The Farmers Weekly Podcast

In this episode, industry leaders urge farmers not to take direct action following the government’s decision to impose inheritance tax on farmland.

Thousands of farmers are expected to descend on London after the Budget announcement sent shockwaves through the industry.

The protest will coincide with what the NFU is describing as a ‘mass lobbying’ of MPs to get the government decision reversed.

The inheritance tax facing farmers following the Budget has understandably grabbed all the headlines.

But the Chancellor also unveiled many more measures affecting agriculture.

They included company car tax on farm pick-ups, an increase in employers national insurance – and the faster phase out of direct payments.

Life insurance could be one way of mitigating the impact of inheritance tax on farmland.

But farmers are urged to take advice rather than making rash decisions.

A special episode after an autumn Budget which promises huge changes to farm businesses – and indeed for farming families.

The Budget saw Chancellor Rachel Reeves announce major changes to agricultural property relief and inheritance tax rules relating to farming.

From April 2026, farmers will be subject to 20% inheritance tax on agricultural and business assets worth more than £1 million pounds.

In this episode, four experts discuss ways farmers can reduce their liability.

Our experts are:

• Amy Cowdell, from solicitors Shakespeare Martineau
• Robert Sullivan, from chartered surveyors GSC Grays
• Jason Beedell, from farm business consultants Strutt & Parker
• Sam Kirkham, from accountants Albert Goodman

Topics discussed include gifting land and assets to family members; business structures, including limited companies; moving assets into a trust; succession planning; and life insurance.

Thank you for listening to the Farmers Weekly Podcast. This episode was conceived, written, edited and produced by Johann Tasker.

To contact us, email [email protected]. In the UK, you can also message us by texting the word FARM followed by your message to 88 44 0.

In this episode, as the government's Budget looms we ask three experts what farmers should expect in the Chancellor's Autumn Statement.

We find out why the Sustainable Farming Incentive is fuelling interest in hedgerow management in England – and how farmers can obtain payments.

We visit the Lake District, where upland farmers fear they are being left behind by the government's flagship environmental schemes.

And we go under the North Sea where a carbon-friendly fertiliser is being mined to replenish sulphur levels on UK farms.

Thank you for listening to the Farmers Weekly Podcast. This episode is co-hosted by Johann Tasker and Louise Impey.

To contact us, email [email protected]. In the UK, you can also message us by texting the word FARM followed by your message to 88 44 0.

UK agriculture faces a huge skills gap – with lots of opportunities for people wanting to work in the sector or start their own agri-business.

In this episode, we find out how UK farming is encouraging new entrants into the industry – and how to carve a career in agriculture.

We visit the New Scientist Live festival of ideas at London's ExCel centre, where food and farming innovation is centre stage in front of 25,000 visitors.

Agriculture is very much a Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) sector keen to attract more urban youngsters.

We look at opportunities around industry apprenticeships in agricultural engineering, plant science and livestock technology.

For more information about the career opportunities mentioned in this episode, please explore the links below:

• The Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture
• Lantra 
• John Deere Apprentice Programme
• KWS careers
• Rothamsted Research
• LEAF (Linking Environment & Farming)
• We Are Land Based Engineering
• London City Farms & Community Gardens Association

To make a donation to Vauxhall City Farm 50th anniversary appeal, please visit https://vauxhallcityfarm.org/50th-anniversary-appeal/

This episode of the Farmers Weekly Podcast was conceived, written, produced and hosted by Johann Tasker.

Additional reporting by Philip Case, Charlie Reeve and Louise Impey.

To contact the Farmers Weekly Podcast, email [email protected].

In the UK, you can also message us by texting the word FARM followed by your message to 88 44 0.

In this episode, as the wet autumn continues, we look at flood management – and payments for farmers to protect communities by storing flood water.

We have the latest on the NFU's campaign for a fair Autumn Budget for farming – and what is needed to deliver UK food security.

We've an update on the phase-out of the Basic Payment Scheme in England – and take a look at Scotland's fledgling farm support system.

And we talk to the two farming friends behind the Rural Communities Mental Health Foundation – promoting better wellbing in agriculture.

This episode of the Farmers Weekly Podcast is co-hosted by Johann Tasker and specialist arable reporter Louise Impey.

To contact the Farmers Weekly Podcast, email [email protected].

In the UK, you can also message us by texting the word FARM followed by your message to 88 44 0.

In this episode, we ask who is to blame for Defra's reported £358m underspend on farming – and can it really be justified?

