Northern Ireland's Economy Minister has announced that non-essential retail premises in the province can re-open from Friday 12th June, provided that the necessary safety measures are observed for customers and staff and that there is no increase in new cases of Covid-19.
The Government has announced that the ban on evictions from private and social rented housing, put in place to protect tenants during the coronavirus pandemic, will be extended to 23rd August 2020.
Jeremy Moody recently presented a webinar with Land Management 2.0 on ‘Tomorrow’s Work: Perspective on the Future of Land Management’. You can watch a full recording of the presentation below.
This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 4th June 2020 Looking beyond the virus restrictions, virtually every lobby group argues that its cause is further validated by the experience of the pandemic and the measures taken to tackle it. Those competing perceptions will frame the arguments we will see later this year. The largest arguments may be over the shape of future economic policy. Will there be a simple imperative to achieve recovery or will that be...
Further to DEFRA's confirmation of the English COVID-19 Dairy Hardship Fund opening for applications from 18th June 2020, the Welsh Government has confirmed that the Welsh fund will open on the same day. Eligible Welsh dairy farmers need to show they suffered a reduction of 25% or more in the average milk price they received in April and May, when compared with February 2020. Up to £10,000 funding is available to cover approximately 70% of the lost income. Farmers will need to provide their...
DEFRA has confirmed that the COVID-19 dairy hardship fund announced on 6th May will open for applications from 18th June 2020. Up to £10,000 funding will be available for eligible dairy farmers to cover up to 70% of losses experienced during April and May due to the COVID-19 outbreak. To be eligible, dairy farmers need to show there was a reduction of 25% or more in the base price paid for their milk in April 2020 compared with February 2020. Guidance and the application form should be...
Four environmental projects to protect and restore key habitats have been selected for funding under a pilot scheme looking to encourage private sector investment in such projects. The four projects receiving this funding are:- Devon Wildlife Trust - Restoration of the River Caen wetlands; Rivers Trust - Natural Flood Management in the River Wyre catchment; NFU - Poole Harbour Nutrient Management Scheme; and Moors for the Future Partnership - Peatland restoration in the Pennines. Further...
The RPA has confirmed that over 3,800 bridging payments were made in May for 2019 Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship unpaid revenue claims. Further details can be found on the gov.uk website.
This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 28th May 2020 The last two weeks have seen an easing in England of the Covid-19 restrictions on the property market, recovering activity in construction and increasing valuation work. With more negotiations and transactions, we may see how the property markets have moved. After 50 days of restrictions, there is the pent-up demand from many of the estimated 373,000 transactions said to have been stalled by the lockdown and...
The Welsh Agricultural Land Tribunal is seeking to appoint 3 landowner lay members to its panel. Successful applicants should have a good knowledge and experience of land management in Wales and be able to bring that to bear in considering cases. The closing date for applications is 10th June 2020 and further details are available on the Judicial Appointments Commission website....
The recent Court of Appeal decision in Borwick Development Solutions Limited v Clear Water Fisheries Limited considered whether solar panels and commercial fish pass to a buyer of the land. As the first such case on solar panels and with few legal precedents for the fish, Jeremy Moody gives a fascinating commentary on the case where fish possibly worth over £1m got away! Also available on Apple, Spotify and Google Podcasts. Catch-up on previous episodes here. ​...
This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 21st May 2020 Covid-19 now sits alongside Brexit as a radical accelerant of business change. The impact of the restrictions has been described as fast-forwarding business practice from March 2020 to, say, March 2025, with: the accelerated use of the internet, home working with remote contacts with clients, and the accelerated shock for much of retail and business use of public transport, aviation and hospitality. How might...
The organisers of the Oxford Farming Conference have announced that it will be held as a one day digital event on Thursday 7th January 2021. From June to December 2020, OFC will hold monthly webinars to debate themes from previous conferences. To register for the free OFC Bitesize webinars, go to https://www.ofc.org.uk/conference/2021
New Regulations have been made in Scotland which will prevent landlords from letting private rented residential property if it has an EPC in Band F or G. Originally due to come into force on 1st April 2020, their introduction was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Kate Russell explains what the Regulations will require and offers some tips for landlords to plan head for their introduction. Also available on Apple, Spotify and Google Podcasts. Catch-up on previous episodes here....
This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 14th May 2020 The measures now taken in England to ease the Covid-19 restrictions on the property and development are very welcome as a contribution to movement in the economy. Some construction sites never stopped, others had re-started working and some transactions continued. Nonetheless, developers stalled much work, not risking more money on half-built houses that might not be sold, starving the pipeline for development...
The Agriculture Bill passed its final stages in the House of Commons yesterday (13th May 2020) and should be on track to pass through Parliament by this summer. Further information is available in DEFRA's Blog.
Estate agents and letting agents may re-open in England as the latest public health regulations, which come into force today (13th May 2020) now permit people to leave their homes in order to Visit estate or letting agents, developer sales offices or show homes View residential properties to look for a property to buy or rent Prepare a residential property to move in Move home Visit a residential property to undertake any activities required for the rental or sale of that property....
The Government has announced that it will extend its furlough scheme to the end of October. From August, furloughed workers will be able to return to work part-time and employers will be asked to pay a contribution to the cost of furlough salaries. Further detail is available on the GOV.UK website.
Wales' Rural Affairs Minister, Lesley Griffiths, has announced funding for eligible dairy farmers affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. Where dairy farmers have lost more than 25% of their income in April and May, they should be entitled for up to £10,000 funding to cover 70% of lost income. Further information is available on the gov.wales website.
This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 7th June 2020 In the last couple of weeks, meetings with Government and others that had been solely focused on the Covid-19 virus have begun to talk about other business once again. Post-Brexit policy re-joins the virus as an accelerant for change. The Agriculture Bill, as a priority piece of post-Brexit-legislation, returns to the Commons next week so we can be ready for 2021. The Environment Bill will probably follow. The...