News

The Government has published a range of documents in preparation for the implementation of Biodiversity Net Gain in England in January 2024: Draft statutory instruments, amending existing legislation and making provision for the Biodiversity Gain Site Register, excepted sites and irreplaceable habitatsUpdate guidance for BNG, collected here: Biodiversity net gain - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)A revised Biodiversity MetricDraft planning practice guidance on BNG We will follow the announcements with a...

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 23rd November 2023 The let sector covers a third of England’s farmland, still with many 1986 Act tenancies but more than half on FBTs, and still large areas of Wales and Scotland. In addition to that scale, it provides a critical means of flexibility in farm structures, entry, expansion and exit from farming, relieving owners of the need to farm and enabling farmers to have the use of land without having to buy it. Its...

On Tuesday night Jeremy Moody was formally bestowed Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Agricultural University (RAU), its highest honour, in a ceremony at the RAU attended by Chair of the Governing Council, Dame Fiona Reynolds, as well as the Vice Chancellor, Earl Bathurst as Vice President and many of the senior leadership team at the RAU. Jeremy Moody was commended to the meeting by William Leschallas. The event was also attended by friends, family and alumni – including the current CAAV...

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 16th November 2023 At least the UK does not have volcanoes. Iceland, a land still being forged in fire, is watching in awe at the risk of an eruption 25 miles from its capital, evacuating a town before its destruction. In Europe’s other volcanic area, the Phlegraean Fields near Naples and Vesuvius have just had a 4.2 earthquake. Here, we are only following Iceland in the more benign search for geothermal energy prospects in...

DEFRA is holding two upcoming SFI Webinars:20th November, for Livestock and Grassland Farmers4th December, for Arable and Horticultural Farmers...

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 9th November 2023 Speaking to the North East Chamber of Commerce, Keir Starmer returned strongly to his party conference theme of the vigour that a Labour Government would bring to secure new housing and infrastructure as part of encouraging economic growth (see webnote). It chimes quite closely with the legislation that the Conservative Government is putting in place and, even while repeating the intention to “bulldoze”...

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 2nd November 2023 The variability of British weather has long been a topic of conversation but our extreme weather events now come “not single spies but in battalions”. Hundreds of acres of Lincolnshire farmland are still flooded and Angus had at least 11½” of rain in October, the wettest since its records started in 1891. As rain falls on saturated land, we see surface water flooding as well as river flooding –...

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 26th October 2023 It is only October and we already have our second “named” storm. Storm Babet has repeatedly battered and saturated Angus, Aberdeenshire and neighbouring counties with still more rain falling after silage bales had been washed out to sea. Flooding has gone wider, whether Framlingham, Derby, Retford, parts of the Welsh border and now the central south coast. This is the present taste of the more volatile,...

The Government has announced that the closing date for new applications to the Green Gas Support Scheme (GGSS) is to be extended to 31st March 2028. The extension is in response to difficulties experienced by project sponsors in commissioning anaerobic digestion plant and in securing feedstock. The extension is part of the Government's response to the mid-scheme review. Further details of the response will follow in due course. The policy framework for biomethane following the closure of the...

Applications open on the 23th October for the Countryside Stewardship Facilitation Fund 2024. More information is available here: Facilitation Fund 2024: Countryside Stewardship - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

BASIS, the agricultural and environmental qualifying and training body, has developed a register for environmental advisers. With the growing focus on environmental delivery through Government schemes and private initiatives, the intention is to provide an industry platform for those who plan to offer farm environmental advice to businesses in the UK. More detail on the register can be found here: BASIS | Environmental Advisers Register (basis-reg.co.uk). In the future, entry to the register...

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 12th October 2023 This week’s Labour Party Conference has brought its pro-development policies to the fore, driven by answering the housing shortage. Keir Starmer has crystallised the policy with his phrase about “bulldozing” an over-localised planning system. He has been supported in this by both Rachel Reeves, shadow chancellor, and Angela Rayner, deputy leader, carrying forward the work done by Lisa Nandy, her...

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 5th October 2023 HS2 has now been identified as the cuckoo in the nest with its ever-escalating costs and extending timescales, seen as an unmanageable project with its benefits now less than its vast and perhaps unquantifiable costs. It had grown to take a third of the Department for Transport’s capital budget, more money than either Highways England’s roads renewals programme or Network Rail’s capital programme. With...

DEFRA, with the English Organic Forum, is holding a webinar on SFI and organic on Friday 13th October at 12-1.15pm. Please see this Eventbrite link for registering.

Anglian Water's Farm Innovation Grant - which pays farmers in targeted catchments in that company's region to adopt practices that improve water quality - is to open for applications from 2nd October 2023 until Sunday 12th November. There is a maximum value of £7,500/holding available. For more information, see here: Anglian Water Farming Innovation Grant | Campaigns | News and insights | Ricardo....

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 28th September 2023 Permitted development rights can be seen as one means to save the over-stretched and under resourced planning system from itself, a safety valve allowing investment in and change for the future. A member has recently had to make a full planning application for two environmental ponds, one 3m by 3m and the other 5m by 8m, in an AONB that, among other things, required a dark skies assessment, a relative...

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 22nd September 2023What a moment to be starting on a professional career as an agricultural valuer. Having spoken this week to the new entry at the RAU and soon to speak at Harper Adams, students are starting their courses leading to the profession. Across the country, people are starting their first employment and their practical training. Both groups start at this fascinating time when so much is now open for change and all...

