County Update

Worcester Council motion to overturn the Family Farm Tax 9 January 2025

A motion requesting a reconsideration of any inheritance tax policies that place undue financial strain on family farms was discussed at the Worcestershire Council meeting on 9^th January. 5 NFU members registered to address the Council and many more supported the meeting by speaking to Councillors as they arrived at the Council Chamber for the meeting. We placed #StopTheFamilyFarmTax banners outside the Council offices and had briefed Councillors ahead of the meeting. We were overwhelmed by the support shown to the farming community by all parties and impressed by well researched and informed contributions to the debate. The NFU was referenced several times and NFU members including Tom Bradshaw were quoted. The motion was passed with a massive majority, with just 4 Councillors voting against. One of the Labour Councillors stated that he was opposed to the Labour Party’s position on APR and BPR. The chief executive of the Council Paul Robinson will now write to the Secretary of state Steve Reed requesting a pause, consultation and reversal of the announcements made in the Autumn Budget. Emma Hamer, Oliver Surman, James Appleby, Josephine Parker and Tom Hughes all spoke passionately during the public participation of the meeting.

Strong case for Worcestershire unitary council, says leader

Simon Geraghty told a full council meeting this week that there is “no circumstance” in which Worcestershire’s county and district councils will continue in their current form. Cllr Geraghty has written to the government asking for May’s county council elections to be postponed. This, he said, would give the council time to come up with the plan needed to “unlock devolution for Worcestershire”.

The leader has asked for elections to be delayed so a plan can be created and five out of six district council leaders do not support merging with Worcestershire. Cllr Geraghty said the government has been clear that all 21 two-tier authorities will be abolished.

Devolution was not included on the agenda for the council meeting but in an urgent question, Cllr Matt Jenkins said: “The minister for local government has said local elections can only be delayed if there is a credible plan for reorganisation.

Worcestershire Grassland Society 

The Worcestershire Grassland Society met on 8 January. The judging of the Grass & Maize silage competition took place. Mike Spiers and Wynnstay were thanked for getting the initial silage samples analysed.

Silage competition results.

Grass: 1st Icke partners,

2nd Martin & Phil Gibbs,

3rd Jon Pearman.

Maize: 1st Icke partners,

2nd Ed Newton,

3rd Brian & Steve Jordan.

Many congratulations to all who took part and were placed. But significant congratulations go to Martin Icke and family of Drake’s Broughton for taking all the silverware home.

MHDC- NFU joint farm walk and breakfast event

We would like to extend our thanks to Jane and Charlie Clive, their family and wonderful team for such an interesting talk and walk and the delicious breakfast at our event this week. It was wonderful to see so many from across the farming community in Malvern Hills District and beyond. It was great to hear some of the ideas that you have for your communities. Future events are currently being planned. If you would like to get involved, please let Linda know: Linda Price on 01684 862165 or email [email protected]

National Day of Unity

Farmers from across the UK will stage a National Day of Unity in January as pressure builds on the government to halt the controversial family farm tax that will devastate family farms across the country.

Date

25 January 2025

For more information, please click here

Notice for time limited abstraction licence (TLL) holders

The EA are concerned that a large number of TLL holders whose licences are due to expire on the 31 March 2025 have not yet applied to renew their licences.

It is important that licence holders submit their TLL renewal applications by 31 December 2024 to allow enough time for the EA to determine the applications before they expire. Please don’t delay and risk your application not being determined by the expiry date. Renewal applications submitted before this date also benefit from limited extension of validity (LEV) which means that the expiring licence is considered to remain ‘live’ until the EA have finished assessing the replacement.

More details on renewing licences can be found here.

NFU Midlands Younger Member Events

The next Midlands regional event will be on 5 March 2025 for more information and to register please click here

Farm for the Future – Royal Countryside Fund

Do you want help navigating agricultural policy changes including help with understanding ELMs and SFI (Sustainable Farming Incentive)?

If you’re an owner-occupied or tenant farm in England that received BPS, The Royal Countryside Fund’s Farm for the Future programme is in its final year, offering a last chance for free support which includes a 1-2-1 session with a consultant to talk about your farm.

