Business top stories PLANNING PERMISSIONNew consultation to ease planning rules for agricultureHousing secretary Steve Reed has launched a new consultation on proposals to streamline planning rules which, he says, will make it easier for farmers and rural firms to develop their… MEAT MARKETS AND PRICESExceptional beef trade holds at £6.60/kg amid tight suppliesFinished cattle prices are still commanding a healthy premium above last year’s levels, with prices up throughout the supply chain, including at retail. Extremely tight supplies of cattle has kept… DAIRY MARKETS AND PRICESJust 7,000 GB dairy farmers in production as prices slideThe UK dairy sector has seen further consolidation in the past year, as the industry shifts to fewer producers delivering larger volumes of milk. The number of GB dairy farmers… SUCCESSION PLANNINGFarm succession: how to plan for future control and ownershipThere 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… BUSINESS MANAGEMENTOFC report: Tough choices today protect your farm tomorrowUK agriculture is standing at a crossroads, and the roadmap to a new future, according to a fresh report from the Oxford Farming Conference (OFC), isn’t going to be set… PAYMENTS, SCHEMES AND GRANTSFarmers face uneven support as stewardship payments beginAs the 2025 payment window for Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship opens, December is proving a financially challenging month for many farm businesses. While the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) reports… LAND MARKETSFarmland in your area 2025: West MidlandsSupplies 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,… GRANTSNew £500,000 fund backs Scotland’s small food producersThe Scottish government has launched a £500,000 pilot fund for small food producers in 2025-26, aiming to boost rural supply chains, innovation and productivity across Scotland’s farming and crofting regions.… LAND MARKETSPlanning 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… MEAT MARKETS AND PRICESLamb trade hits £7/kg despite competition from importsBase prices for finished lambs pushed back above £7/kg deadweight at abattoirs in early December for the first time in several months. Tight supplies and improved demand for lamb throughout… CROPS MARKETS AND PRICESDefra review targets fairer returns for growersArable farmers have been given a “real opportunity to reset the balance of power” in the crops supply chain after Defra launched a consultation on contract fairness across the combinable… DAIRY MARKETS AND PRICESUK farming unions call on milk processors to act fairlyTensions are mounting within the UK dairy sector as processors cut farmgate prices in a bid to curb high milk volumes. Some milk processors are now looking at further measures… BUSINESS CLINICBusiness Clinic: Tax advice on sheds let for commercial useWhether 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… INPUT MARKETS AND PRICESFertiliser markets unsettled as UK suppliers stock upUK fertiliser markets have been disrupted by logistical challenges and a lull in demand, creating a fractured and uncertain trading landscape into next year. The introduction of the Carbon Border… Business newsSee all PAYMENTS, SCHEMES AND GRANTSFarmers face uneven support as stewardship payments beginAs the 2025 payment window for Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship opens, December is proving a financially challenging month for many farm businesses. While the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) reports… GRANTSNew £500,000 fund backs Scotland’s small food producersThe Scottish government has launched a £500,000 pilot fund for small food producers in 2025-26, aiming to boost rural supply chains, innovation and productivity across Scotland’s farming and crofting regions.… MEAT MARKETS AND PRICESLamb trade hits £7/kg despite competition from importsBase prices for finished lambs pushed back above £7/kg deadweight at abattoirs in early December for the first time in several months. Tight supplies and improved demand for lamb throughout… CROPS MARKETS AND PRICESDefra review targets fairer returns for growersArable farmers have been given a “real opportunity to reset the balance of power” in the crops supply chain after Defra launched a consultation on contract fairness across the combinable… 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 HowSee all SUCCESSION PLANNINGFarm succession: how to plan for future control and ownershipThere 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 MARKETSPlanning 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 CLINICBusiness Clinic: Tax advice on sheds let for commercial useWhether 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… BUSINESS CLINICBusiness Clinic: Are we liable for business rates assessment?Whether it’s a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s Business Clinic experts can help. Here, Richie Rees, legal director in Thrings’ agricultural litigation team, advises on what… BUSINESS CLINICBusiness Clinic: How do we negotiate with a solar developer?Whether it’s a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s Business Clinic experts can help. Here, Mark Charter, head of estate management with Carter Jonas, Oxford, advises on… HEALTH AND SAFETYAdvice on employers' liability, injury and H&S managementEmployers’ liability insurance is a legal requirement for any business using labour. It provides cover for legal liability for injury or illness caused to anyone working on the farm. Businesses… TAXAdvice on keeping accurate accounts to pay the right taxEfficient bookkeeping is fundamental to producing timely and accurate accounts for both tax and management purposes. Many arable farmers have March year ends and are likely to drop out of… BUSINESSExecutors and