is shared by everyone. The current guardians of this historic landscape are, through their vineyard and winery, sharing a piece of the historic foundations of Wickham Manor well beyond the borders of the county of Sussex, every sip being a special taste of history.

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m: 07860 414227

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NEW YEAR, NEW KEIR, I WISH

Writing this in December, tractors are roaring in protest round Westminster, Jeremy Clarkson is doing his best to explain rural issues to a very urban government and Father Christmas is due to deliver a new national planning policy framework. We hope the reindeer are not adding too much methane.

As planners we deal routinely and successfully with the increasing environmental demands the planning system is expected to deliver; nutrient neutrality, drainage, water supply, protected species biodiversity net gain, air quality and ancient woodland to name but a few. These demands add considerable cost at both the application and development stages of the process but need to be addressed early on for a good outcome.

Despite these burdens, the current climate and focus on renewable energy offers opportunity for landowners. A more sensible approach to the green belt is long overdue and will bring a new dimension. Being on the front foot, promoting land as part of the (glacially slow) local plan process is also essential. A conversation with a planning professional could open doors and we are very happy to talk things through.

The Rural Planning Practice has had a fruitful 2024, with a 90% success rate for applications and a well above average outcome for appeals.

We have undertaken a wide range of difficult projects in designated landscapes and on green belt land, including bespoke housing, commercial development, houses to support rural enterprises and large equestrian and agricultural buildings, as well as class Q and R permitted development and heritage projects.

A notable recent success was a complex appeal which achieved a house in an ancient woodland in the green belt and in a national landscape.

SASCHA WARDLEY

E: sascha@therpp.co.uk

LOIS PARTRIDGE

E: lois@therpp.co.uk

T: 01580 201 888

www.therpp.co.uk

The Cranbrook Team has two new experienced planners, Sascha Wardley and Lois Partridge, both well versed in all manner of commercial and residential development.

Sascha is currently involved in promoting land but has a hidden talent in dealing with electric vehicle and petrol stations, while Lois has a large, growing commercial site in Derbyshire. The word ‘rural’ covers so much, and the rural economy could be so much more productive if given the opportunity.

The Cirencester team moved into Cirencester Park last summer and continues to provide expert planning advice across the south and the Midlands. It has also undertaken research on behalf of the High Weald national landscape looking at the provision of more affordable housing, an area of ever-increasing concern, especially as the rental market is so overcooked.

We wish South East Farmer readers a Happy New Year.

AT COLCHESTER MARKET

GRAHAM ELLIS FRICS FAAV FLAA

For and on behalf of Stanfords

T: 01206 842156

E: info@stanfords-colchester.co.uk

www.stanfords-colchester.co.uk

Judge Ted Neal of Kings Lynn had a tremendous show of cattle in front of him at this year’s Colchester Prime Stock Show and Sale.

Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk vendors were all represented at the 3 December show, which featured 36 show animals amongst an overall entry of 74 cattle.

After due deliberation, Mr Neal awarded the Olivers Perpetual Trophy for the overall champion to W A Ketley and Sons, Fingringhoe, Colchester for a 565kg Limousin Heifer. The heifer was also awarded the Arthur Chalke Perpetual Trophy and sold to Allman Fowler of Fowler Brothers, Brook Farm at Burnham for their shop at Burnham at 435p/kg (£2,457.75).

The Reserve Overall Championship went to Richard Criddle of Kenninghall, Suffolk, for a home-bred British Blue Cross Steer weighing 523kg which was also awarded the Broad Oak Farm Perpetual Trophy for best butcher’s beast

TREMENDOUS SHOW OF CATTLE

under 550kg and the Derek Abra Trophy for best butcher’s steer under 550kg. It sold to H G Blake of Felthorp, Norwich, at 405p/kg (£2,118.15).

The trade for all show prize winners apart from those two animals was consistent at between 342p/kg and 386p/kg.

The Roy Brazier Memorial Trophy for the best steer over 551kg was awarded to W A Ketley and Sons and purchased by C Humphreys & Sons of Fairstead at 367p/kg (£2,341.46). The reserve in that class went to David Alpe of Halvergate for an animal that sold at 374p/kg (£2,475.88) to John Coleman of Boxted for his shop.

The Eric Stanion Memorial Trophy for best home-bred beast in show was awarded to Richard Criddle, selling to Allman Fowler of Fowler Brothers at 382p/kg (£1810.68). The

animal was also announced as the best homebred steer in the show.

The best home-bred heifer in the show was entered by W A Ketley and Sons and was again sold to Allman Fowler at 378p/kg (£1,935.36).

The Joe Papworth Memorial Trophy for best unhaltered beast in show was awarded to Tony Evans of Bures, trading as P A Evans, who sold his homebred Limousin heifer at 368p/kg (£2,156.48) to H G Blake of Felthorp, Norwich.

The best unhaltered steer, shown by Josh Bates, trading as J B Farms, Leavenheath, sold to Romford Meats at 356p/kg (£2,278.40).

All steers in the show, including non-prize winners, averaged 357p/kg and all heifers, again including non-prize winners, averaged 370.56p/kg, showing consistent, if not high flying, top prices.

