Finance News

Carbon credits and biodiversity tokens provide farmers with potentially significant new income streams, but how do they work? Louisa Knocker, senior manager at Trinity Natural Capital Markets, explains.

Getting the best value from your farm insurance can be a utopian goal and too often feels it can only be achieved by a compromise in cover. But this doesn’t have to be the case.

NFU has described the Farm Investment Fund as “good news for farmers” but warns that application windows are “tight”.

Critics have noted that there are few specific measures to help farmers in the Chancellor’s latest budget, however some announcements could offer a boost to certain sectors. Farmers Guide took a look at the key points…

An imperfect storm of Brexit and Covid, plus a stronger pound making the EU more attractive for European seasonal labourers, saw casual labour disappear overnight. Suddenly, automation is not just a choice, but a necessity.

Farmers considering planting the carbon negative crop Miscanthus can now benefit from a finance package to cover virtually all upfront costs for crop establishment, as well as new direct, long-term offtake agreements with end-users, with 10–15-year index-linked annual returns.

If you’re a farmer who produces more energy than you use, you’ll have the opportunity to sell your excess power back to the grid as a source of revenue. A Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) could help you achieve best value by agreeing to sell to a third party, often at a fixed price and for a set period.

Popular machinery company Kuhn is aiming to help farmers purchase their ideal equipment with a new 0% finance deal on its range of balers and baler-wrapper combinations.

Farmers and the wider public are being urged to remain vigilant as credit card scams have been circulating in Pembrokeshire.

With the hire cost of a replacement combine potentially reaching upwards of £70,000 for a high-capacity machine, it is essential to ensure your insurance policy offers adequate cover in case of fire, to avoid a serious hit to your harvest.

Following the end of the Government consultation period into the administration of direct payments and a lump sum exit payment for farmers who may be looking to leave the industry, the NFU has shared its response to the proposals.

Accountancy Saffery Champness is advising farms that provide accommodation services or catering to be aware VAT changes could hit farm businesses from 1st October.