Political News

The impact of Budget 2024 announced tomorrow by chancellor Rachel Reeve’s could be wide-ranging for rural and agricultural businesses, stretching from tax policy to national infrastructure investment, a countryside property expert warns. 

The farming community has been warned that the recent proposal to increase fees paid by abattoirs could have a catastrophic impact on small and medium businesses. 

NFU has written a letter to prime minister Sir Keir Starmer calling on him to stand by his commitments to British farmers and growers by delivering a renewed agriculture budget and confirm the continuation of Agricultural Property Relief (APR) on 30th October.  

Farmers and growers are increasingly concerned by reports that the Treasury is considering major changes to Agricultural Property Relief (APR) as part of the forthcoming budget, something that would have a serious impact on many family farms. 

Farmers have been warned to avoid getting caught out by the much-anticipated rise in fuel duty, which is expected to be announced in the Budget on 30th October. 

“The farming and growing businesses that produce food need long-term certainty so they can plan and invest for the future,” said the NFU president while calling on the government to deliver an increased agriculture budget. 

The Countryside Alliance has responded to the government’s proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), highlighting its key concerns and advocating for a ‘rooftop-first’ approach to solar installations on farmland.

New precision breeding technology to increase food production, reduce costs to farmers, and allow drought- and disease-resistant crops to be grown will be brought forward under new laws, the government has just announced. 

Scrapping inheritance tax reliefs would tear apart family farms and damage the UK’s food security, according to a new poll by the Country Land and Business Association (CLA). 

Organic veg box company, Riverford, has teamed up with a group of British farmers, including conservationist and TV presenter Jimmy Doherty, to launch a new fairness campaign called ‘Farmers Against Farmwashing’, aimed at exposing misleading supermarket “farmwashing” practices. 

The ag budget has formed a key part of discussions at this year’s Labour Party Conference, with farming groups urging the government to make good on food security promises.

With rural communities increasingly on the frontline of extreme weather and the devastating impacts of flooding, the government just announced the launch of a new partnership that aims to support rural flood resilience and help farmers adapt to a changing climate.