Champion Beast: Gerald Ketley, William Ketley (vendors) Allman Fowler (buyer)

Steven Ellis (Stanfords) Ben Ketley, Josh Ketley

Non show cattle were short of what was required throughout, with trade at previous weeks’ levels. David Black, of Great Bentley, showed three Limousin heifers at 347.5p/kg for two and 335p/kg (£2,085) for the third. Non-show cattle from Tony Evans made to 353p/kg (£1990.21) and from J B Farms to 327.5p/kg (£2,073.08). A Heath & Sons’ usual run of dairy-bred Continental heifers made to 317.5p/kg from 299.5p/kg. There were no cattle below 269.5p/kg. Non-show steers averaged 295.8p/kg, with heifers 312.3p/kg. Two young bulls made 291.5p/kg from Turf in Essex at £1,597.42.

Top price per head this week in both steers and heifers went to regular supporter

Geoff Freeman and his family. Their normal quality saw them fetch to £2,552.40 for steers and to £2,552.54 for heifers.

A total of 777 sheep, including 72 show sheep, came before the Judge, John Coleman of Boxted, who again commented on the quality. The overall Champion Pair of Lambs went to Benn Lugsden of Thwaite for a pair of Texel crossed lambs weighing 43.5kg and selling to the judge at £230 a head (529p/kg).

They were also awarded the William Gray Perpetual Trophy for best lambs in show and the Wiston Trophy for best Texel crossbred lambs in show. The overall reserve pen of lambs was awarded to Tim Pratt, Woodbridge, for a pair of Blue Texel lambs weighing 40kg and selling to C Humphreys from Fairstead at £160 per head (400p/kg). This pen was also reserve in the Texel class.

The George Debman Perpetual Trophy for best Continental-sired lambs other than Texel was awarded to Scott Horton, trading as Chess Valley Livestock, Amersham, and purchased by George Debman for his shop in Ipswich at £200 per head (413p/kg).

The Colchester District Meat Traders Perpetual Trophy was awarded again to

Benn Lugsden for a pair of Polled Dorset lambs, selling at £180 a head (327p/kg). Non-show winning sheep again found a strong trade again throughout, with lean lambs still coming forward and trading around 300p/kg in the main. Meated lambs generally 330p/kg to 360p/kg with weight no issue. Non-prize winning sheep fetched to £180 from Jack Peacock and to £175 from W J Griffin. Medium lambs fetched to £157 from W J Griffin and standard lambs reached to £133 from Becky Byam and £130 from Jack Peacock and Tom Biela.

Champion Sheep:

John Coleman (judge and buyer), Benn Lugsden (vendor)

Graham Ellis (Stanfords)

Reserve Champion Beast: Richard Criddle (vendor), Steven Ellis (Stanfords)

Reserve Champion Sheep: Tim Pratt (vendor), Graham Ellis (Stanfords)

John Coleman (judge)

THE START OF A NEW YEAR

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January tends to be a quieter month for us here in Ashford and a good time to look back on 2024 and reflect on what was a great year of trading for Hobbs Parker Auctioneers LLP, with more farm sales and more collective auctions.

While we have not had more livestock numbers forward during these troubled times for the sector, we have still seen extremely satisfactory prices throughout the livestock sections in the market. Hopefully we can build on the action in 2025 as the agricultural industry and livestock farming face further changes and challenges.

Our annual Ashford Primestock Show and Sale on Monday 2 and Tuesday 3 December was well supported, with a great turnout of livestock, farm produce, wool, cookery and craft entries. We must congratulate the young farmers clubs that turn out in strong numbers across all showing classes and bring together so many people, creating a busy and enjoyable atmosphere.

The cattle judge this year was Jonny Lyon

from Lincolnshire, the sheep judge was David Turner, Horsham, and the pig judge was Andrew Laver, from Horley. All three were given a tough task and rose to the challenge, delivering results and valuable advice and explanations to exhibitors at all levels.

A mention also to Richard Baker, from Faversham, who judged the crop competitions, and to Mrs Hilary Joules, from Ashford, who judged all the cookery and craft classes. Judging is never easy and there is no doubt that every judge has a different view as to what they deem to be the best.

The overall Champion Beast went to a Limousin cross heifer bred and shown by Jason and Sarah Wareham, Heathfield, which sold for 580p/ kg, grossing £3,477, and was purchased to breed future champions by a showman in the Eastern Counties.

The overall Champion Lambs went to Miss Amy Hedges, Staplecross, for a pair of Texel cross lambs weighing 59kg and selling for £320 per head to Husk Farms.

The overall Champion Pigs were for a pair of Pietrain crosses from Snowfields Academy, Cranbrook, for the second year in a row. This pair weighed 86kg and was bought by the judge for £242 per head.

This year’s charity chosen by show president Peter Joules was the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI). Generous donations by our farming customers, a raffle and auction at the show dinner and an auction of 16 show Christmas cakes, which themselves raised a staggering sum of £5,500, saw a grand total of £10,690 raised for the charity.

This is a great achievement and a wonderful reflection on the supporters of the show and in particular the show president, who worked

Champion Beast

JAMES COOK O’CONNELL ALAA

Auctioneer

T: 01233 502222

www.hobbsparker.co.uk

tirelessly to ensure a successful day and a large donation for RABI. Bluetongue continues, along with its accompanying restrictions, and has caused problems for many buyers, sellers, abattoirs and markets, particularly those close to the boundaries of the restricted zone.

Ashford Livestock Market has been more fortunate this year in being part of a large restricted zone. We have gained customers from further west and we have been pleased to help during this challenging time. The flexibility that exists in the auction system proves its importance to all producers, big and small.

On a different subject, I thought it would be interesting to mention that we held a greater number of farm dispersal sales this year. Undoubtedly the addition of online bidding, which can open a sale of any size to customers anywhere in the world, has made a considerable difference to the concept of competition and raised prices considerably.