trustees – their roles and responsibilitiesWith wills being written and reviewed as part of inheritance tax (IHT) and succession planning, it is vital to understand the role of the executor – the person responsible for… BUSINESS CLINICBusiness Clinic: Will known issues derail sale of our farm?Whether it’s a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s Business Clinic experts can help. Here, Andrew Chandler, head of rural agency with Carter Jonas, advises on how… DIVERSIFICATIONWhy story and standards are key in marketing farm produceIt’s clear that social media and digital communications are increasingly important in marketing farm produce and services in diversified businesses. However, it is the story, standards and ethos of a… BUSINESS CLINICBusiness Clinic: Reclaiming VAT on private and business useWhether 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 how to approach… BUSINESS CLINICBusiness Clinic: Should I lease my land for battery storage?Whether it’s a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s Business Clinic experts can help. Here, Eve Laws, a partner in Thrings’ agriculture and clean energy teams, advises… PAYMENTS, SCHEMES AND GRANTSStacking income: What is it and how to do it on farmVolatile prices and weather extremes have added risk and uncertainty to farm businesses while dwindling government support has caused a shortfall between pre- and post-Brexit incomes. To make up that… DIVERSIFICATIONTransition webinar: How to start a new farm-based businessIn the latest of our Transition Webinar series, we look at how to diversify into a new farm-based business to help secure a stable income to support the main focus… TENANCIES AND RENTSAdvice on tax and legal issues when a farm tenancy endsA careful approach is needed where a landlord wants to regain vacant possession of farmland or a tenant wants to surrender the tenancy so that, ideally, the legal and tax… BUSINESS MANAGEMENTHow to start improving on-farm water qualityPutting resilience measures into a farming business is one of the best ways to protect water, prevent pollution and retain more water in the landscape. With many of the major… Business Clinic BUSINESS CLINICBusiness Clinic: Tax advice on sheds let for commercial useWhether 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… BUSINESS CLINICBusiness Clinic: Are we liable for business rates assessment?Whether it’s a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s Business Clinic experts can help. Here, Richie Rees, legal director in Thrings’ agricultural litigation team, advises on what… BUSINESS CLINICBusiness Clinic: How do we negotiate with a solar developer?Whether it’s a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s Business Clinic experts can help. Here, Mark Charter, head of estate management with Carter Jonas, Oxford, advises on… BUSINESS CLINICBusiness Clinic: Will known issues derail sale of our farm?Whether it’s a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s Business Clinic experts can help. Here, Andrew Chandler, head of rural agency with Carter Jonas, advises on how… View all Business Clinic articles Markets and trendsSee all LAND MARKETSFarmland in your area 2025: West MidlandsSupplies 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,… MEAT MARKETS AND PRICESLamb trade hits £7/kg despite competition from importsBase prices for finished lambs pushed back above £7/kg deadweight at abattoirs in early December for the first time in several months. Tight supplies and improved demand for lamb throughout… CROPS MARKETS AND PRICESDefra review targets fairer returns for growersArable farmers have been given a “real opportunity to reset the balance of power” in the crops supply chain after Defra launched a consultation on contract fairness across the combinable… DAIRY MARKETS AND PRICESUK farming unions call on milk processors to act fairlyTensions are mounting within the UK dairy sector as processors cut farmgate prices in a bid to curb high milk volumes. Some milk processors are now looking at further measures… INPUT MARKETS AND PRICESFertiliser markets unsettled as UK suppliers stock upUK fertiliser markets have been disrupted by logistical challenges and a lull in demand, creating a fractured and uncertain trading landscape into next year. The introduction of the Carbon Border… CROPS MARKETS AND PRICESUK wheat growers pinched by inflation and flatlining yieldsUK wheat growers are facing a financial squeeze, with inflation, flatlining yields, and low farmgate prices all having an impact on margins, according to agronomy and consultancy firm Ceres Rural.… MILK PRICESFarmers' fair dealing regs scepticism fading, says adjudicatorInitial scepticism among dairy farmers about the likely effectiveness of the new Fair Dealings Regulations are understandable, but diminishing, according to agricultural supply chain adjudicator Richard Thompson. A survey of… CROPS MARKETS AND PRICESUK arable farms lose £828m because of extreme weatherUK arable farmers are facing an estimated £828m drop in revenues after one of the worst harvests on record. This was driven by prolonged weather volatility across spring and summer… Advertisements Land in your areaSee all LAND MARKETSFarmland in your area 2025: East MidlandsA 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 MARKETSFarmland in your area 2025: West MidlandsSupplies 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 MARKETSFarmland in your area 2025: North-west EnglandSales 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… LAND MARKETSFarmland in your area 2025: North-east EnglandAgents are reporting an uptick in landowners seeking formal market appraisals of farms and bare land in the north-east of England. Firms operating in the region are confident the market… Most popular this week
