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Making Tax Digital for Farmers: One-Year Reprieve
Making Tax Digital for Farmers: One-Year Reprieve

dw@hawsons.co.uk You’ve wrapped up harvest and drilling, you’re sorting the paperwork, and then you hear HMRC wants quarterly digital reports. Sound familiar? Thankfully, there’s good news. Following pressure from farming groups and professional bodies, HMRC has...

Advice on employing farm staff for the first time
Advice on employing farm staff for the first time

Many farm owners are self-employed and do not need to employ any staff. However, in some cases many farmers come to a point where they need to employ staff to cope with the high volume of work. Therefore, if you are employing staff for the first time you will need to...

Tax Implications of Farm Diversification
Tax Implications of Farm Diversification

Farmers are increasingly seeking ways to stabilise their farm income and ensure the sustainability of their agricultural businesses. Farm diverification is one strategy farmers are using to achieve this. Diversifying a farming business involves branching out into new...

Succession Planning for Farms
Succession Planning for Farms

Have you thought about succession and the long-term plans for your family farm? As agriculture makes up the highest concentration of family businesses passed through the generations, it is no surprise that succession is a key issue and is something farmers need to...

Agricultural Property Relief – Changes Ahead
Agricultural Property Relief – Changes Ahead

Government initiatives often shape the landscape of various sectors, and agriculture is no exception. Recent developments in the UK's environmental policies are set to bring significant changes to agricultural property relief (APR).   Background In 2023, the UK...

DEFRA provides transparency on farming budget spend
DEFRA provides transparency on farming budget spend

After concerns were raised by food and farming organisations, DEFRA has decided to provide more transparency on how the agriculture budget for England is spent. On 18th September DEFRA published its Food Farming and Countryside Programme annual report for the 2022-23...

Flood Management scheme open to farmers
Flood Management scheme open to farmers

In September, the Environment Agency and Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs announced a new £25 million flood management scheme as part of their Natural flood management programme. This (ring-fenced) funding is being provided by the government and...

Farming Transformation Fund
Farming Transformation Fund

The government has launched an infrastructure grant scheme worth £10 million to fund cattle housing for farmers. This fund aims to improve calf health and welfare as well as enhancing environmental sustainability and innovation. The funding will be granted to farmers...

Defra to allow farm buyers to claim delinked payments
Defra to allow farm buyers to claim delinked payments

Defra has published updated guidance regarding farms that have recently been sold.   New Defra guidance From 2024 Basic Payment Scheme payments will be delinked which means that new farm owners will not need to apply for BPS, instead this will be calculated based...

Landscape Recovery Scheme to support sustainable food production
Landscape Recovery Scheme to support sustainable food production

Second round of the Landscape Recovery Scheme The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced a second round of the Landscape Recovery Scheme which was initially launched in 2022. Farmers and land managers can apply for a share of the £15m...