Latest Blogs in Agriculture
Liz Simpson
10th October 2023 Sick Pay: Farming Industry

The Farming Industry has some marked differences is sick pay legislation, PAYE regulations don’t pay sick pay over the statutory daily rate currently standing at £21.88 per day and commencing from the 4th consecutive day of absence. Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is payable for the first 28 weeks of sickness, after which the employee can…

James Cater
18th July 2023 Farming Group Newsletter: Issue 22

Sticks and Carrots – No Change Then Over recent years farmers have been incentivised periodically to change their crop choices. We have had ‘yellow years’ as Oilseed Rape coloured our landscape and ‘blue years’ when Linseed was dominant. I suspect that ‘green years’ may be the next favoured colour and I’m not just thinking of…

Ian Piper
3rd May 2023 Tax traps: Beware

With the UK tax system as complicated as ever, there are certain rules which we come across that can very easily give a particularly unexpected (and unpleasant) consequence. Income Tax When either parent has taxable earnings over £50k (after personal pension contributions), entitlement to child benefit is reduced. As higher rate income tax starts at…

Louise Bassett
8th April 2023 Agricultural Subsidies – Key Dates

As the online application process for the 2023 Basic Payment Scheme opens tomorrow, and the application process for Countryside Stewardship (Higher Tier) is already open, please find a summary of the key dates for agricultural subsidies below. Basic Payment Scheme: 14th March 2023 – applications open 15th May 2023 – applications close 9th June 2023…

Mike Blackledge
20th March 2023 The complexities of farming diversification

The ever-changing farming industry is one that provides a multitude of complexities for accountants and tax advisers, not only from the day to day aspects of the business, but also with the historical family arrangements to the issues of ownership and succession.   With the forthcoming changes to subsidies both in terms of the conditions…

James Cater
13th December 2022 Bureaucracy Rules, OK

In a society already dominated by red tape two new registers have been created to assail us. The Register of Trusts, when announced, did not seem unduly onerous. As the requirements have become clearer we are left pondering where trusts may exist that are not immediately obvious.   Of particular relevance to agriculture, land may…

Ben Kilby
9th December 2022 Solar Panels

With the rising costs of energy affecting both homeowners and businesses, many are looking to renewable forms of energy to reduce their costs. Harvesting solar power with solar panels is one alternative. Sites can range from the roof of your house to hundreds of acres of rural land.   Grants are available for homeowners to…

Mike Blackledge
8th December 2022 Stamp Duty Land Tax

When dealing with agricultural tenancies SDLT – Stamp Duty Land Tax can be a complex issue. On completion in England of a farm business tenancy – FBT – it’s important to establish whether an SDLT return needs to be submitted, whether it is payable and if so, how much.   For a fixed term FBT,…

Andrew Band
7th December 2022 Unlocking that Farming Potential

The Food & Drinks Sector Council’s latest report on increased productivity and sustainability in the agricultural sector calls on farmers to challenge their status quo against what they want to do and what they want to achieve.   Highlighting the numerous challenges faced on an almost daily basis, it focuses on maintaining farming profitability to…

Louise Bassett
6th December 2022 Money for Old Rope?

Applications for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) opened in June and will remain open year-round so that farmers can apply when it suits them. Interestingly, this will mean that individual farmers and landowners all have differing agreement start dates, unlike the old BPS scheme.   Based on DEFRA’s guidance, once an application has been submitted…