Finance News

Farmers have been encouraged to repurpose their unused buildings and gain additional income through diversifications.

Farmers from East Anglia joined the 2024 Farming Conference that took place on Thursday 29th February in Ipswich. A panel of experts shared their advice on ‘how to thrive, not just survive’ in the agricultural industry. 

New BNG rules present an opportunity for farmers and landowners to rent out less productive land to developers, who are now required to provide at least 10% BNG.

UK Agricultural Finance believes in supporting farmers to invest in their agricultural business with farm loans. Many established farm businesses that have been in the family for a long time will require some form of restructuring, and this may require restructuring finance.

Krone Finance has launched its latest finance deals on hire purchases of Krone’s forage and grassland equipment in the UK.

Comments made by Welsh Labour MS Mike Hedges about farm funding have been criticised by the Welsh farming union and described as “completely out of touch”. During a Senedd plenary debate on Wednesday, 10th January, Swansea East MS Hedges said that “there is no reason to subsidise agriculture”.

A Cambridgeshire farmer and CEO of the Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFN) warmly welcomed recent changes to the ELM scheme, which enable farmers to receive premium payments for taking environmental actions. 

Dairy farmer Stephen Carson recently installed the UK’s first batch milking system, with milk being pasteurised and bottled on site before being sold through vending machines. Allowing him to keep the profits through the supply chain, the project was funded by a combination of government grants and specialist agri finance.

NFU Cymru has welcomed the news that 96% of farmers will receive an advance payment worth 70% of their Basic Payment Scheme today (12th October).

Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) and its members have voiced shock and anger at the new Habitat Wales scheme after calculations revealed a major shortfall in payments compared to the previous Glastir scheme.

Proposals for new levy rates from the start of the 2024/25 financial year have been published today (4th October) by AHDB’s sector councils, representing beef and lamb, cereals and oilseeds, dairy and pork.

Following the announcement that the Habitat Wales Scheme will open for applications this Friday (29th September), NFU Cymru is calling for further clarity on funding for the scheme amid concerns that many farmers could lose a significant portion of their income due to budget constraints.