There are likely to be continued challenges within the agricultural industry brought about by changes to taxation, environmental schemes and many other reasons. Please get in touch with us for confidential advice if you have machinery and equipment to sell this coming year.

We provide a professional and efficient service prior to, during and after sales and the increasing list of online bidders is now playing a big part in making these sales increasingly successful. Our large regional database ensures that we still retain that all-important contact with the farmers on the ground.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish our customers a happy new year and I look forward to seeing you all at some point in 2025.

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“ Since using Tracesure® fertility has improved, and both cows and calves are really healthy…

Owain Rees, Pembrokeshire, dairy farmer

By taking proactive steps, farmers can minimise disease and reduce stress for both the animals and themselves, encouraging a positive lambing season. The key to a successful lambing season is to consider various elements:

DISEASES

There are some diseases to be aware of during lambing season that can be managed with planning.

There can be a risk of high worm burdens due to the peri parturient rise, where the ewe’s lowered immunity can cause an increased risk of worms. Rather than treating for worms before lambing, a faecal egg count should be performed at least four weeks ahead of time to determine if treatment is necessary.

This is also important for the lambs once they become susceptible to worms; a faecal egg count can be undertaken when the lambs are six to eight weeks old. Well-timed and targeted faecal egg counts can help to reduce loss of body condition in the ewes and improve growth rates in lambs.

Twin lamb disease (pregnancy toxaemia) is another disease that can be prevented with management protocols. The disease occurs after inadequate feed intake to support growing foetuses, leading to high ketones and low blood glucose. Clinical signs include separation from the flock, star gazing, blindness, inappetence, lethargy and death.

Treatment must be prompt, but prevention is key. Ewes need to receive sufficient nutrition in the last six weeks of lambing, and lowland ewes need a body condition score of three at lambing.

Care must be taken, however, not to make any sudden diet changes. Stressors such as a sudden diet change can predispose animals to bacterial diseases like acidosis

VARIOUS ELEMENTS KEY TO A SUCCESSFUL LAMBING SEASON

As lambing season approaches, it is essential to be thoroughly prepared to ensure a smooth and successful experience says Maddy Tyson of Chelmsford.

and Clostridia. Clostridia can be prevented through vaccination; the booster is usually given a couple of weeks prior to lambing if ewes have received a primary course. This also ensures that lambs receive vital antibodies in the colostrum, protecting them in their first few weeks of life.

NUTRITION

The nutritional requirements of ewes change during gestation, so it’s important to maintain a balanced nutritional plan to support the ewe and her lambs. The plane of nutrition increases in the run up to lambing, as 70% of foetal growth occurs in the last six weeks of pregnancy.

Facilitating this will support foetal growth, reduce incidence of twin lamb disease and improve colostrum quality. Forage analysis can be conducted before lambing to find out if certain nutritional provisions need amending to support the ewe during lambing and ensure adequate milk quality for lamb development and growth.

target for a specific system could suggest that ram fertility or trace element testing is indicated. Other factors include body condition score, lameness, border disease, fluke, toxoplasmosis and the age of the flock. Recording data such as lamb mortality, disease incidence in both ewes and lambs and daily liveweight gain can be useful to compare to previous seasons and highlight areas for improvement.

MEDICINES

To provide prompt treatment during this stressful season, it is important to be well stocked up when heading into lambing. The advised kit includes gloves, lubricant gel, lambing ropes, colostrum replacement, bottle and feeding tube, navel dip, castration rings and applicator, twin lamb drench and a thermometer.

If you would like to discuss anything covered in this article contact your local Westpoint practice

Westpoint Horsham T: 01306 628086

Westpoint Ashford T: 01306 628208

Westpoint Sevenoaks T: 01959 564383

Westpoint Winchester T: 01962 779593

Westpoint Chelmsford T: 01306 628489

E: info@westpointfarmvets.co.uk www.westpointfarmvets.co.uk

It is also important to monitor trace elements in conjunction with your vet as they are essential for foetal development. Farms may supplement with a bolus pre-lambing or provide mineral lick buckets, but supplementation may not be necessary. A pre lambing metabolic profile can be performed six weeks before lambing to see if supplementation is required.

DATA

With various aspects to consider, it can be easy to overlook the importance of data collection. Collecting data during lambing is a great way to spot trends which could be impacting targets.

Scanning percentages that fall below the

Other supplies to consider include medicines that may be useful during lambing. These include a non-steroidal antiinflammatory and, in some cases, a broadspectrum antibiotic.

Advice should be sought from a vet as to which medicines are necessary, and treatment protocols can be created. If medicine supply is low, then a visit should be arranged with a vet to discuss treatment options. Prescriptions can be created so that appropriate medicine supply during lambing is not interrupted.

A successful lambing period requires careful preparation in terms of disease management, nutrition and treatment protocols. Data collection can be used as a tool to highlight areas for improvement for future lambing seasons. By addressing these factors, stress during lambing season can be minimised, leading to a successful season.

ALAN WEST SHEEP TOPICS

Very best wishes to everyone for a happy and prosperous New Year, hoping that 2025 will be rather more fulfilling than the last year has proved to be.

I don’t like to stray into politics, but I must say that I was proud to be a part of the Whitehall rally in November. To some it was about politics, but for many it was simply a matter of standing up for an essential sector of our national economy, one that has for decades been badly wronged by successive governments; the political events of this autumn simply provided the final, if enormous, metaphorical straw.