A better year ahead? After a challenging time, the latest forecasts suggest UK dairy has finally turned the corner.

We get to grips with the latest developments on precision breeding – which could pave the way for UK farmers to grow gene-edited crops.

We find out how blended finance is helping farmers fund nature recovery projects on a landscape scale.

And we speak to the newly crowned Farm Champion of the Year.

This episode of the Farmers Weekly Podcast is co-hosted by Johann Tasker and specialist arable reporter Louise Impey.

To contact the Farmers Weekly Podcast, email [email protected].

In the UK, you can also message us by texting the word FARM followed by your message to 88 44 0.

In this episode, after a week of torrential rain and floods washes away newly drilled cereal crops, we ask: will it really be another wet autumn?

We find out why Defra policy is on hold ahead of the Autumn Budget – in a special interview with NFU president Tom Bradshaw.

We discover how farmers are measuring their environmental and social impact –and making their businesses more profitable as a result.

You can find out more about environmental and social baselining by visiting Soil Association Exchange and the Lloyds Banking Group.

And we speak to Andrew Brewer – the newly crowned Carbon Farmer of the Year, courtesy of the Farm Carbon Toolkit.

This episode of the Farmers Weekly Podcast is co-hosted by Johann Tasker and specialist arable reporter Louise Impey.

To contact the Farmers Weekly Podcast, email [email protected].

In the UK, you can also message us by texting the word FARM followed by your message to 88 44 0.

In this episode, we look at the future for farm support following a UK cereal harvest said to be among the worst in living memory.

We travel to London for Back British Farming Day as growers and livestock producers meet MPs to get the farming message across to politicians.

We look at NFU calls for an increase in the UK budget for agriculture – and industry calls for recognition of the wider benefits farming brings.

We examine how high street banks are offering special deals for farmers prepared to adopt more sustainable management practices.

We discuss the merits of the HSBC Sustainable Farming Pathway and the Soil Association Exchange initiative supported by Lloyds Bank.

And we discover how bees are helping Euston Estate Farms in Suffolk ensure that landscape management delivers the benefits it promises.

The harvest 2024 report referred to in this episode was published by the Economic and Climate Change Unit.

This episode of the Farmers Weekly Podcast is co-hosted by Johann Tasker and specialist arable reporter Louise Impey.

To contact the Farmers Weekly Podcast, please email [email protected]. We would love to hear from you!

In the UK, you can also message us by texting the word FARM followed by your message to 88 44 0.

In this episode, we look at the future of the UK potato sector with a special visit to the Potato Days UK event at Dyson Farming.

With the crop under pressure to reduce its carbon footprint, we find out how potato growers and processors are reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

We discuss the role regenerative agriculture has when it comes to potato production – a crop which involves moving huge amounts of soil.

And we look at the latest research on biostimulants and ask: do they really work and what is the science behind them?

We also discuss prospects for budget cuts at Defra, the latest on the UK bluetongue outbreak and vaccines for combating bovine tuberculosis.

This special episode of the Farmers Weekly Podcast is co-hosted by Johann Tasker and specialist arable reporter Louise Impey.

To contact the Farmers Weekly Podcast, email [email protected]. In the UK, you can also message us by texting the word FARM followed by your message to 88 44 0.

Welcome to this special episode of the Farmers Weekly Podcast – the Farmers Weekly Question Time event at Cookstown in Northern Ireland.

Recorded in front of a live studio audience, farmers, students and other guests quiz industry leaders on topical agricultural issues.

Our panel is:

- John Gilliland, Professor of Practice in Agriculture & Sustainability, Queens University Belfast
- John McLenaghan, deputy president, Ulster Farmers Union.
- Bronagh O'Kane, livestock farmer
- Jude McCann, Farming Community Network
- Michael Meharg, Loch Neagh Partnership

Topics include:

- How to solve Lough Neagh pollution
- Support for smaller livestock farms
- How to get new entrants into farming
- Making the most of Jeremy Clarkson
- Tenancies and rental opportunities
- Northern Ireland Farm Welfare Bill
- Health and wellbeing among farmers
- Tips for profitable farming

Sponsored by Lantra, this Farmers Weekly Question Time event was recorded in front of a live studio audience on Thursday, 29 August 2024.

Hosted by Farmers Weekly Podcast editor Johann Tasker. To attend future Farmers Weekly Question Time events, visit fwi.co.uk/questiontime.