| Welcome to the Latest TFA e-BITES | Did you know... The TFA has extended who it can assist? It can now help a whole range of farm business structures, including: Tenancies
Share Farming
Partnerships
Contract Farming
Grazing Licences In fact, the TFA is the only organisation dedicated to the needs of farmers across England and Wales who do not own the land they farm. As a member of the TFA, we can help you with all of the following and so much more: Succession - Rent Reviews - Arbitration Process - Notices to Quit/Remedy - End of Tenancy Considerations - BPS/Countryside Stewardship Queries - Repair/Improvements Advice - Compulsory Purchase and Compensation - Planning Applications - Game Damage - Livestock Worrying - Applying for a New Tenancy Even if you don't need specific advice on your tenancy, or information on the latest Government schemes, make sure you log onto our website regularly. You can find us here. Some of our website content is restricted to TFA Members only. You can become a TFA member by clicking here or by calling 0118 930 6130. More information on this week's key updates, including these tenancy opportunities, can be found below after "This Week's Top News Bites". | This Week's Top News Bites | Policy Momentum Must Not Be Stalled as New Prime Minister Is Selected The TFA has met with DEFRA Secretary of State, Rt Hon George Eustice MP, as the country awaits the outcome of the Conservative Party election for its new leader and our new Prime Minister. The TFA argued that it was vital not to lose momentum on important policy changes. Indeed, more effort needed to be put into the full development of the new Environmental Land Management Schemes, taking into consideration the concerns of the TFA around access for tenant farmers and other non-landowning farmers and to ensure that tenant farmers were not evicted from farms to enable their landlords to enter schemes. Wider action is also needed to be taken on supply chain measures (particularly given the huge cost increases in fuel, fertiliser and feed) developing our food security strategy (particularly in the context of trade) and dealing with issues around labour supply. One of the ideas we raised was whether DEFRA could provide greater certainty around the phasing out of the Basic Payment Scheme in England, by accelerating plans for delinking payments, whilst the development of new schemes was fast tracked. In the event that the new Cabinet decided to take a different direction of travel, or even that the Conservatives lose the next General Election, it will be vital to ensure that the funding available to agriculture is maintained and appropriately allocated. Government Kicks Off New Review of Groceries Code Adjudicator with Rumours Over Its Abolition The Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy has initiated the third statutory review of the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA). In the announcement made by the Minister for Small Business Consumers and Labour Markets, Jane Hunt MP, it has been made clear that the review will cover whether the GCA should exist at all. It has been suggested that it might be seen as an "efficiency measure" if the Adjudicator was abolished. The TFA believes that the Adjudicator has served a useful function and indeed, that the role should be expanded to include regulation of the relationships between primary producers and processors, as well as between processors and retailers. TFA Chief Executive, George Dunn, has said that it would be a "backward step," for ensuring fairness within supply chains, if the Government was to abolish the Adjudicator. For further details about the review, click here. Further Meeting of DEFRA Roundtable on Fertilisers This week, the Farming Minister, Victoria Prentis MP, chaired the third meeting of the UK Fertiliser Roundtable, at which the TFA was represented by its Chief Executive, George Dunn. The Agricultural Industries Confederation gave an insightful presentation, expressing concerns about the shortfall of fertiliser being purchased by grassland farmers in the dairy and livestock sectors. This will have an impact on production this year and also concerns about purchases by arable farmers for next year, with fertiliser prices remaining at excessively high levels for autumn delivery. Whilst analysis by AHDB seeks to suggest that given forward prices in some sectors, it continues to be economically viable to purchase and use fertiliser at usual levels even at today's prices. However, George Dunn highlighted at the meeting that the main problem is confidence. Producers need to be assured that if they do invest the significant amount of working capital required to bring crops to harvest, livestock to market and milk to dairies, processors and retailers will ensure a fair return. Equally, banks lending for that working capital need to have the confidence that there is the return within the supply chain for that debt to be serviced and repaid. That can only be achieved if the Government takes the necessary step to suspend competition law to allow supply chains to discuss price, margin and returns. It was also highlighted that with the potential for an agreement between Ukraine and Russia being brokered by Turkey, there may be a weakening in forward prices for cereals but also some waning on the price of fertiliser too. We will need to watch this space carefully. |  Click Here to Browse Our Videos | | New Farming Policies and Payments in England DEFRA has released an updated information booklet about changes happening to farming during the Agricultural Transition Period. The booklet includes details around the phasing out of direct payments, as well as the new and current schemes. To view the booklet, please click here. If you would like to discuss the changes in farming policy and how it may affect your business please do not hesitate to call Lynette Steel, TFA Farm Policy Adviser, on 0118 9306130. Extreme Heat Advice for Farmers and Land Managers DEFRA has published guidance for farmers and land managers whose land has been affected by the recent extreme temperatures. The guidance explains the action you will need to take if the drought has affected your ability to meet your agri-environment agreement requirements or if you need to change the area eligible for a scheme. TFA Farm Policy Adviser, Lynette Steel, recommends “any farmers who are suffering to meet the terms of scheme agreements should provide the RPA with details about the issue, including dates and times and ideally, photographic evidence to ensure that penalties aren’t received at a later date”. To view the guidance, please click here. If you have any further queries, please contact Lynette Steel, TFA Farm Policy