TFA Keeps Up the Pressure for MPs to Include Measures for Tenant Farmers in the Agriculture Bill

The TFA's Chief Executive, George Dunn, will be giving evidence to two very important Parliamentary Committees on the recently introduced Agriculture Bill which had its second reading in the House of Commons on October 12. The first will be the Public Bill Committee on 23 October at 2.30pm prior to the Committee considering specific amendments to the Bill. The second is The Environment Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee which has decided to hold its own inquiry into the Bill. TFA's evidence session, alongside other farming organisations, will be at 2:45pm on 24 October. Both sessions will be held in public and will be streamed on the Parliament live web channel.

Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) case confirmed in Scotland

An isolated case of BSE has been confirmed on a farm in Aberdeenshire this week. The disease was discovered after the animal was slaughtered. There is no immediate risk to food safety or human health. Farmers are being advised to stay vigilant and if concerned, to seek veterinary advice.

The case is the first outbreak in Scotland for 10 years, however it is not unexpected to see new cases appear infrequently. The swift response to the outbreak demonstrates the strength of the surveillance measures currently in place. The Scottish Authorities are working closely with the Animal Health And Plant Agency (AHPA) to manage risk.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury, RT Hon Liz Truss MP, Meets with Rural Stakeholders

Along with other representatives from rural stakeholder organisations, TFA Chief Executive, George Dunn met this week with Liz Truss, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, to discuss the forthcoming budget and spending review. Issues covered during the meeting included the need for a clear budgetary process for funding the aspirations under the Agriculture Bill; the need for the Treasury to authorise payments on delayed Stewardship agreements prior to RPA/NE finalising mapping issues; the need for a joined-up discussion with Government which covers both taxation reform and the spending review and rural proofing Government tax and spending policies. A further meeting with the Chief Secretary is planned for the New Year.

Additional bTB Testing Announced for Herds in High Risk Area

Contiguous testing for TB has been announced following an unprecedented spike in cases reported in the Welsh TB Area North.

The announcement by Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths follows the report that the incident rate has increased by 75% compared to the previous 12 months.

The additional testing of herds that face an increased risk will be introduced to identify disease hotspots. These additional tests will be carried out at six monthly intervals. Additional support will be made available to farmers in these areas through the introduction of Government subsidised “Keep it Out” veterinary visits. These visits will look at the local disease pressure, biosecurity and the farm's cattle trading policy.

Basic Payment Scheme Loan open to applicants in Wales – apply now!

Following the calls by industry organisations to ease pressure on farm businesses who have suffered fodder shortages due to this summer’s drought, the Cabin Secretary announced that farmers who submitted a 2018 BPS claim would be eligible to apply for a loan. The loan is an opt in scheme and has been put in place to ensure that any farmer who is unlikely to receive their full BPS payment, at the opening of the payment window (1st December), will be eligible to receive 70% of claim value as a loan. This will be paid in the first few weeks of December. While the loan is open to all farmers, we encourage those who have received an inspection in the last 12 months to make cross border claims to apply, as it is likely they will receive a full payment on 1st December.

You can apply for a BPS loan by accessing Rural Payments Wales (RPW) Online only and all applications must be made by 30th November. The BPS Loan application is available on the Home Page or from the Applications and Claims section of the online account. If you have any questions about registering for RPW online or completing your BPS Loan application you can contact the Customer Contact Centre on 0300 062 5004. To find out more click here.

Welsh Government Consultation "Brexit and Our Land"

The closing date for comments on the Welsh Government consultation is 30 October and TFA Cymru is preparing its response. The consultation can be viewed by clicking here. Members can either respond to the consultation directly or provide views to us to inform the response which we will be submitting. Any views can be emailed to wales@tfa.org.uk.

TFA Member Event

TFA Cymru – Regional Meeting

The Tenant Farmers Association Cymru is hosting a seminar and discussion starting at 7:30 pm on the 31st October 2018, at the Metropole Hotel, Llandrindod Wells.

TFA Chief Executive, George Dunn, will assess the impact of future policy on the tenanted sector, and Karen Anthony from Agri Advisor solicitors will look at what landlords and tenants need to be considering in terms of managing existing and new tenancy agreements.

This FREE event includes a light supper and is open to any tenant farmer in Wales regardless if you are a TFA Cymru member.

If you are interested in attending please book your place online by clicking here before 5pm on Friday 26 October 2018. This will enable us to accurately cater for the event. Should you need more information, please contact Julia Meadows at the TFA’s Head Office via email events@tfa.org.uk, or by calling 0118 930 6130.

Member Offer

The TFA is working in partnership with Solway Recycling Limited, a market leader in the UK’s collection and reprocessing of used farm plastics. Recycled plastics are turned into new products such as Stokbord, calf and sheep pens. Due to their non absorbency, these materials offer a greatly reduced disease pressure.

Solway Bin & Liner system is available at £220.00 instead of the normal £250.00 + VAT to TFA members, with other discounts available on bulk purchase of Stokbord, calf and sheep pens.

To take advantage of this offer, please call TFA Head Office on 0118 930 6130 to obtain this year's offer code.

TFA Updates

Weekly Uploaded Documents

The following articles and documents have been uploaded to the TFA’s website since the publication of the last TFA e-newsletter or e-Bites.

Please note: Members will need to log into their TFA account before they can access details from the links below.

Media Release

Media Release – MR1838 – Farm Productivity Must Not Play Second Fiddle to Other Policy Objectives

Briefing Notes

TFA Briefing Note A21/18 - DEFRA Commits to 2019 Countryside Productivity Small Grants Scheme (CPSGS)

TFA Consultation Responses and Lobbying

TFA Written Evidence on the Agriculture Bill to the House of Commons Environment Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Tenancy Opportunities

130 acres of good quality meadow and pasture land in Lancashire, available from 9th Nov 2018 on a 1 year FBT

225 Acre Livestock Holding in Cornwall Seeks Progressive Farmer with New Business Ideas

93 acre Dairy Holding in Devon To Let on a 7 year FBT from 25 March 2019

37 Acre Mixed Starter Farm to let in Devon on a 7 year FBT from 25 March 2019

127 acre Residential Dairy Holding in Devon to be let on a 7 year FBT from 25th March 2019

104 Acre Mixed Livestock and Arable Farm in Leicestershire available on a 15 year FBT from 25 March 2019

89 Acre Dairy or Livestock Starter Farm in Leicestershire available on a 15 year FBT from 25 March 2019

487 Acre mixed farm near Tunbridge Wells. Available on a 10 year FBT from 25 March 2019.

998 Acre livestock farm near Eastbourne, East Sussex available from 3 Jan 2019 on a 5 Year FBT

And Finally...

Farm Safety Partnership

Following the establishment of the Farm Safety Partnership in 2011, the TFA is pleased to reconfirm its commitment to the initiative. Set up by industry to improve the safety records of agriculture, the partnership includes organisations representing a broad spectrum of agricultural interests. These include auctioneers, training providers, farming press and machinery dealers who have committed to improving the safety of farms and allied industries. The four areas the partnership will be focusing on over the coming months are Child Safety, Falls from Height, Transport and Machinery and Livestock Handling. These will all feature regularly in TFA e-newsletters.