Working in Each Part of the UK

While the CAAV is a professional organisation covering the whole United Kingdom:

• providing a common high standard qualification
• briefing and representing agricultural valuers
• handling issues that apply across the UK wide from taxation to telecommunications

we also work with and advise on the policies of each part of the country as they develop with increasing devolution as well as their own circumstances, histories and laws.

England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland each have and are developing their own policies and practices for such matters as agricultural policy, agricultural and residential tenancies, development control and environmental policy.

This is particularly significant with the consideration in each part of the United Kingdom of post-Brexit policies for agriculture, the sector most closely enmeshed with the EU since entering the CAP in 1973. Much of this touches on the productivity challenge for UK agriculture and how public money is best used to achieve public benefits, including the environmental ones of climate change mitigation, soil, water and biodiversity, with consequences for farm businesses and structures. With the scale of devolution of agricultural policy, each government is considering what, once outside the CAP, might best suit the farming of its area and its other goals.

Working across the whole UK enables the CAAV to bring together the experience and knowledge of all four countries, drawing on the lessons from differing policies to help members and the Association’s work throughout the whole country. This is valuable for the CAAV in dealing with Government departments in London (such as DEFRA, MHCLG, DDCMS, HM Treasury, HMRC and others) as well the governments in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast to seek informed and practical decisions in policy making as well as raising issues and concerns.

The CAAV has committees for each of the devolved territories and their chairmen sit on and report to the full CAAV Council.

The CAAV’s UK-wide technical committees for Property and for Valuation, Compensation and Taxation include members from the devolved areas.