Estimates of those attending vary from 10,000 to 45,000. Suffice to say that if the lower estimate is anywhere near correct, this leads to the incredible assumption that considerably more than 1% of the total number attending passed through Charing Cross station during the ten minutes that I was there chatting to people at about 10.30 on the morning of the rally; farmers stand out rather at a main line London station, so are not difficult to count.

The true number lays somewhere betwixt, but whatever the figure it was a clear demonstration of the anger and frustration felt by farmers across the UK, farmers that have been squeezed for years and have now had enough. What was particularly pleasing to me was the number of ex-students of mine that I saw and chatted to on the day; that aside, well done to all of those from all over the UK who took the time out to make their voices heard.

Sheep and the wider livestock sector were, I’m sure, sadly underrepresented, not because they don’t care but due to the demands placed on them in caring for their stock.

There was a lot of passion and emotion on the day as genuine fears and grievances were shared and, in spite of some of the media coverage, there is undoubtedly a lot of genuine public sympathy and support for the cause, although some will question why farmers should be treated as a special case.

The patronage we currently enjoy is vital to the sheep sector. We cannot rely on support from the larger retailers, which will be happy to suck in lamb from the other side of the world if it helps their margins. We need consumers who will support domestic producers and ask for British lamb; we need to remind them that money spent on imports largely leaves the UK economy and is money

Memories of younger days, shepherding in North Wales after a January snowfall

THE CONVERSATION HAS STARTED

lost, whereas money spent on local lamb goes around in the local economy, a circular flow of money that supports many other local businesses beyond farming.

But we cannot simply rely forever on pleading for farming as a special case. To retain and earn further public support we need to be able to demonstrate public benefits beyond food production, particularly as far as environmental and climate change issues are concerned. I can now picture some producers saying “environment/climate change? What a load of bo****ks”. I can understand much of their cynicism, but we simply cannot afford to ignore public perceptions and opinions; they are our customers and, being brutally honest, we need them more than they need us.

We also need to be wary of those other groups and organisations, political and otherwise, hovering on the margins hoping to grab a share of our support. Some are well-meaning but others will grasp at any opportunity to further their own agendas; we need to choose our bedfellows carefully.

DEFRA has for years shown itself to be a somewhat vacuous organisation, bereft of direction and meaningful policies. It is a vacuum that increasingly appears to have been filled by the Treasury and by the Climate Change Commission (CCC), which appears to be driving much of DEFRA’s deliberations. The CCC certainly has its own views for agriculture and rural land use, views that possibly do not accord with ours and which we all need to be aware of, but there is not room to do them justice here. That said, DEFRA has, in terms of duplicity, crass stupidity and vindictiveness, excelled itself since the November rally.

I have taken the unusual step of scrapping what I had written and will simply quote the statement made by the National Sheep Association (NSA)’s Chief Executive Phil Stocker:

“There are few organisations that have embraced the spirit of co-design and the need to build trust between industry and DEFRA more than NSA. We have worked tirelessly and proactively to help test scheme design and to feedback on members' experiences. But what we are seeing now is a betrayal of trust and confidence that has been promised and worked towards over the last eight years.

“We have members who have

ALAN WEST Sheep farmer

DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION

Diversity, equity and inclusion; big words that I was asked if I knew the meaning of, or, more crucially, what they meant to me.

The question was put to me by Navaratnam Partheeban OBE NSch. ‘Theeb’ is a farm vet with a special interest in diversity in agriculture whose Nuffield scholarship was entitled “Encouraging and supporting black people and people of colour in agriculture”.

On the back of this he developed an online course called AgDiversity to help people understand how inclusion can help address a skilled talent shortage and attract more people to the industry.

He developed it in cooperation with big names including McDonalds, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, Harper Adams University School of Sustainable Food and Farming and the Frank Parkinson Agricultural Trust.

Inspired by Theeb’s presentation, I enrolled for the course. It costs £30 and takes about an hour to complete. Moreover, at the end of it you receive a certificate of completion and

can opt in to be put on a register of those that have successfully completed the programme. More on this later.

To start off with, there were moments where I did think: “I have heard this before.”

But when I progressed and reached the selfreflection part, which included modules that include real-life examples, I started thinking differently.

Did you know agriculture is the least diverse industry? Only 0.8 to 1.2% of the workforce comes from an ethnic minority background, compared with 17% of the general population and 33% of children. To put this differently, more than 97% of farmers in the UK are white.

The self-refection part was interesting as it highlights that everyone has bias. This means individuals use an automatic shortcut to process information and make decisions quickly, and can lead to them saying things that could exclude people unintentionally. Listening to some examples, it made me see that it was easy to fall into the trap of

jumping to conclusions, especially when tired. Being aware that one does it and adjusting in the right way will make all the difference to the person with whom you engage and to yourself.

The course really helps with learning and understanding about people. It seems logical to ask staff to enroll in a course to improve their people skills, just as one would like them to improve their technical skills for their job.

As mentioned above, there is a register that everyone can check, so future employees, or vet and agriculture students, can see whether the vet practice or farm has done this course and is therefore more aware of diversity, inclusion and equity within the workplace.

www.nuffieldscholar.org/agdiversity

wholeheartedly thrown themselves into the SFI [Sustainable Farming Incentive] pilot, whose agreements have now ended with no certainty over continuation into SFI, fears over budget cutbacks, and the capital grants that have been a key part of fulfilling SFI actions being closed. On top of that, farmers are now facing huge reductions in BPS in 2025 that far exceed what was expected. It seems absurd that farmers are being punished for their enthusiasm to move towards more efficient and sustainable practices. DEFRA and Government are again showing a lack of understanding that farming

businesses have to budget years in advance. Many farmers cannot afford to carry out these environmental works without funding and, while we may be seeing record sheep prices, these are struggling to cover the inflationary pressures within business enterprises.