Its online workshops can be joined from the comfort of your own home via Zoom to help you and your farm business navigate policy changes and become more resilient and sustainable.

To find out more and sign up to the online group, contact Christina Hutchings via email [email protected] or call 07715 353 546 or visit www.royalcountrysidefund.org.uk/farmforthefuture

Be vigilant of scam callers

If you receive a call that looks like it is from NFU Headquarters and are unsure then please hang up, do not pass on any personal details.

You can contact NFU CallFirst on 0370 845 8458 to check if we are doing any calls or promotions.

Read our advice on how to deal with scam callers.

Worcestershire Businesses access to Farming Recovery Fund

Defra will be writing to affected businesses in areas that have experienced exceptional levels of rainfall and outline what they are entitled to. There will be a flat payment rate, set in bands related to farm size, with the minimum being £2,895, with up to £25,000 at the top end. There will be no need for the business to prove entitlement; Defra will use mapping data to determine flooded land close to rivers, in counties most affected by flooding over this period, as well as rainfall data to establish other areas across the country which have experienced 70% higher rainfall than usual.

Farmers already contacted by the RPA and advised they are entitled to funding through the existing Storm Henk scheme will still be eligible as previously advertised and will receive at least the amount they’ve already been offered. They will receive payments based on the updated bands and minimum amount.

Defra has said farmers will have ‘the flexibility to spend the grant appropriately in their context and will not have to provide evidence of damage or costs or make further claims’.

For more information, visit: GOV.UK | Farming Recovery Fund expanded

Natural Networks Programme

The Natural Networks Programme is a Worcestershire-wide scheme offering grants and advice to projects which aim to create or restore wildlife-rich habitats. It is a partnership between Worcestershire County Council and the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust.

The programme offers free professional Biodiversity surveys carried out by our partners the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust who will assess your project site and make recommendations on how to create or enhance your land to maximise habitats for wildlife.

Grants of £1,000 - £15,000 (representing 40% of the total project cost will be available to help you carry out the recommendations suggested in the survey.

The programme aim is to create a natural network of wildlife-rich habitats across Worcestershire that will enhance the quality of our blue and green infrastructure.

Further details can be found here: Natural Networks Programme | Worcestershire County Council

Applicants need to contact the programme manager, [email protected] to request a link to the registration application portal.

Farming in Protected Landscapes – We need more farmers to apply!

Defra is offering funding for projects in England’s Protected Landscapes through the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme including the Malvern Hills AONB. It is for one-off projects and is not an agri-environment scheme. The programme is time limited: it opened in July 2021 and is due to end in March 2025. Funding is available for projects that reflect at least one of the four Farming in Protected Landscapes programme themes:

• Support NATURE recovery
• Mitigate the impacts of CLIMATE CHANGE
• Provide opportunities for PEOPLE to discover, enjoy and understand the landscape and its cultural heritage
• Protect or improve the quality and character of the PLACE

Help is available to discuss and complete applications. Please contact Sash Warden Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) Officer Tel: 01905 844686 Mob: 07873 616395 email: [email protected] who can give 1:1 help with your application. Read from a selection of case studies on the MHAOB website.

Cyber Crime

The Midlands NFU held an online member meeting with WMRCCU in autumn 2023, the opportunity to register with them is still available, this is aimed to improve your business’s cyber security.

With membership at the WMRCCU, you will receive regular tips and guidance on how to firm up your business’s cyber security. 

Register to become a member (for free) today at www.wmcrc.co.uk/membership

Do you want financial support to upskill your staff?

SkillsBoost Worcestershire is a new programme to help you with the costs of upskilling and training YOUR employees.

In today’s competitive landscape, the requirement for enhanced skills and training poses a significant hurdle for many businesses, not just in Worcestershire but nationwide. Recognising this challenge, Worcestershire’s District Councils working with the County Council, has rolled out an innovative programme, designed to make training more accessible and affordable.

You can claim back 50% of the training costs, up to £6,000, for your Worcestershire based employees. This means that you can upskill or redeploy your employees to maximise their effectiveness.

