Menu

Business top stories

LAND MARKETS

Land market 2025: Wales

A noticeable divide in performance between top and second-quality farmland was evident in Wales in 2025. Quality arable and productive pasture with good access and mains water sold very well…

BUSINESS

FFA NI kicks off new campaign against farm tax and low prices

A national protest campaign over farm inheritance tax (IHT) and low farmgate prices has begun in Northern Ireland, with the first demonstration held in Coleraine on Thursday 29 January. The…

BUSINESS

Farmers First leases out Wrexham abattoir amid restructure

Farmer-owned co-operative Farmers First has announced plans to restructure its business operations due to “ongoing challenging trading conditions”. The major lamb processor is due to cease operations at its abattoir…

DIVERSIFICATION

How robust livery contracts help avoid disputes

Business cost increases, alongside the rising cost of living, are challenging many alternative enterprises, especially those involving the paying public. There has been a substantial increase in disputes between horse…

MEAT MARKETS AND PRICES

Margins tighten for beef finishers as abattoirs cut prices

A number of major meat processors have cut base prices for beef cattle in the past week, as more animals come forward. Finished beef prices have been well supported throughout…

DIVERSIFICATION

Legal blocks to look for when planning farm diversifications

Those planning a new farm-based venture should check for any legal restrictions first, say advisers. These can include restrictive covenants and historic overage or clawback clauses in sales contracts going…

INPUT MARKETS AND PRICES

Fertiliser prices start to rise amid supply disruption

UK fertiliser prices held relatively flat over the new year, but the market now appears to be lifting as supply chain disruption starts to feed through into prices. The fertiliser…

DAIRY MARKETS AND PRICES

UK dairy markets find floor, but prices remain in decline

Dairy commodity prices may have finally reached a floor after months of falls, according to the AHDB, however farmgate prices remain under pressure due to excess milk volumes. AHDB’s UK…

BUSINESS

Farming Connect programme gets £11m to help implement SFS

The Welsh government has allocated £11m to its Farming Connect programme to help it support farmers as they prepare for the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS). The SFS launched on 1…

MARKETS AND TRENDS

Non-stun slaughter in spotlight as petition tops 100,000

Pressure is mounting for a review of the labelling of meat from animals slaughtered without pre-stunning, with a recent petition having attracted over 108,000 signatures – enough to trigger a…

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

What farmers can do to protect newly planted trees

A record 20,660ha of woodland were created in 2023-24, with more than 20m new trees planted across the UK. But significant tree losses during the early growing phase are slowing…

PAYMENTS, SCHEMES AND GRANTS

Countryside Stewardship Mid Tier rollovers near 80%

Nearly four in five farmers offered a one-year extension to their Countryside Stewardship Mid Tier agreements have taken it up, underlining both the popularity of the scheme and the pressure…

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

ABN plans redundancies and looks to sell off feed mills

Major pig and poultry feed manufacturer ABN is looking to sell off a number of its sites as going concerns, in a bid to turn around the firm's finances. ABN,…

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

How farmers can transition from price-takers to price-makers

Farm businesses are traditionally small-scale, primary production units that have little individual influence in a market driven by global forces and dominated by corporates. But things are changing. Demand for…

Business news

See all

BUSINESS

FFA NI kicks off new campaign against farm tax and low prices

A national protest campaign over farm inheritance tax (IHT) and low farmgate prices has begun in Northern Ireland, with the first demonstration held in Coleraine on Thursday 29 January. The…

BUSINESS

Farmers First leases out Wrexham abattoir amid restructure

Farmer-owned co-operative Farmers First has announced plans to restructure its business operations due to “ongoing challenging trading conditions”. The major lamb processor is due to cease operations at its abattoir…

MEAT MARKETS AND PRICES

Margins tighten for beef finishers as abattoirs cut prices

A number of major meat processors have cut base prices for beef cattle in the past week, as more animals come forward. Finished beef prices have been well supported throughout…

INPUT MARKETS AND PRICES

Fertiliser prices start to rise amid supply disruption

UK fertiliser prices held relatively flat over the new year, but the market now appears to be lifting as supply chain disruption starts to feed through into prices. The fertiliser…

More articles

Explore farm management Know How

  • Business advice
  • Essential guides
  • Practical tips
  • Case studies
Business management
Compliance
Payments, schemes and grants
Diversification
Health and safety
Succession planning
Road legal
Careers and personal development
Explore all topics

Latest from farm management Know How

See all

DIVERSIFICATION

How robust livery contracts help avoid disputes

Business cost increases, alongside the rising cost of living, are challenging many alternative enterprises, especially those involving the paying public. There has been a substantial increase in disputes between horse…

DIVERSIFICATION

Legal blocks to look for when planning farm diversifications

Those planning a new farm-based venture should check for any legal restrictions first, say advisers. These can include restrictive covenants and historic overage or clawback clauses in sales contracts going…

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

What farmers can do to protect newly planted trees

A record 20,660ha of woodland were created in 2023-24, with more than 20m new trees planted across the UK. But significant tree losses during the early growing phase are slowing…

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

How farmers can transition from price-takers to price-makers

Farm businesses are traditionally small-scale, primary production units that have little individual influence in a market driven by global forces and dominated by corporates. But things are changing. Demand for…

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

How to review the farm business and shape its future

Conducting a business review should take place in most farms offices as 2026 unfolds, following a rollercoaster 18 months for the industry which has delivered even more change and less…

BUSINESS

Sporting rights and changes in land use - what to consider

Issues can arise where development is planned on farmland when the sporting rights are owned by or let to a third party. In some cases a cash payment is made…

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

How to assess farm values and avoid being underinsured

Underinsurance is a persistent problem in farming and rural businesses. This means not only that the full cost of replacing a building, livestock or other assets will not be met,…

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

North West pipeline project: Why farmers need to engage early

The Peak Cluster project is an underground pipeline running for almost 200km onshore, taking captured carbon dioxide from four cement and lime works to storage in former gas fields under…

BUSINESS CLINIC

Business Clinic: Should we undo inheritance plans?