“The whole principle behind our new post-CAP direction was one of payment reward for delivery of public goods, many of which restrict business activities on farms and need paying for. Furthermore, the investment in sustainable farming contributes to our climate change, nature recovery and natural resource commitments. If DEFRA and

Government continue on this trajectory, we will be back to square one and there are many that will not have the appetite for that.”

Quite how we have arrived at this ridiculous situation defies logic. How can an organisation that, only a couple of months ago, had an accumulated underspend of £358 million suddenly have no funds? Questions need to be asked and we deserve honest answers.

A conversation started on 19 November. It’s incumbent on us all to ensure that our views and voices are heard in whatever way we can as part of an ongoing and hopefully open dialogue; let 2025 be a year of positive change.

Legal services for farmers & rural businesses

HIGH AND DRY

Half of farming families “could break inheritance promises”.

Children of farming families could be left high and dry despite their parents’ promises, with half of those making business inheritance assurances to their offspring also admitting they could still change their mind, research from Sussex law firm Mayo Wynne Baxter has found.

The research shows that despite 82% of agricultural business owners having discussions with their children and 67% making promises, only 50% of all farm owners have committed their intentions to paper.

With no will in place, families left behind could see their livelihoods taken away or could be forced into inheritance disputes,

racking up thousands of pounds in legal fees.

Caroline Flint, partner specialising in dispute resolution and contentious probate at Mayo Wynne Baxter, said: “Promises and assumptions are futile without a will, and misunderstandings can often lead to lengthy and emotional disputes.

“When a family is in mourning, dealing with legal disputes is the last thing anyone wants to go through, so even though conversations about inheritance can be tricky, transparent communication early on can help ensure expectations match up to the reality of children’s inheritance.”

Agriculture business owners said that the

main reasons they would exclude a relative from inheriting the family business were worries that they would sell the farm to a member outside the family and concerns that they were not skilled enough to effectively manage the business (both 32%).

A further 46% of respondents believed the concern should only be inherited by people who have worked in the business.

The unexpectedly severe changes to agricultural property relief and business property relief made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the autumn mudget could also influence farmers’ decisions about the future.

The announcements may force agricultural business owners to sell off some of their assets during their lifetime to stay under the £1million threshold and not pass on the tax implications to future generations or sell their land and business altogether, impacting the inheritance of those left behind.

Mayo Wynne Baxter is urging families and loved ones to have open and honest discussions early on to avoid any shock or disappointment that could lead to family disputes after a loved one has passed away.

The firm is encouraging families to seek appropriate professional advice to prevent distressing legal battles. This is particularly crucial ahead of inherited pensions being brought into the inheritance tax threshold.

Caroline said: “Agricultural businesses are unique as they not only provide careers and income for multiple generations, but they are usually where the ancestral home is and contain many treasured memories, making inheritance discussions emotionally sensitive.

“However, this research highlights how important it is for every agricultural businessowning parent to sit down with their children and make clear what the future looks like, especially in light of upcoming tax changes.”

THE IMPORTANCE OF NUPTIAL AGREEMENTS

Following the 2024 Autumn Statement there is now a plethora of information available to farmers surrounding inheritance tax changes, which may impact on succession planning. We know that family farms are often historic and complex, so structuring the business or partnership in the right way helps ensure it passes successfully from generation to generation.

Perhaps a less talked about issue is the need for farmers to safeguard against divorce, in the unfortunate event that it should arise. Given that approximately 42% of marriages in England and Wales end in this way, it is imperative that this discussion should form part of business planning, especially when multi-generational family farms are involved.

WHAT IS A PRE-NUPTIAL AGREEMENT AND HOW CAN IT PROTECT THE FARM?

Having to sell land or divert income on divorce is likely to have a devasting impact on the farm’s future and viability.

A pre/post-nuptial agreement is a bespoke document between a couple entering into a marriage or civil partnership which documents what they intend to happen to their money and property in the event that the marriage or civil partnership ends.

A pre/post-nuptial agreement can deal with the division of assets such as property, business interests, savings and income. Within

the agreement, you can define non-marital property coming into the marriage, such as land and other key business assets, which could be essential in protecting the farm’s future.

A pre/post-nuptial agreement might be particularly beneficial where:

1. One of you has substantially greater capital, such as family farmland, than the other.

2. One or both of you wishes to protect assets you owned prior to the marriage, including family trusts or inheritance.

3. One or both of you has children from a previous marriage or relationship and wishes to protect assets for the purpose of inheritance planning.

The agreement can give more certainty as to the financial arrangements should the relationship break down, which is why pre-nuptial agreements are increasingly popular and given recognition by the courts.

WHAT CONSIDERATIONS MUST BE MADE?

Pre-nuptial agreements are not strictly binding upon the courts in so far as the courts have ultimate discretion. However, when certain criteria are met, they will be given greater weight by a court considering the division of assets in a divorce and are more usually upheld. Examples of these criteria include:

• Both parties providing full financial disclosure to each other.

• The fact that the terms of the agreement are

SOPHIE READ

Partner, Brachers LLP T: 01227 949548

E: SophieRead@brachers.co.uk www.brachers.co.uk

“Brachers has the personal touch, listening carefully to clients’ needs in a friendly, sensitive and helpful manner.”

substantially fair, for example in providing for both parties’ needs in the event of divorce or an end to the civil partnership.

