DEFRA Consults on its Clean Air Strategy

The Government’s Clean Air Strategy has been issued for consultation. It can be read in full by clicking here. Chapter 7 of the Strategy deals with actions to reduce Ammonia emissions from farming including the following:

We would welcome our members’ feedback on these or other issues raised within the document as we prepare a response from the TFA. Please send your comments to TFA Farm Policy Adviser Lynette Steel by email to advice2@tfa.org.uk.

Sheep Carcase classification changes revealed in England

New measures to improve fairness and transparency for livestock producers have been proposed this week with a consultation on mandating sheep carcase classification to ensure consistency across all abattoirs in England, slaughtering more than 1,000 sheep per week.

Under the proposals, qualified assessors will use a standard grid to classify carcasses and determine how much a producer should be paid. Producers will also receive the results of the classification process, the changes will ensure producers are paid for their livestock in a fair and transparent way, helping them plan, react to the market and improve productivity. The announcement follows the Government’s response to the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) call for evidence and the consultation will last for 12 weeks. Wales is running a parallel consultation with England, which opens on Thursday 31 May. Click here to take part in the online consultation.

Countryside Stewardship Agreements Update in England

We are continuing to apply pressure on Natural England as it works to clear the backlog of 2018 Countryside Stewardship applications. If you still haven’t had any correspondence from Natural England, you should be receiving a letter in the next few days which outlines the steps you need to take to join the scheme this year. To be eligible, signed agreements and claim forms need to be returned to Natural England by 15th June.

Meanwhile payments for agreements under legacy schemes (Environmental Stewardship and older Countryside Stewardship agreements) continue to make slow progress. If you are experiencing delayed payments please do not hesitate to contact Lynette Steel at TFA Head Office on 0118 930 6130 for advice.

TFA Gives Evidence to Cornwall Council Estate Review

The TFA’s Chief Executive, George Dunn this week gave oral evidence to a County Farms Strategy Inquiry being undertaken by Cornwall Council. For more information about the Inquiry click here.

Cornwall Council has around 100 farms covering approximately 10,000 acres two thirds of which are let under Farm Business Tenancies. George highlighted the importance of valuing the County Farms Estate as an important asset held in trust for the Council tax payers of Cornwall and that it must be managed well both to obtain best value for Council tax payers and to provide opportunities for individuals to be farmers in their own account. He said it was important for politicians to allow estate managers to run the estate without too much interference. Whilst the Council should set strategic objectives for the estate it should leave day-to-day management to the estates team. Building opportunities for progression were also highlighted as well as the need to ensure that the Council was getting the basics right in terms of repairs, making decisions and developing good working relationships with its tenants.

End of the All Wales Avian Influenza Prevention Zone

The Welsh Government has announced the lfting of the All Wales Avian Influenza Prevention Zone. The zone was originally introduced on 25 January to mitigate the risk of infection following three separate findings in England of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N6 in wild birds. However, there has only been one finding of the disease in a wild bird in Wales. The veterinary assessment has now concluded that the risk of incursion from wild birds is low. There have been no cases of H5N6 avian influenza in poultry in the UK this year and the poultry sector retains its disease free status. In spite of the removal of the Prevention Zone avian influenza remains a constant and real threat requiring all keepers of poultry and other captive birds to remain vigilant for signs of the disease and to continue to practice the very highest levels of biosecurity.

Lincolnshire TFA Discussion Group

Open to any tenant farmer regardless if they are a TFA member. This FREE event on Wednesday 27 June starts at 12 noon and includes lunch followed by a tour of the facilities at Woldgrain Storage Ltd in Gainsborough.

TFA Recommended Professional Ellie Allwood (JH Walter) will discuss rent, succession and business progression and John Burnett (Managing Director, Woldgrain Storage Ltd) will present the benefits of co-operative central grain stores.

If you know a tenant farmer who isn’t a member but who you think would like to attend, please feel free to bring them along.

Spaces for this one off event are very limited, so we can accurately cater places must be booked via email to events@tfa.org.uk or call Julia Meadows at the TFA on 0118 930 6130 no later than 12 noon 20th June. More details can be found here.

This event is kindly sponsored by Woldgrain Storage Ltd.

Join us at the 2018 Royal Cornwall Show

Thursday 7 - Saturday 9 June, Wadebridge

Visit our stand - number 458 (Opposite the Members Pavilion (grid ref C2)

Attending from Head Office will be the TFA’s National Chairman James Gray and Chief Executive George Dunn, on the first two days only. TFA Adviser Caroline Foot and Communications & Events Co-ordinator Julia Meadows will be there all three days.

Why not take the chance to meet the staff and discuss any tenancy related queries that you may have. If you would like to make an appointment to speak to a specific member of staff please contact the TFA Head Office on 0118 930 6130.

The stand is once again being kindly supported by Robert H Hicks whose staff will be on the stand throughout the show.

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.

Tenancy Opportunities

113 Acre Mixed Farm to be let on a 6.5 year FBT by Devon County Council near Barnstaple

129.38 Acres of Arable Land at Croston Moss, Lancashire available to let on a 6 year FBT from Jan 1 2019

188 Acre Dairy Holding in Rose Ash, South Molton, North Devon

TFA Member Benefit

Can Make It Cheaper Help Cut your Utility Bills?

Make It Cheaper understand your time is precious and believe that you should be able to spend it focusing on what’s important – the smooth running of your farm. That’s why, for the last 11 years, they’ve strived to save British businesses the time, hassle and frustration of dealing with utilities.

You can wave goodbye to tedious interactions with traditional suppliers and let them deal with it all for you. What’s more, you could save up to £1,150* on your bills!

Their unique Do It For You service was created so you never have to deal with energy renewals again. They’ll handle everything. Every. Single. Time.

Every time your contract is up for renewal, Make It Cheaper search through more than 50 prices to find the right package, following these rules to ensure you’re happy with the outcome:

Your choice. Your preferences – if you exclude a supplier, they aren’t getting your custom.

▪ Quality suppliers – your business deserves the best service out there, so Make It Cheaper scours the market and only work with suppliers they trust.
▪ Smoother renewals – they arrange your next contract as soon as you’re up for renewal to ensure they can resolve any issues before your current contract ends.
▪ Everything in one place – Your electricity and gas accounts handled by one convenient contact.
▪ Money where their mouth is – if they don’t made things easy, you’ll receive their commission as part of the Make It Easy Guarantee.
▪ Insurance – Any insurance queries from TFA members will be passed to the TFA Affiliated Insurance partner Hendersons.
The best bit? With Do It For You, they’re not just there for the switch. They’ll deal with anything energy – queries, supplier conversations and more.

Shift the hassle and frustration of finding a great business energy deal to Make It Cheaper and gain the peace of mind that your utility needs will always be covered.

For more details about how to get started and to read a TFA customer testimonial click here.

*Figure based on 6,000 actual contracts arranged in 2016 when compared to prices or renewal quotes of existing suppliers. Savings figure a combination of savings achieved through switching gas and electricity.

And Finally...

Your Privacy Matters

We need to let you know about some important changes we're making to our data protection policy and privacy notices. This is due to recent changes in data protection law, which came into force on 25th May. In line with these changes, we've made it clearer how we collect, store and handle your personal data, as well as adding more information about your privacy rights. To see what's changing in more detail, our full privacy policy can be found here.

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