Second Reading of the Agriculture Bill

Following the introduction of the Agriculture Bill to the House of Commons on 12 September, Second Reading of the Bill has been scheduled for 10 October. This will be the first opportunity for MPs to properly debate the legislation before it enters its Committee stage for detailed amendments. The TFA has provided a briefing to all MPs in advance of second reading which can be read by clicking here. Together with ongoing discussions with DEFRA, the TFA has also met with Shadow Agriculture Minister, David Drew MP on two occasions since the publication of the Bill to assist with the coordination of the Opposition response to the Bill.

Post Brexit Policy for Food, Farming and the Environment

Alongside the publication of the Agriculture Bill, DEFRA has issued a policy statement to outline how the Bill will be used. The Bill contains few duties but does reserve significant powers to the Government. The TFA has been challenging the Government on how it will use these powers and it has pointed to the policy statement for the detail. Click here to read the Government's statement in full.

Environmental and Countryside Stewardship Administration is Transferred to RPA

Further to DEFRA's announcement earlier in the year, from the 1 October, all administration responsibilities, including making payments of environmental schemes, will move from Natural England to the RPA in an effort to streamline services to customers and improve payment performance.

For farmers already in schemes, the transfer will have little effect on how you contact the RPA or Natural England and we understand in the short term the current routes you already use will remain in place. The TFA hope to see a significant improvement in the delivery of stewardship schemes which over the last year have fallen well short of acceptable levels of service.

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.

Time to Make Your Claims for Game Damage

Agricultural Holdings Act 1986 tenants are reminded that claims for game damage usually need to be submitted to landlords by 29 October following any notification of damage made earlier in the year and having given landlords the opportunity to inspect such damage. Tenants seeking to file a claim should read the TFA's Guidance Note available for TFA members by clicking here.

TFA Regional Chairman Speaks at Essex County Harvest Festival

The TFA's East Regional Chairman, Robin Waters was invited to provide the farming address to the Essex County Harvest Festival at Chelmsford Cathedral on Sunday September 30th. Not surprisingly the volatility of the weather was a key part of his address. He also covered the need for more links between farming and the wider public, the unique issues faced by the tenanted sector of agriculture and problems with short lengths of term on Farm Business Tenancies. Finally, he covered the work that the TFA is doing in respect of post Brexit policy.

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, in conjunction with a representative from Agri Adviser will discuss future Welsh farming policy arising out of the current Welsh Government Consultation.

This is a FREE event open to any tenant farmer regardless if they are a TFA Cymru member.

Spaces for this event are limited. If you are interested in attending either click here to book your place or contact Julia Meadows at the TFA’s Head Office via email events@tfa.org.uk, or call 0118 930 6130 or 07887 777157.

Subscription Offer

The Northern Farmer is pleased to be working with the TFA and is able to offer members of the TFA, 15 issues of The Northern Farmer publication for the price of 12 issues (£12.00). To take advantage of this offer, please call TFA Head Office to obtain this years offer code on 0118 930 6130.

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 – MR18/36 – Parliament Set to Chart the Course of UK Agriculture Policy for the First Time in a Generation

Briefing Notes

TFA Briefing Note A19/18 - Exchange Rate Set for BPS 2018

Tenancy Opportunities

Re-advertised - 47 acres (19 ha) equipped stock farm in Little Resparveth, Grampound Road, Truro, currently vacant - Details must be requested by TODAY.

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

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

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.....

Businesses see energy prices rocket as gas prices are up 50% - Advice from the Tenant Farmers Association and Make It Cheaper

Prices for winter gas are up almost 50% on this time last year, according to recent reports in the media. A worrying stat that highlights how much more we can all expect to be paying for our energy in the coming months ahead. As winter looms and Christmas just 80 days away, now is the time to protect yourself.

For businesses when it comes to business profitability, keeping overheads as low as you can is vital.

Countless companies end up unwittingly paying more than they should for their Business Energy in each bill. And with energy prices on the rise, this can add up substantially, especially during winter months.

So it’s essential to switch if you’re overpaying and not getting the best deal.

Why switch?

If you don’t switch Business Gas and Electricity deals when they’re up for renewal, then it’s likely that you’ll pay more than you need.

When your current energy deals come close to expiry, your contracts will enter their renewal windows. This is the optimum time to switch Business Electricity or Gas deals. If you fail to switch Business Energy suppliers or negotiate a new plan, you’ll be moved onto your supplier’s ‘rollover tariff’

How to switch Business Energy

While switching Business Energy is simple in theory, finding the time to negotiate unique quotes from each supplier can be a time-consuming task. Many find that they simply don’t have the time to switch Business Gas and Electricity deals.

The Tenant Farmers Association have partnered with Make It Cheaper who can help you to switch electricity and gas supplier or tariff. In the last 10 years, Make It Cheaper have switched over 250,000 businesses saving over £500m for customers

A short phone call is all it takes to determine your consumption habits and needs. During the call it can be helpful to have the following information to hand:

A recent energy bill
Your business's registration information
Your MPAN and MPRN numbers from your bill or meter
Your contract's expiry
Consumption details/ annual spend

To find out more please click here or call 0800 188 4928