• The fact that neither party felt pressurised to enter into the agreement.

• Both parties receiving independent legal advice.

• The agreement being fully negotiated and signed at least 21 days before the wedding, although more time is safer.

WHAT HAPPENS IF MY CIRCUMSTANCES CHANGE?

We all know that circumstances during a marriage or civil partnership can change, and personal circumstances may look very different a few years or so after the agreement is entered into. For this reason it is important to include within the terms of a pre/post-nuptial agreement the triggers for ‘review dates’. This ensures that the terms previously entered into remain inherently fair.

IS IT TOO LATE TO REACH AN AGREEMENT AFTER THE WEDDING?

Parties who are already married or within a civil partnership can still reach an agreement as to what should happen with their assets following the breakdown of the marriage; this is called a post-nuptial agreement. A post-nuptial agreement is reached in the same way as a pre-nuptial agreement and can cover the same matters. Again, these agreements are not strictly binding on the court, and it will be necessary for the court to review the agreement and decide whether it would be unfair to uphold its terms.

If you are thinking of entering into a pre-nuptial or post-nuptial agreement, you are

Explore the opportunities of planning reform

In recent weeks, several significant announcements have been made in the planning world, aimed at supporting the Government’s ambitious goal of delivering 1.5 million new homes in five years, while also promoting environmental sustainability. Director, Tom Ogden of Bloomfields highlights that “irrespective of who you voted for, these ambitious planning changes offer valuable opportunities for land and property owners.”

 Revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) Highlights:

A new ‘standard method’ for assessing local housing need, which will help meet intended national housing targets.

A focus on brownfield development, with proposals to be approved unless substantial harm is demonstrated.

Identification of ‘grey belt’ land within the Green Belt for potential development.

Establishment of ‘golden rules’ for Green Belt land to ensure development serves the public interest.

 Updates to National Planning Policy Guidance (NPPG)

Recent updates provide further technical guidance on housing and economic need assessments, housing supply, delivery, and viability.

 New Working Papers

New papers have been released seeking input on planning reforms, including:

• Development and Nature Recovery: Proposals for how housing and infrastructure development can meet environmental obligations and contribute to nature recovery.

• Planning Committees: Introduction of a national delegation scheme, targeted committees for strategic development, and mandatory training for committee members.

Prioritization of affordable housing that meets community needs and supports a diverse housebuilding sector.

Economic growth in key sectors such as laboratories, gigafactories, data centres, digital economies, and freight logistics.

Support for clean energy and environmental initiatives, including onshore wind and renewables.

 Other Key Announcements:

• A guidance document on how Local Planning Authorities should address Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG).

• Updates to the threshold for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, including the development of a new pre-application service by the Planning Inspectorate.

• A new service by Homes England to match developers with housing associations for delivering S106 affordable housing needs.

 What’s Coming Next:

The Government has indicated plans to introduce shorter, more agile local plans, improve engagement, update viability guidance, design a new strategic planning system, refresh the National Model Design Code, and increase planning fees to improve local service efficiency.

ACT NOW

Understand the Opportunities

Keeping up to date with these changes is crucial, as they could present significant opportunities for your land or property.

To explore how these planning reforms could unlock the potential of your site, contact Bloomfields Chartered Town Planners today at 01892 831600 or email info@bloomfieldsltd. co.uk for expert advice and tailored solutions.

Selling a farm, however, is often a once-ina-lifetime decision and it’s understandable that some people might be a little nervous about taking the plunge.

And while there are always a number of ‘uncontrollables’ when it comes to a sale, there are also several steps that sellers can take to ensure they’re in the strongest possible position:

1. Many farm sales are won or lost by first impressions, so it pays to do the basics. Ensure buildings are clean and tidy, verges and hedgerows are cut as permitted, fencing is repaired and gates properly hung.

2. Continue farming as though you were staying. Sow arable crops as normal; you can be compensated later or add a holdover clause to the sale agreement to allow you to continue your occupation until harvest is completed.

3. If your property has issues with rights of way, private water supplies or local developments, be open from the start. Buyers are less likely to lose confidence if they’re aware of everything upfront.

4. The importance of gathering paperwork early should not be underestimated. Ensuring legal and compliance matters are addressed with your full team of professional advisors (typically a solicitor, accountant and land agent) will highlight

LAND AND FARMS

TOP TIPS FOR PREPARING YOUR FARM FOR SALE

There remains strong demand for farmland across the South East of England – with robust levels of activity, says Hannah Riches of Savills South East rural agency team.

any potential stumbling blocks, helping to avoid a price reduction further down the line, or a buyer walking away.

5. Depending on your holding, useful documents could include: five years of cropping and yield records, soil testing, support payments, planning history and drainage improvement records. Certificates awarded for performance, conservation or other noteworthy achievements are also worth finding.

6. Find out who is likely to buy your farm and the best way to reach them. Points to discuss with potential agents include

whether or not they have sufficient market knowledge and the local, national and even international reach to ensure your farm is seen by all prospective buyers. What is the most effective marketing and pricing strategy? Should the land be lotted to suit different types of buyers? Should it be publicly advertised to create strong competition or placed privately? Essentially, what could be done is an endless list. Instead, look at what should be done to ensure your property reaches the widest audience, makes an immediate impression and allows a sale to proceed as smoothly as possible.

For more information, contact Savills rural agents in the South East by ringing Hannah Riches on 07967 555724 or Chris Spofforth on 07812 965379

A selection of farms sold across South East England in 2024

CELEBRATING 125 YEARS

Lambert & Foster marks a century and a quarter of service in the South East.