Whether it’s a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s Business Clinic experts can help. Here, Harriet Neusinger, a partner in Thrings’ succession and tax team, advises on the…

BUSINESS CLINIC

Business Clinic: Film location offer - is there potential?

Whether it’s a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s Business Clinic experts can help. Here, Lucinda Brooks, a partner in Carter Jonas’ estate management department, advises on…

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

How focus on 'cost of doing work' lifts dairy efficiency

Steep milk price cuts after better returns in the first half of the current milk year mean budgeting, cost management and cashflow forecasting need extra attention. Many dairy businesses, especially…

BUSINESS CLINIC

Business Clinic: We can't find cash to pay January tax bills

Whether it’s a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s Business Clinic experts can help. Here, Kate Bell, a partner with accountant Albert Goodman, advises on an issue…

BUSINESS

How a dairy farm solved planning permission and succession

One dairy farming family is looking forward to building a new home on their holding in Derbyshire, thanks to the use of planning guidance which requires local authorities to consider…

BUSINESS

Farming partnership prompts move from Hampshire to Somerset

Ben and Molly Foote made the move from Hampshire to Somerset in October, to start milking on a former dairy farm where they are renovating and adding to the buildings.…

SUCCESSION PLANNING

Farm succession: how to plan for future control and ownership

There are many ways of achieving the successful transfer of a business. A planned change over time is the ideal, but the last two Budgets have ramped everything up several…

LAND MARKETS

Planning consent and lotting - when do they help a farm sale?

Maximising the value of your assets is clearly a sensible strategy when preparing to sell your farm, but sometimes the rewards don’t outweigh the time, effort and costs involved. Securing…

Business Clinic

BUSINESS CLINIC

Business Clinic: Should we undo inheritance plans?

Whether it’s a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s Business Clinic experts can help. Here, Harriet Neusinger, a partner in Thrings’ succession and tax team, advises on the…

BUSINESS CLINIC

Business Clinic: Film location offer - is there potential?

Whether it’s a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s Business Clinic experts can help. Here, Lucinda Brooks, a partner in Carter Jonas’ estate management department, advises on…

BUSINESS CLINIC

Business Clinic: We can't find cash to pay January tax bills

Whether it’s a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s Business Clinic experts can help. Here, Kate Bell, a partner with accountant Albert Goodman, advises on an issue…

BUSINESS CLINIC

Business Clinic: Tax advice on sheds let for commercial use

Whether it’s a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s Business Clinic experts can help. Here, Kate Bell, a partner with accountant Albert Goodman, explains the many tax…

 
View all Business Clinic articles

Markets and trends

See all

MEAT MARKETS AND PRICES

Margins tighten for beef finishers as abattoirs cut prices

A number of major meat processors have cut base prices for beef cattle in the past week, as more animals come forward. Finished beef prices have been well supported throughout…

INPUT MARKETS AND PRICES

Fertiliser prices start to rise amid supply disruption

UK fertiliser prices held relatively flat over the new year, but the market now appears to be lifting as supply chain disruption starts to feed through into prices. The fertiliser…

DAIRY MARKETS AND PRICES

UK dairy markets find floor, but prices remain in decline

Dairy commodity prices may have finally reached a floor after months of falls, according to the AHDB, however farmgate prices remain under pressure due to excess milk volumes. AHDB’s UK…

MARKETS AND TRENDS

Non-stun slaughter in spotlight as petition tops 100,000

Pressure is mounting for a review of the labelling of meat from animals slaughtered without pre-stunning, with a recent petition having attracted over 108,000 signatures – enough to trigger a…

MARKETS AND TRENDS

Falling farmgate values fail to ease latest food inflation hike

Food price pressures have intensified despite falling returns at farm level, highlighting growing instability across the food supply chain. While some farmgate values have fallen in recent months amid climate…

DAIRY MARKETS AND PRICES

Dairy farmers losing thousands as price collapse bites

Dairy producers are starting to feel the impact of sharp reductions in milk prices as cuts by processors begin to filter through to farm level. A significant proportion of businesses…

MARKETS AND TRENDS

British wool values lift to 10-year highs at auction

Average prices for greasy wool have climbed by 30% at auction over the past four months and are currently trading at their highest levels for almost 10 years. Roughly 1,200t…

CROPS MARKETS AND PRICES

Larger UK wheat crop may drive exports and weigh on prices

The expectation of a larger domestic wheat crop this year could leave the UK having to compete more on global export markets, according to grain industry specialists. A panel discussion…

Land in your area

See all

LAND MARKETS

Farmland in your area 2025: East Midlands

A slowdown in new instructions and completed sales in the East Midlands was evident in the spring and summer. The combination of downward pressures of extreme weather, economic challenges, crop…

LAND MARKETS

Farmland in your area 2025: West Midlands

Supplies of farmland in the West Midlands have bucked the national trend with the number of acres marketed in 2025 among the highest for five years. According to rural agents,…

LAND MARKETS

Farmland in your area 2025: South-east England

While the market for farmland in the south-east of England is undeniably cautious, land that is well presented and sensibly priced continues to find a buyer. The acreage launched in…

LAND MARKETS

Farmland in your area 2025: North-west England

Sales of smaller blocks of bare land have been the most common feature in market activity in the north-west of England in 2025. This is a development which agents say…

 
 
 

Most popular this week