Adviser, on 0118 9306130. Don't Miss This Friday's Countryside Stewardship Application Deadline Applications for Countryside Stewardship (CS) Mid Tier and CS Wildlife Offers close at midnight on Friday 29 July. To read the full guidance on how to apply, please click here. CS Protection and Infrastructure and CS Capital Grants remain open for applications all year. | Ask the TFA Expert: Who is Responsible for Re-wiring a Farmhouse Under Model Clauses? A full rewire of a farmhouse can be worrying, costly and disruptive. Understanding your position for repairs and maintenance for tenants and landlords is extremely important when dealing with any item, but especially so with more costly items. The repairs and maintenance position within an Agricultural Holdings Act 1986 (AHA) tenancy will often, but not always, follow what is colloquially referred to as ‘The Model Clauses’. The Model Clauses is a Statutory Instrument that sits outside of the AHA 1986, which has been updated and replaced over the years. The treatment of electrical installations was one issue that was considered thoroughly when the new Model Clauses were introduced in 2015 (England) and 2019 (Wales) to add clarity to the previous 1973 Regulations, which were less clear on the issue. Whilst it is less clear, the treatment of a full re-wire of a farmhouse is the same under both sets of regulations. In short, it is the landlord who is responsible for the full re-wiring of a farmhouse. For further information and reasoning for this, please click here to read the latest TFA Blog on the topic. If you need further assistance, please call TFA head office on 0118 930 6130 to speak to an Adviser. | TFA Survey: Is Your Farmhouse Energy Supply on a Domestic or Business Tariff? In May, the Chancellor of the Exchequer delivered a Cost of Living Support package to Parliament. This widely hailed package of measures may miss out tenant farmers, who occupy dwellings as part of an agricultural tenancy, because they may be on a business tariff for their energy, rather than a domestic tariff, which is the target for the Chancellor's measures. The TFA is raising this loophole with the Government but needs to hear from more members to better understand the extent that this will be a problem. This poll will take less than 30 seconds to complete. Thank you to those members who have already taken part in our short poll. For those of you who haven’t already done so, please click here. DEFRA Seeks Farmer to Test Animal Health and Welfare Yearly Review The Animal Health and Welfare Pathway supports improvements in farm animal health and welfare. The first step of the pathway is the SFI Annual Health and Welfare Review. To read more about this, click here. Starting this autumn, farmers who keep cattle, sheep and pigs can get funding for a vet, or vet-led team, to visit their farm and carry out a yearly review. DEFRA is ready to put more of the pathway to the test and seeks farmers to help test several aspects of the review, including:
• the service on GOV.UK that farmers will use. This includes the content for their applications.
• how vets will interact with the service. This includes basic information about each farm and the results of diagnostic testing following a vet visit. To register your interest and to find out more, email AHWR_enquiries@defra.gov.uk | Not Yet a Member of the Tenant Farmers Association? If you are reading this newsletter and you are not a member of the TFA, click here to watch a short video within which our Chief Executive, George Dunn, explains the benefits of TFA membership. | TFA Job Alert: Membership and Administration Assistant The TFA is looking to appoint a Membership and Administration Assistant at the Association’s Head Office in Theale, West Berkshire. Working with the Membership and Administration Manager, they will play a key part in providing the support that the organisation needs to carry out its vital functions of advice, information and support to its membership. Do you know someone who would be suitable for this position within the TFA? If so, click here to read the job description for this exciting role and pass it on to anyone who might be interested in applying. Do You Want a Members’ Meeting in Your Area? Whilst we will be continuing our successful series of online webinars, we also plan to put on face-to-face meetings for members in 2022, where there is a demand for them to take place. If you feel that there would be a benefit in holding a meeting in your local area, we would love to hear from you via an email to our Communications and Events Coordinator, Julia Meadows, on events@tfa.org.uk. Please let us know your thoughts about area, timing, potential venue and topics. Don't Forget to Tell Us About Your Rent Negotiations With the expectation that many more tenants will be pursuing landlords for rent reductions, we would encourage all members to feedback the conclusion of their rent reviews through the TFA's rent databank. The rent databank holds data anonymously and allows the TFA to track what is happening with rent reviews. It also provides other TFA members with important evidence to assist them in negotiating rents with their landlords. It takes just a few minutes to submit information through our exclusive portal for TFA members. This can be accessed by clicking here. |  Click Here for More Information | | Member Benefits Birmingham Bank Latest Loan Rates Birmingham Bank has offered the following loan rates for TFA members. These rates can be viewed by clicking here. Birmingham Bank is the TFA’s only approved finance partner. It provides TFA members with relevant financial solutions, for vehicles (new and used) and equipment, paired with great customer service and support. | Are You Renewing Your General Farm Insurance Soon? If so, why not contact the approved TFA Insurance partner GRP Group to see how they can help. To watch an introduction to GRP, click here. For more details, click here. To arrange for a quotation, please contact the TFA’s Membership Co-ordinator on 0118 930 6130 or email membership@tfa.org.uk. | TFA Members Save 25% off AgriWebb AgriWebb’s all-in-one livestock business management solution puts the future of your farm in the palm of your hand. With AgriWebb, you can go beyond basic record keeping and transform every day on-farm data into powerful real-time insights that help you run a more profitable, efficient, more sustainable operation. Accessible via mobile and desktop app, online or offline, AgriWebb works everywhere you do. TFA Members Save 25% off AgriWebb. For further information and details on how to claim this discount, TFA members can click here. |  Introducing our New Health Partner: HMCA. Click here for details. | | |