Property professionals Lambert & Foster are proud to announce a significant milestone in their history as they mark 125 years of service throughout 2025. Founded in 1900, Lambert & Foster has grown to become a trusted name in property services across Kent and Sussex, known for professionalism and local expertise.

Lambert & Foster has evolved with the times while remaining true to its core values of integrity, dedication and unparalleled customer service. Over the years the company has helped generations of clients buy, sell and manage properties, cementing its place as a cornerstone of the property market in the South East.

LOOKING BACK ON 125 YEARS OF SUCCESS

Established at the turn of the 20th century, Lambert & Foster has continued to serve through two world wars, significant economic changes and a rapidly evolving property market. Through it all, the firm has remained committed to providing personal, professional service tailored to the needs of local families, businesses, farmers and landowners.

Key milestones in Lambert & Foster’s journey include:

• 1900: Ambrose and Foster founded as a rural estate management firm.

• 1907: Lambert and Symes founded as a property firm from 77 Commercial Road, Paddock Wood (the same offices the firm still occupies).

• 1981: Ambrose and Foster merges with Lambert and Symes to create “Lambert & Foster”.

• 2013: Lambert & Foster acquires Bloomfields Chartered Town Planners.

A YEAR OF CELEBRATION

To mark this significant anniversary, Lambert & Foster will be hosting a series of celebratory events and initiatives throughout 2025, including:

• A historical retrospective: Sharing fascinating stories and extensive archival

materials that highlight the firm’s role in Kent and Sussex history.

• A charitable giving campaign: Partnering with local charities to give back to the community that has supported Lambert & Foster for generations.

• Events: Hosting events to thank current and past employees, clients and other professionals from allied businesses for their contribution towards making Lambert & Foster the firm it is today.

A COMMITMENT TO THE FUTURE

While proud of its legacy, Lambert & Foster remains focused on the future. The company is committed to continuing its tradition of excellence by embracing innovation and sustainability, ensuring that the next 125 years are as successful as the last.

Director Alan Mummery said: "We are incredibly proud to celebrate 125 years of service to our community. This milestone is a testament to the hard work of our team, past and present, and the trust our clients have placed in us. As we look to the future, we are excited to continue building on our heritage while adapting to the needs of a changing world."

FOLLOW THE CELEBRATION

Lambert & Foster invites clients, colleagues and community members to follow the firm in commemorating this momentous occasion. Details of events and initiatives will be shared on the company’s website and social media channels.

For more information visit www.lambertandfoster.co.uk

Paddock Wood office

Horsmonden lamb sale

LAND AND FARMS

FARM LET SECTOR REMAINS STABLE

The farm let sector remained stable in 2023, despite fears that owners would take land back in-hand for environmental uses. That’s according to the annual survey by the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers (CAAV), which found the overall let area has remained static since 2003, when Common Agricultural Policy area payments were starting to be made.

Current changes in farming policy, however, are likely to have an impact in the coming years, with uncertainty typically leading to shorter-term lets and confidence to longerterm ones, said Jeremy Moody, secretary and adviser to the CAAV.

“The let land market has appeared to have settled at an unnatural equilibrium, due in part to the stifling effect of area‐based entitlements and subsidies,” he said. “Whether de‐linking changes this, is a matter for future surveys. In all parts of the UK, the tenanted sector will only grow if owners who

do not want to farm themselves see letting land as an attractive option.”

In England and Wales, fresh lets were marginally outweighed by losses, resulting in a net loss of 1,532 acres of let land. Around two-thirds of 1986 Agricultural Holdings Act tenancies, representing 68.6% of the let land area, were re-let on farm business tenancies for an average of 7.26 years.

The vast majority of lettings were of bare land, with only 6.6% being of fully equipped farms. The average length of agreement increased with area and equipment; holdings with a house and buildings let for an average of nearly 10 years, while the overall average was 3.84 years.

“However, this includes everything from seasonal grass lets upwards, so where lettings of a year or less are excluded, the average term was 5.42 years,” said Mr Moody.

New entrants obtained 20% of lettings where occupation changed, and tended to be offered

longer tenancies, with 35.6% of them being for a term of more than five years. “Overall, the 2023 survey suggests some increase in activity in England and Wales, though not to the levels seen before 2005,” said Mr Moody.

In Scotland, the area and number of units changing hands continued to decline, to just 42 units covering 8,695 acres.

Faced with a stasis in land occupation, the CAAV is actively looking at ways to remedy this, and is working with government tenancy groups in each of the four nations.

“Increasing the use and flexibility of our land occupation markets seems a critical reform for the future commercial success of agriculture,” said Mr Moody.

“In that task, the Republic of Ireland’s income tax relief for letting farmland for more than five years is showing strong and continuing signs of success in attracting retiring farmers to let out their land. That merits serious attention in the UK.”

The full report is available at www.caav.org.uk/2023-2024-caav-agricultural-land-occupation-survey-2

The UK is 62% self-sufficient in food production, although this varies by sector. More worryingly, the UK’s self-sufficiency in fresh vegetables is only 53%, the lowest since records began. With climate change and global insecurity compounding the issue, there are huge pressures on food supply chains, and the Government recognises that food production is critical to our national security.

But pressure on farmland has never been greater. Besides food production, there is the net zero agenda and targets on development, renewable energy, biodiversity, tree planting, carbon sequestration and more. This creates opportunities for landowners, but balancing food production with other land uses remains vital.

DEVELOPMENT

The Government has announced mandatory housing targets for 1.5 million new homes in this parliament. Every area must have local housing plans, with the Government ready to step in if not.