Businesses of any size and sector are eligible for the programme as long as the employees they are looking to upskill or retrain reside in Worcestershire.

Funding for the SkillsBoost programme is limited on a first come first served basis and is only available from Tuesday 2 April 2024 until 31 March 2025.

To find out more about SkillsBoost and start your application, contact the Worcestershire Growth Hub team via their website or call 01905 677888.

Email – [email protected]

SkillsBoost is funded via the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, distributed via all the District Councils in Worcestershire and delivered in partnership between Worcestershire County Council and Worcestershire Growth Hub.

Call for Participants: Advancing Fairness in the UK Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Sector – University of Leicester

Are you into fresh fruit and or vegetable cultivation in the UK? University of Leicester are conducting a study on advancing fairness in fresh fruit and vegetable sector and would love to hear from you!

Participation in the study involves farmers who are into the cultivation of fresh fruits and vegetables in the UK and who are suppliers to large retailers in the UK.

All data collected will be handled with the utmost confidentiality and anonymity based on University of Leicester's guideline and used solely for academic purposes.

To participate or learn more, please Visit https://bit.ly/3L6VQTZ or contact Nike directly through [email protected].

Members support would be invaluable to the success of this research.

Questionnaire for pilot study - https://drive.google.com/file/d/16Ip8UzYPUFmq1UG9FIUnzVaHnAQRUG1V/view?usp=sharing

Access Business Support to help your business

Worcestershire farmers and growers are being encouraged to engage with the Worcestershire Growth Hub to find out more about the support available for organisations. There is a variety of new business support, funding and grants available to help organisations across Worcestershire.

Local businesses are being encouraged to contact the Worcestershire Growth Hub team to find out how their growth could be supported. There is support available for businesses looking to upskill or train their staff, businesses looking to access specialist expert advice, funding for growth ambitions and much more.

Alongside this, organisations can also find out about all of the upcoming business support events via the Worcestershire Growth Hub’s events calendar. This events page pulls all of the available business support events being delivered in Worcestershire together into one place, regardless of the organiser, location or style of event. To contact the Worcestershire Growth Hub team: Call – 01905 677888 or email [email protected]

Mobile signal survey in Worcestershire

The digital connectivity team at Worcester County Council are looking at improving mobile connectivity across the county. As part of this process, they are looking to survey the quality and strength of the mobile service by undertaking drive trials (we put measuring kit in bin lorries that will soon start going round Worcestershire to establish whether mobile signal is as good as operators say it is. To view the article click here.

One of the things they have already started doing is loaning the kit out to landowners to establish connectivity on their farms. Would anyone be interested in carrying out a trial on their farm?

There is no cost for this, the kit is a small size suitcase that can be carried around or placed in any vehicle (powered by e.g. a cigarette lighter). Please contact Emma Hamer, Worcestershire County Adviser at [email protected] and she will put you in touch with the team at the Council.

Inheritance Tax/ APR/ BPR Seminar

NFU Legal Panel Firm Shakespeare Martineau will be on hand to give advice and answer questions.

Date

22 January 2025

Venue & Timings

10am – venue to be confirmed when booking.

Booking

Please register your interest on 01299 251619

Planning for Succession with NFU Worcestershire legal panel firm Shakespeare Martineau

The 30 October Budget and the announced restrictions to Agricultural Property and Business Property Reliefs for inheritance tax purposes have created significant challenges for farmers and landowners when it comes to securing the smooth transition of assets to the next generation and beyond.

Effective succession planning is vital for farmers and landowners looking to secure the future of their agricultural enterprises and assets. In this webinar we will be joined by experts Julia Rosenbloom, Emma Carr and Andrew Wilkinson as they talk about the range of succession planning options and the implications for farmers and landowners. We will also be joined by Jacqueline Jackson, a Legal Planner from our sister firm, Marrons who will explore development opportunities for agricultural land and buildings and the ways you could release cash from your farm without reducing its operational capacity.

Date

6 February 2025

Venue & Timings

9.30am via Zoom

How to register

To register for a place, please click here