As the 12-month transition period for Brexit passed on 31 December, and the UK managed to avoid a ‘no deal’ Brexit scenario, what does a new trade agreement look like for the farming business? Ian Ashbridge, Partner in Agriculture and Environment explains what impact the new deal has on the agriculture industry.
The biggest surprises in the Government’s Path to Sustainable Farming were the scale and speed of cuts to the Basic Payment Scheme, or Direct Payments as they are commonly referred to in the Agricultural Transition Plan (ATP). Ian Ashbridge, Agriculture and Environment Partner at Bidwells, shares his insight on what these cuts mean for farming businesses and sustainability.
As the biggest changes to farming for a generation are revealed in The Agricultural Transition Plan 2021-2024, Bidwells offers further context and analysis to help farmers and landowners prepare to adapt for the future.
Nearly two and a half years since its introduction, the Agriculture Bill has now passed into law on 11 November 2020. Agribusiness Partner, Ian Ashbridge, looks at what the act means now, and in the future, for British farmers and contractors.
There is heavy speculation that Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR) will be removed in the Budget next week (March 11). Landowners and Farmers have long known of the potential impact of leaving the EU, the loss of farming subsides over time and the uncertainty of future global trade agreements. But its less-telegraphed tax reform proposals that have the potential to wipe out whole estates.
All political parties have made it clear their commitment to increasing woodland cover in the UK. That comes as good news to the forestry sector and the large numbers of people and organisations who are interested in investing in this green industry.
The new Agriculture Bill was published by the Government on the 16th January 2020.
The Bill will change public support for Agriculture and rural land use in the most fundamental way since the UK joined the EEC in 1973. These changes will have a significant impact on most farming businesses and could lead to significant structural changes in some sectors.
The Government has recently launched the Woodland Carbon Guarantee (WCaG) to support the creation of woodland in England. This represents an important step in government policy by moving towards schemes that are directly aimed at mitigating the effects of climate change and promoting holistic land management strategies. We can expect that such an approach towards land management will become the norm in a post-Brexit era.