News

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 8th June 2023 It is hard this week not to dwell on Ukraine. The CAAV’s National Conference at Oxford on 7th July is to receive a presentation, The Impact of the War on Agricultural Valuation in Ukraine, from Victor Zayats, an agricultural specialist member of the Ukrainian Society of Appraisers. I was discussing this with him and other Ukrainian valuers on Tuesday morning just after the news of the blowing of the Kakhovka...

DEFRA has published the dates of the application window to apply for a derogation for spreading livestock manure on grasslands in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones. Those seeking a derogation must apply between 6 June and 4 July 2023. More information is available here: Grassland derogations for livestock manure in nitrate vulnerable zones - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)....

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 25th May 2023 The tenanted sector of agriculture is important. Around a third of England’s farmland is let while a larger fraction of land is farmed by those with some let land. As with other lines of business, it is a way to farm without carrying the capital cost of premises in the balance sheet, releasing funds for active business. It is a means of entry and equally important, for flexibility, progression and exit as a...

With increasing awareness and knowledge, and a changing climate, winemaking is a growing sector in England and Wales. Land suitable for vines in England is known to command upward of £25,00 per acre. Following Brexit, DEFRA is to review the regulation of the wine industry, proposing changes to better fit the UK context. A consultation on the new regulations was opened on 24th May, and runs until 21st July. More detail is available here: Smarter Regulation: Wine Reforms Consultation - Defra...

Yesterday’s CAAV Council approved this Report on the Association’s activities in 2022, alongside the financial accounts.

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 18th May 2023 The bells striking for midnight on Monday marked the end of an era for farming in England. For 31 years, May 15th has been a key date in the farming calendar for a succession of area-based payment regimes, since the MacSharry reforms were implemented for 1993. The frantic scramble then to have the required mapping done in time foreshadowed later crises, as applications were prepared and made each year, despite...

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 11th May 2023 1,050 years ago on 11th May 973 but without Handel or a gospel choir, Edgar was crowned king of all England in Bath Abbey. Edgar made commitments with essentially the same oaths as Charles III amid the ceremonial on Saturday: to uphold our laws and customs and govern with law, justice and in mercy, doubtless echoing earlier coronations. They frame the later, more specific commitments of Magna Carta, the Bill of...

Reminder: The deadline for applications to the Basic Payment Scheme in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is the close of Monday 15th May 2023. In England, a valid claim in 2023 is a key criteria to be eligible to receive the Delinked Payments in the coming years. For more information, see our website note of 2nd May....

This article by Jeremy Moody first appeared in the CAAV e-Briefing of 4th May 2023 Competition between a growing number of different uses of land is an increasing part of many of our major policy debates and poses as many challenges for environmentalists as anyone else. While there are synergies between overall goals there are also conflicts. Making progress on managing climate change, restoring nature, ensuring food and recovering control of energy involves significant, potentially rapid,...

The Government has updated the guidance to the EIA (Agriculture) Regulations. The update relates to the section that details when a screening decision - approving or preventing an action - is required from Natural England ahead of an intensification of agricultural use. Previously, item seven in the given list of proposed activities that required a screening decision stated:'increasing stock density that will result in improved vegetation from grazing' The edited guidance now...