News

It has been reported that DEFRA are to remove the 1st January 2026 deadline for members of the public to apply to register rights of way that are not featured on definitive maps. The right was introduced by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, and it is estimated that so far 41,000 miles of paths had been identified. Within the reports there is also said to be a new landowner 'right to apply' to divert or extinguish rights of way in certain circumstances. It is unclear how this will...

Manuals - The CAAV has asked for the new Manuals to be made available as pdfs and been assured that they are now being prepared for publication. Payment Rates - In a late revision, the proposed cut in the rate for OP4 (multi-species ley) has been reversed so that the rate will remain at £115/ha. This will not have been corrected in all the materials just published but is to be carried through into payments....

The deadline for all homes (not just those in the rented sector) to have interlinked smoke detectors installed, as well as carbon monoxide detectors, was 1st February 2022. CAAV note 23rd October 2020 provides further information.

Natural England and Natural Resources Wales have updated the Countryside Code advice for land managers. The document can be found online.

Natural England has received applications or expressions of interest for a Badger Disease Control Licence within the counties of Buckinghamshire, Cheshire, Cornwall, Derbyshire, Devon and Northamptonshire. Following DEFRA's guidance, an opportunity to comment on the applications has been opened. It should be noted that this is expressly not an opportunity to comment on bovine tuberculosis control policy more broadly, but is for those whose livelihoods and daily activities will be impacted by...

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 3rd February 2022 The pressures and incentives for rural land use change continue to grow. However, the official policy frameworks for this are not yet in place even in England or clear as to operation and scale. Wales’ Sustainable Farming Scheme, Scottish land use policies and Northern Ireland’s framework are further away still. While commercial forestry is established and buoyant, these and similar markets, such as...

Base Rate increased today to 0.5%.

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 27th January 2022 Climate change discussion has focused on its mitigation by carbon sequestration and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Affecting society and the economy, this has particular consequences for land management, farming and buildings. However, adaptation is equally important. All forecasts point to significant further change, even if mitigation is as effective as intended by 2030 and 2050 – with so much of...

The High Speed Rail (Crewe – Manchester) Bill has been deposited into Parliament to seek the powers to build and operate the next section of the HS2 route. More information can be found via this link.

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 20th January 2022 With the Commons Public Accounts Committee asking DEFRA how its proposed environmental schemes might affect food production in England and similar arguments elsewhere in the UK, these schemes should be put into some perspective. DEFRA has set out the broad outlines. As money is released from Basic Payment, 10 per cent is to support productivity improvement and 90 per cent goes to buy environmental change on...

DEFRA has announced that, following feedback during the early rounds, the Farming in a Protected Landscape Programme will now have rolling application window. This will allow applications to be submitted up until the programme closes in 2024. For more on the aims of the programme, and the funding available, see our website note of 25th June 2021....

The CAAV office will close for Christmas at 1 p.m. on Wednesday 22nd December 2021 and re-open on Tuesday 4th January 2022. May we take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy Christmas and best wishes for the New Year.

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 16th December 2021 The housing market is a market for people. A house sale or purchase is the largest transaction many make while a house may be home, with a sense of place as well as a potential financial assurance. A home-owning democracy was a mainstay of 20th century politics but tight supply and loose money have made housing unaffordable for many. The functioning of this market is a key political issue – often also a...

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 9th December 2021 DEFRA has made the third of its Agricultural Transition Plan statements, this time largely on SFI 2022 focussed on soils but also with a larger policy speech. This follows the Plan of November 2020 and June’s announcements on SFI and DEFRA’s payment principles. This is and should be seen as a pattern of the progressive development, implementation and testing of new policies, with a flexibility possible...

The Scottish Government have published a reminder that applications for the Sustainable Agriculture Capital Grants Scheme (SACGS), along with the relevant supporting documentation, should be submitted by 31st December. Completed claims and supporting documents should be emailed to local Area Offices. Applications already submitted will need to have the relevant documentation by that date as well. More information can be found online....

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 2nd December 2021 With strong commodity prices (and their input costs), one established trend has been the growing strength of commercial forestry with harvested timber’s uses from construction to biomass now having more value as part of reducing carbon emissions in the wider economy. Economics and policies make this a different market from farm woodlands or from using standing trees to sequester carbon or offset...

