News

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...