Applications are now open for the Farm Innovations Programme Feasibility Studies. Applications for this competition should be at an early stage of research and development, with the grants to support projects through testing to see if a research idea works in practice and if it is worth further investment. The total cost of the project must be between £200,000 and £500,000 and last up to 24 months. More information is available in our website note of 2nd August....

The Sustainable Farming Incentive opened for applications on the 18th September. DEFRA are undertaking a 'controlled' roll-out of the SFI, with the scheme gradually opened to more land managers. For more detail, see the SFI Handbook, our website notes of 21st June and 29th August, as well as a recent CAAV podcast. In conjunction with the opening of the SFI applications, DEFRA has updated some of the relevant guidance pages on the GOV.UK website. This includes the publication of a range of...

The Department for Communities has announced consultations on two sets of technical regulations that are proposed to be made under the Private Tenancies (Northern Ireland) Act 2022. One set of regulations would introduce requirements for the provision of smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms in private rented properties in Northern Ireland, including draft regulations and how to respond are provided. A second set of regulations would introduce five-yearly electrical safety inspections in...

The CAAV has been made aware that some Countryside Stewardship Mid Tier applicants have seen land misidentified within the Rural Payments Service portal as being above the moorland line, therefore restricting which CS options are available for their application. Those who believe that this is the case should first check the extent of the moorland line on the Magic Map, as this is amended from time to time. Where there is a mismatch between what is shown on the Magic map and what is available...

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 7th September 2023 Water supply is steadily becoming a critical issue in the United Kingdom with agriculture needing to look ahead and ensure both access to water and making the best use of it. Only last year, four Sussex councils were proposing water neutrality policies for housing development – that no more use should be made of water once houses are built than before – while, earlier this year, South East Water...

We have published this guidance to using the CAAV’s Facilitating Dispute Resolution service, supported by this podcast. The CAAV President has statutory status for the appointment of arbitrators to agricultural tenancy disputes under the 1986 and 1995 Acts on unilateral request. However, the CAAV service goes much wider than that, appointing arbitrators, experts and mediators for all rural disputes across the United Kingdom. We start by urging good and effective negotiation to avoid the...

We have received the following update from the RPA: Customers intending to apply for CS Mid-Tier online (closing date 15 September 2023) will need to submit land changes no later than 5 Sep 2023. Please advise your members that we can prioritise emails if they include the subject heading ‘CS application RLE1 land change’ and their SBI.

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 31st August 2023 We have yet to see what the true effect of the Government’s proposed changes to nutrient neutrality might be. The combined package of legislative amendments (yet to pass the House of Lords), measures and funding is intended to achieve both the unlocking of house building and improved quality of water courses. That package represents a move from a single tool, requiring nutrient neutrality only from...

Members will be aware that farmers and land managers have been invited to register their interest in applying early for the SFI 2023 as part of the controlled rollout of the scheme. Submitting the Expression of Interest form when invited to do so will enable eligible applicants to access the scheme as it is opened. The speed of the controlled rollout will then be assessed to prevent backlogs and delays. Once applicants have registered their interest, they are advised to review the scheme...

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 24th August 2023 Harvest can be a time for taking stock – perhaps especially with this year returning to a more catchy form after last year, with better weather grabbed when possible but with challenges in drying costs, quality and prices. More have had old crop in store and any national surplus faces export markets. For many, tax payments on the 2022 harvest year will be due in January. But it marks the completion of a...

DEFRA has announced that from 23rd August, the ban on gatherings of Galliforme poultry and birds has been lifted. Galliforme birds include chickens, turkeys, pheasants, partridge and quail. The ban has only been lifted in England and Galliforme birds and poultry from Wales and Scotland are not allowed to attend bird gatherings in England. Gatherings are subject to the APHA poultry gathering general licence and giving APHA seven days notice of the event. They are not permitted in disease control...

The Farming & Countryside Programme team at DEFRA is holding a webinar for farmers to find out about the payments available in England. The webinar will take place on 6th September, between 11:30am and 12:30pm. More detail, and booking, is available here: Defra funding for farmers webinar Tickets, Wed 6 Sep 2023 at 11:30 | Eventbrite....

DEFRA has recently launched a campaign to recruit a new cohort of members for the Independent Agricultural Appeal Panel. As you know, the panel is an important part of the process in considering cases of dissatisfaction relating to policy. Details of the application process can be found via the link below: Role details – Independent Agricultural Appeals Panel members – Apply for a public appointment – GOV.UK (apply-for-public-appointment.service.gov.uk)...

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 17th August 2023 News of planning permission for a prawn farm in Crowland, Lincolnshire draws attention to high investment agricultural projects in a number of UK farming sectors where the business, rather than the property, will be the driver of value. This is still agriculture, further testing farming’s spectrum from food production to land management. According to the proposition, agricultural planning rights may be...

The Rural Payments Service will be unavailable due to maintenance between 5pm on Wednesday (16th) and 9am on Thursday. We have been informed by the RPA that this 'is a full system release with critical items in it, including urgent fixes for MT Online'. Members will be aware of some ongoing issues with CS Mid-Tier applications. The CAAV has been told by the RPA that no one will be disadvantaged by a technical error. Those experiencing issues are advised to: Read through the CS application...