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 25th November 2021 It is striking that, while waiting for the mystery of England’s new housing policies to be revealed by Michael Gove, the last eight days have seen Wales and Scotland developing housing packages that interlock local taxation with planning control and licences: the close of the Welsh consultation on Council Tax and potential premiums for second homes and the qualification for business rates on holiday...

The Ministry of Justice has opened a consultation on changes to the Housing Legal Aid programme. The main proposals are: remodel the delivery to become a new Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service (HLPAS), incorporating both the existing service of advice and representation at court but also early legal advice before courtexpanding the scope of legal aid so that HLPAS providers can offer early legal advice on social welfare law matters to individuals facing procession proceedingscontracts for...

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 18th November 2021 The national, rural and agricultural economies need more good businesses to face the expected challenges of this decade. For all the developing policies and larger national objectives, the economy and so living standards and public services rest on improving business performance. That means providing what people will pay well for, doing so efficiently with the greatest ratio between outputs and inputs –...

The Farming Investment Fund was launched on 16th November and, within that, the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF) is now open for applications until 7th January 2022. Details are covered in this CAAV webnote The full and expanded list of items eligible for FETF with their specification and the grant payable on each is set out in this note on the Gov.uk website....

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 11th November 2021 The theme of nature recovery has gathered political force over the last decade, since the Lawton Report, Making Space for Nature, and DEFRA’s 2011 Natural Environment White Paper. From David Cameron’s concern, the 25 Year Environment Plan published under Theresa May’s premiership to the new Environment Act, the theme, summarised by George Eustice in July 2020 is that: “This Government’s pledge is...

CAAV POWER CUT – THURSDAY 11TH NOVEMBER CAAV e-mails and other services are likely to be disrupted for most of Thursday 11th November as Western Power Distribution has warned that, with local high voltage works in hand, it is cutting off power to the area from 8.30am until later afternoon, though these times are taken as approximate. Arrangements have been made to divert the telephone lines and to handle examinations traffic. Normal service should then be resumed. Alternatively, please call...

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 4th November 2021 Animal welfare concerns now have an increased prominence, breadth and reach in Government policies, with a political force that should not be underrated. The Government has two animal welfare Bills in Parliament: the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill and the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill – each with potentially significant consequences. The 2017 election crystallised the new moment. The Conservative...

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 29th October 2021 While the Government wrestles on a day-to-day basis with many areas of policy, it shows a sustained strategic direction for environmental and, within that, agricultural policy. While buffeted by events, the realities of government and practical issues of implementation, the approach, pre-dating Boris Johnson’s premiership, can be summarised as: the goal of environmental improvement, embracing climate...

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 14th October 2021 It is a complex world. Today’s disrupted supply chain issues overlay the adjustments of the post-Brexit process, in turn overlaying the long run pressures of climate change. The global disruption of the pandemic is now rippling down the seasons like water sloshing when carrying a bowl. The waves of the pandemic were followed by strong recoveries in demand but supply chains frustrated as Chinese ports...

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 7th October 2021 Boris Johnson’s speech yesterday to the Conservative Party Conference is another step in the mystery of the Government’s developing land use policies – indeed of “levelling up”. The pattern is for his high level statements to be developed later by ministers. It could intend extensive land use change. After a paeon to the UK’s landscape of “untouched moorlands” and “broadleaf forests”...

DEFRA has updated its guidance on creating and using a soil management plan. This information may be of interest to those land managers entering into the Sustainable Farming Incentive Pilot or considering soil and environmental management of their land. The guidance is available here.

The RPA’s Rural Payments system will be unavailable overnight from 5pm on Tuesday 5th October to 8am on Wednesday 6th October 2021 while Release 6 is installed.

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 30th September 2021 There is much discussion now about the need for farmers and landowners to be well advised. The need is clear with the scale of change and challenge for businesses and families: facing the withdrawal of Basic Payment in England and then Wales, with its prospective reduction and revision in Scotland and Northern Ireland. more commercial and changing markets and new technologiesthe effects of climate change...

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 23rd September 2021 “‘Just in time’; that’s almost late”: a Cornish manufacturer’s description to me in December 2018 of the then supply chains. Current experience endorses his view of the weaknesses in ultra-efficient systems, lacking resilience when facing the problems we see on a national, continental and global basis. Stocks have been seen as a cost, an insurance provision not worth paying. The risks in...

