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The Model Clauses (MCs) set out liabilities for the repair, replacement, maintenance and/or insurance of items of fixed equipment on a farm.  They apply to some agricultural tenancies in England and Wales under the Agricultural Holding’s Act 1986 and also to some Farm Business Tenancies under the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995. These were last reviewed…

In essence we all know why there was chaos in the last weeks leading up to the 15th June; the RPA pulling the plug on their new online system. Having done this towards the end of March, although offering a further month to complete claims, there were delays in providing pre-populated forms, guidance notes and…

For those involved in buying land this year extreme caution is needed to ensure both the vendor and purchaser understand the situation in respect to the BPS. To claim for this year and therefore to retain any entitlements registered in one’s name, one must have had the appropriate amount of land at one’s disposal for…

Planning is never an exact science and many decisions can be based on the subjective nature of the particular project, local support for the project, and the stance the local authority take towards it, to name but three factors. However when considering planning appeals, the ‘nature of the beast’ is something almost entirely different and…

Over previous months many landowners and renewable developers have been racing to ensure their solar installations were up and running before the 1st April drop in FIT rates, and for those looking to the future there may be uncertain ends to new renewables projects following recent comments by Western Power Distribution about the lack of…

The last few weeks has seen everything now “fall into place” for England, or perhaps fall out of place, and then fall back into a different place!  We all expected the chaos at the RPA, as with the introduction of the Single Payment Scheme, although it is difficult to accept the inevitable knock-on effect of…

With the renewal of rod licences due on the 31st of March and the season now open for Salmon and Trout thoughts are turning to dusting off the waders and heading down to the riverbank. But for some the sanctuary of the riverbank can be only a stone’s throw from the back door if your…

With national demand for housing showing no sign of slowing, the need for land on which to build is not slowing down either. Reports of agricultural land being sold to developers for as much as £1m an acre might make any landowner think about whether they can lose a few acres of farmland, freeing up…

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At last we have the final guidance on the Basic Payment Scheme rules. I set out a summary below: Active Farmers To claim you must be both a ‘farmer’ and an ‘active farmer’. To qualify as a ‘farmer’ you must either produce, rear or grow agricultural products or simply keep land clear of dense scrub….