Sites that once had little chance of development are increasingly of interest to developers. At Batcheller Monkhouse we have a team dedicated to advising landowners on development, handling everything from conception through to eventual sale.

RENEWABLE ENERGY

The great grid upgrade is set to see the largest overhaul of the National Grid in generations, with a £58 billion investment programme planned. Landowners can play their part in renewable energy, taking advantage of renewed interest particularly in green-field solar and battery storage.

Solar sites tend to achieve circa £1,000 to £1,200 per acre on sites where livestock such as sheep can continue to graze the land. Battery storage schemes are particularly lucrative, with rates in the region of £1,800 to £2,000 per megawatt, and require far less land. At Batcheller Monkhouse we have agreed several such sites for our clients.

ELMS AND BIODIVERSITY

One of the primary methods the Government is seeking to improve conservation and biodiversity on farmland

THE BALANCE OF FOOD PRODUCTION AND LAND USE

is through the Environmental Land Management scheme. The goal is to improve the natural environment alongside food production, where both play a key role in all farming businesses.

The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) offers three to five year agreements, with available actions such as managing low-input grassland, which pays £151 per hectare/year. This can be supplemented by further grassland actions, for example the hay-making supplement, keeping native breed species, and so on.

There is also a range of actions available on arable land. The Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier Scheme may be of interest to others wishing to undertake more complex management of environmentally significant sites. This scheme is expected to open for applications in early 2025, with each farm being assessed on a case-by-case basis. As to biodiversity net gain (BNG), this is a mandatory requirement under Schedule 7A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. Developers must deliver 10% BNG, which often requires habitat creation, enhancement and management, but which can take land out of agricultural production. At Batcheller Monkhouse, we have developed the Environment Gateway, providing a bridge between landowners and developers looking for suitable sites.

TREE PLANTING

The Government has a target to plant 30,000 hectares of woodland per annum, which adds further pressure on land use. Available grants include the England Woodland Creation Offer and Community Forests’ Trees for Climate programme. Where substantial areas of ground are planted, it may be sensible to consider the Woodland Carbon Code, which presents

an opportunity for income from woodland carbon units. The Woodland Carbon Code is a government-backed scheme which allows companies to buy carbon units to reduce net emissions and claim carbon neutrality.

CARBON SEQUESTRATION AND LAND USE CHANGES

The Government’s carbon budget delivery plan begins to set out the demanding targets for reductions in greenhouse gases by the agriculture and land use sectors. The aim is to reduce annual emissions of CO2e from 49 million tonnes to 37 million tonnes by 2033-37. It provides specific targets for land use changes, including peatland restoration, afforestation and short rotation forestry.

DIVERSIFICATION

Other pressures on land use come from diversification. Opportunities for landowners can include camping, glamping, equestrian uses, secure dog walking facilities, recreational activities, events venues and so on. The planning team at Batcheller Monkhouse deals with a huge range of planning applications for diversification schemes each year.

CONCLUSION

Landowners and farmers are increasingly looking to balance food production with other land uses. The UK must improve its position on food production, but the ever-increasing demands of competing land uses continue to add pressure, with corresponding effects on land values. We are increasingly instructed to carry out strategic reviews of estates and landholdings, advise on the best uses of land, spot new opportunities and often to consider other relevant matters such as tax and succession planning.

CHRIS TIPPING FRICS FAAV Partner, Batcheller Monkhouse

T: Haywards Heath 01444 412402

E: c.tipping@batchellermonkhouse.com www.batchellermonkhouse.com

• NEW for 2025 Outdoor Vintage Autojumble on Sunday

• Large vintage auction of over 100 tractors and 1500+ lots courtesy of HJ Pugh

• Hundreds of vintage and classic tractors, vans, model displays and stationary engines on display

• Classic commercials drive in day on Sunday

• Even more indoor displays in the NEW Kildare Hall

• Over 100 trade stands in attendance plus a huge selection of vintage tractor parts

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CONSTRUCTION

Specialists in the Agricultural, Industrial and Equestrian sectors

Steel frame buildings.

Sheeting, cladding and oversheeting.

Gutter replacement, repairs and lining.

Steel frame, concrete frame alterations and repairs.

Asbestos removal.

Roof light and sheet changes.

Refurbishments and usage changes.

Demolition, groundworks and site clearance.

24

Roller

Condition reports and dilapidation work

Mezzanine floors

Insurance and repair work

On

PRESSURE WASHERS

PELLCROFT

ACROSS

1 Town in Kent (9)

5 Enclosure (4)

7 Animated film (9)

8 Awarded to winners (5)

10 Preposition (4)

11 Hard cheese (7)

12 Where a London river meets the North Sea (6,7)

14 Alternative to electric light (7)

16 Arable crop (5)

18 Stolen (7)

21 Saliva (4)

23 Ancient fairytale (10)

24 Shackleton ship (9)

25 Opening (4) DOWN

1 Small beetle (6)

2 A type of precipitation (4)

3 ---- Kenny, screen writer/actress (4)

4 Homes for rabbits (7)

5 Transparent (5)

6 Type of bread (7)

9 Amend (4)

12 Historical convention (9)

13 Fertiliser (4)

15 Immerse (3)

16 One of man's most important inventions (5)

17 Summit (3)

19 Frozen water (3)

20 Not dirty (5)

21 Reduce documents to unreadable strips (5)

22 Male singing voice (5)

LAST MONTH’S ANSWERS:

Crossword by Rebecca Farmer, Broadstairs, Kent