Following their 4-yearly review of Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) designated areas in December 2020, DEFRA have announced that no substantial changes in the patterns of nitrate pollution in England have been found. Accordingly, designated areas remain the same for 2021 to 2024. A map of designated areas can be found here. More information, including how to challenge the inclusion of land within a designated area, can be found on the Government website....

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 16th September 2021 The fascinating politics of the last few days reveal serious conundrums as the government navigates between its existing voters wanting protection and the needs of its potential voters.While little may have been done to reform or even fund social care, the threat of crippling care costs to existing homeowners and their heirs appears reduced. It is now reported that their concerns see teeth drawn from the...

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 9th September 2021 The fledgling world of transactions for environmental commitments is very young and potentially very innocent. It may match the early days for solar panels after Feed-in Tariffs were introduced in spring 2010 when initial activity moved faster than understanding or clearer perspective on value, opportunity and risk. We see a shifting balance from agreements for running payments for actions (common in...

It has been announced that the deadline for submitting claims for the Sustainable Agriculture Capital Grants Scheme has been extended until 31 December 2021. See the Scottish Government website for more details.

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 2nd September 2021 From the start of the pandemic, the Government’s concern has been to maintain contracts and activity in the economy. It has done so with measures such as the furlough scheme protecting employment contracts and grants and loans to tide businesses through. The resilience of the food supply chain passed its test last spring. As lockdown has eased, so the economy regained ground and unemployment stayed low....

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 26th August 2021 All parts of the UK are now shaping future agricultural policy. This week’s consultation paper from Scotland and policy framework from Northern Ireland follow England’s implementation of change and the Welsh Government’s confirmation of next year’s Agriculture Bill.Policies for climate change and biodiversity have increasing priority alongside wider environmental concerns and business performance. The...

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 19th August 2021 The old saying is that a farmer only controls what is under his boot. Weather, governments, markets and all are external, to be taken as they come. Looking to what can be controlled is particularly important at such a time of change. The problem is less uncertainty than perspective, seeing where value, reward and risk really lie. Too great a focus on the changing landscape of schemes draws the eye and mind...

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 12th August 2021 The CAAV has now published new editions of the model FBTs for England: one for largely bare land agreements for two years or less, the other for longer agreements and more fully equipped land – weblinks given below. New editions for Wales were issued earlier in the year. Revisions last year responded to Brexit; these pick up on the new policies under the Agriculture Act and the Environment Bill. They are...

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 5th August 2021 Understanding risks is a key part of making a market work. A buyer wants to know exactly what is being bought; the seller wants to contain the risks in that. Market pressures, contract law, consumer protection and other interventions seek to help with means, like the Land Registry, to authenticate major assets. Environmental agreements, including biodiversity gain, have risks as much as any other transaction....

Clay tablets can last longer than parchment, papyrus and paper, keeping records of contracts, debts and now of the sale of part of a field in central Iraq four millennia ago. Dr Daniel Mansfield of the University of New South Wales has shown that, with the legal details, the Old Babylonian tablet Si.427 records the right angled triangles used to measure the areas and give more exact rectangles than in earlier tablet to get the boundaries right, towards 1900BC and over a thousand years before...

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 29th July 2021 The further easing of pandemic restrictions enabled by widespread vaccination and past infections opens up thoughts of how the personal and social side of professional life, business and fellowship might resume. We are looking at what the new balance might be that, across the range of ways we work, combines efficient professional support and the social interaction of a wider life. While judging risk, there is...

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 22nd July 2021 The Government in London is clearing desks before Parliament goes into Recess tonight. Tuesday saw statements on planning policy for housing in England, one of the most significant controversies for the coming months. The bones of the policy set out in August 2020’s White Paper are for: 300,000 houses a year, allocated where house price/local earnings ratios show demand councils to identify growth...

The Scottish Government has announced an increase to the funding that will be available for the 2021/22 period for the area based Home Energy Efficiency Programmes. Area Based Schemes are delivered by local authorities targeting fuel poor areas and communities. Funding also targets the 'hardest to treat' properties which require external wall or complex cavity wall insulation, making homes warmer and less expensive to heat. £64 million - an increase of £9 million on last year - will be made...