Category: CLM News

As many of you will have seen in the press, new regulations are coming into force on 1st April 2018 that will make it illegal to let a private rented property to a new tenant if the energy performance certifi cate (EPC) has a rating of F or G. The new regulations are the MEES […]

As you stand on the ridge of Garden field and look South West across the Medway valley towards the Ashdown Forest with the sun rising over your shoulder you could be forgiven for thinking that all was right in the world. The future looks clear and bright. If you look closer there is a cloud […]

I noticed quite recently that an email I received from a member of staff at Natural England gave their job title in the signature at the bottom as a member of the Field Unit; a group so secret that most Natural England advisers I have asked since reading about it do not even know of […]

New BPS Greening rules 2018. Streamlined agri-environment support for farmers. LEADER Funding. Changes to permitted development. New rules for water.

New Buckhurst Farm, Mark Beech, Kent, TN8 5NR A charming farm with stock buildings, arable land, grass land and woodland extending to approximately 70 ha (173 acres). Please see full particulars here.  Guide Price £2,000,000

‘Complexity is your enemy. Any fool can make something complicated. It is hard to make something simple’ Richard Branson. The longer I spend running businesses, both for myself and for clients, unravelling complex family structures, mediating in family disputes, helping to improve the profi tability of small and medium sized businesses, the simpler I like […]

We offer a variety of services to our clients, whether it is help with environmental grants or business management solutions. We are able to advise on a range of agricultural areas. Please see our ‘Swiss Army Knife of Services’ below. If you are interested in learning more about the services we offer, please visit our […]

The tools used to predict future business trends and outcomes are entertainingly numerous and diverse and they are all based on one assumption or another. Read the attached PDF to see our article in the South East Farmer

What can the UK farming industry expect from the impending EU Referendum vote? Read the attached PDF to see our article in the South East Farmer

To the uninitiated, let property can appear to be a safe and relatively simple income stream, however there is a constantly increasing raft of legislation that landlords must adhere to. Read the attached PDF to see our article in the South East Farmer

After last years less than satisfactory Basic Payment Scheme application process, will applicants this year get a better deal? Read the attached PDF to see our article in the South East Farmer

That time of year is fast approaching when our minds start to turn to the daunting prospect of filling in this year’s BPS forms, although the substantial numbers of you out there who have yet to receive last year’s payment may be forgiven for having more pressing concerns. The conspicuous silence of the RPA on […]

This Christmas the bearded old fellow in the red overcoat was under pressure.  Already burdened by the task of delivering Millennium Falcons and Chewbacca costumes to thousands of Star Wars fans, he could not ignore a troubled force from an unusual source! In previous years farmers were delighted if the single farm payment (SFP) cheque […]

When looking at accounts, we split subsidy payments away from the enterprise, giving a true and clear picture of performance – clarity within the business. We often muse (and have done on these pages) about the effect of a reduction or subsidy change.  In 2017 there will be the single largest economic event to affect […]

LEADER funding now open, Basic Payment Scheme update, NVZ compliance, the new Countryside Stewardship Scheme, RPA inspections, Energy Barns and reserve power…. open PDF for more information.

Farming Minister George Eustice MP finally decided to launch the LEADER programme on 14 October. Perhaps he thought doing do so would act as counter point to the release of the results of the June survey of agriculture the next day, since as announcements go, it was a bit of a damp squib.  

CLM towers are usually home to a happy band of positive thinkers but we see clouds on the horizon. It could simply be the effects of too much Christmas cheer but it looks pretty gloomy from here. There are dangers in making January predictions but a number of indicators are pointing firmly in the direction […]

If the weather has improved some will already have started spr ing dr i l l ing. Or am I thinking of a time when we had dry months! It won’t be long before we start to explore crops that grow in permanently saturated soil. Rice perhaps!  

Despite share price controversy the recent sale of the Post Office achieved the desired outcome. You can be sure that government officials patted each other on the back for a job well done.  First Class! However, just along the corridor the team responsible for the introduction of the Basic Payment Scheme may not be feeling […]

Going beyond farming to support business…. A special report on CLM prepared by South East Farmer