Email Banner dual branding
 

TFA e-newsletter 14 September 2018

DEFRA 2015

DEFRA Launches Agriculture Bill

The big news this week was the launch by DEFRA of the much-anticipated Agriculture Bill following its Health and Harmony consultation held earlier in the year. The Bill can be read in full by clicking here and TFA members can access a briefing note with a summary of the Bill by clicking here.

A major, missing element are any new provisions for agricultural tenancies which is a severe blow particularly considering the work carried out, at the behest of DEFRA, by the Tenancy Reform Industry Group which provided a comprehensive report to Government on required legislative changes to ensure the resilience and sustainability of the tenanted sector of agriculture in the post Brexit era.

The TFA will be pressing the Government on why such a major omission has occurred and what it is going to do to rectify the situation. However, in terms of what is in the Bill, the TFA view is that the Government is seeking to reserve potentially significant powers in important areas such as assisting with productivity, regulating supply chains and maintaining standards. However, the proof of the pudding will be in the eating as we do not have any guarantees about the extent to which the Government will use any of these powers even if they are available. Second Reading of the Bill in the House of Commons and the first chance for real debate, will be on 10 October.

***
david Drew

Shadow Agriculture Minister, Dr David Drew MP

TFA to Brief Shadow Agriculture Minister on Agriculture Bill

TFA Chief Executive, George Dunn, is meeting the Shadow Agriculture Minister, Dr David Drew MP today to discuss the Agriculture Bill and future Government policy for food, farming and the countryside. With a major piece of legislation for the agricultural sector about to go through Parliament, it is vital that the TFA is lobbying all parties equally to ensure the best outcome possible for the industry. A particular point of discussion with Dr Drew will be the lack of any commitment on tenancy legislation from the Government.

***
MJS 3343

Meeting of Farming Unions on 12 September 2018

Farming Organisations Working Together on Post Brexit Policy

On Back British Farming Day, on Wednesday 12 September, NFU President, Minette Batters chaired a meeting of the farming Unions from around the UK, the TFA, CLA and other sector specific organisations at which DEFRA Secretary of State, Michael Gove came to provide a briefing on the Agriculture Bill. TFA Chief Executive, George Dunn said, "There is a good level of cooperation between the main farming organisations and a real desire to work collegiately to ensure the best, possible outcome for the UK agricultural industry as we head towards the post Brexit era”.

***
Welsh government

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.

***
natural england

Countryside Stewardship Launches Woodland Creation Grant in England

From the 10th September you will be able to apply for the Woodland Creation Grant as part of the Countryside Stewardship Scheme all year round, following Natural England introducing a rolling application window.

The fundamentals of the scheme are not changing, with the grant funding the supply, planting, weeding and protection of young trees. Initial applications will still need to score 12 points to be accepted, but rather than setting a score that final applications must meet in order to be offered an agreement in a single round each year this will now be done every month. This approach allows the grant to be open to applications at any time of year.

Grants are worth up to £6,800 per hectare for woodland creation and once tree planting is completed, eligible applicants will be invited to apply for the 10-year maintenance payments. Remember the Government has confirmed that it will guarantee funding for Countryside Stewardship grants agreed and signed before the UK’s departure from the EU, for the lifetime of the agreement.

To find out more information, look up the Countryside Stewardship Woodland Creation page on www.gov.uk, and join the webinar on Tuesday 2 October at 12:30pm.

***

Red Tractor Aims to be Flagship of British Food and Farming

This week, Red Tractor Assurance announced they intend to increase the strength and breadth of their food chain assurance regime, in a bid to become the flagship of British food and farming. For it's members this means they will proactively do more to protect their reputation as a Red Tractor farmer by substantially strengthening their inspection regime, as well as offering more choice to both producers and consumers.

Their top priorities were outlined as:

▪ A strengthening of the inspection regime to ensure robust compliance and greater integrity in the Red Tractor logo.
▪ Complete Assurance – a modular approach offering for example a greater Red Tractor choice, reduced complexity and reduced audit burden for both farmers and customers.
▪ A £1.5m advertising campaign spearheaded by a television advert, launching on Wednesday 12 September.
A strengthening of the inspection regime to ensure robust compliance and greater integrity in the Red Tractor logo.
Complete Assurance – a modular approach offering for example a greater Red Tractor choice, reduced complexity and reduced audit burden for both farmers and customers.
A £1.5m advertising campaign spearheaded by a television advert, launching on Wednesday 12 September.

More details will be released in the next few months, however in the meantime, information on their current campaign, including their new full TV advert, can be found here.

***

TFA Member Benefits

Three Counties Farmer logo

Subscription Offer

The Three Counties Farmer is pleased to be working with the TFA and is able to offer members of the TFA, 12 issues of the Three Counties Farmer publication for the price of 10 issues (£10.00). To take advantage of this offer, please call TFA Head Office to obtain this years offer code on 0118 930 6130.

***
TFA-logo-USE-ColourPMS349 Black-JPeg-4pc--size down up proportionally using corners

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 – MR18/34 – Government’s Plans for Agriculture Lack Balance

Media Release – MR18/33 – Agriculture Bill Must Provide Comprehensive Strategy for UK Agriculture

Media Release – MR18/32 – Farm Tenants Must Consider Rent Review Safety Valve

Briefing Notes

TFA Briefing Note A17/18 – Agriculture Bill – Summary

TFA Briefing Note A16/18 – Agriculture Bill – Early Insights

Tenancy Opportunities

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

105 acre mixed livestock farm + an optional 75.6 acres available in Devon to be let on a 7 year FBT from 25th March 2019

500 Acre Share/Contract Beef/Sheep Farming Opportunity in Carmarthenshire

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

Plus, don't forget to get your tender documents submitted for the following farms:

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

72 hectares of well maintained traditional Lakeland Fell farm available on a 15 year FBT from 25 March 2019

72 Acre Productive Pasture Small Holding nr Swindon, Wiltshire to be let on a 5 year FBT from 1st November 2018

203 Acre Equipped Stock farm in Cornwall offered on an FBT of up to 20 years. Available to let from 1 April 2019

105 Acre Equipped Dairy/Stock farm in Cornwall offered on an FBT of up to 12 years. Available to let from 1 April 2019

113 Acre Equipped Stock Farm in Cornwall offered on an FBT for up to 10 years from 1st April 2019

***
4743 MA Henderson Square Aon color

And Finally.....

Our approved affiliate Henderson Insurance Broking Group is now part of AON and they would like to introduce Amanda Harman who has been with Aon since 2013, heading up Aon Estate Practice.

Based in West Sussex, Amanda Harman, is available for southern based TFA members, who would like a visit to discuss their Insurance requirements.

Adrienne Robinson, continues to be based in the north east and is also available to conduct insurance reviews for any Northern members who would benefit from a farm visit.

Henderson Insurance Brokers operate from 17 offices across the UK, with an agricultural specialism spanning over 30 years.

To arrange a discussion on any aspect of your insurance requirements, including a FREE no obligation insurance review, please contact the TFA on 0118 930 6130 or email membership@tfa.org.uk.

***
 
 
Powered by Mad Mimi®A GoDaddy® company