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Farming & food Inheritance tax U-turn as tax-free allowance per person raised to £2.5m from £1m (UK) The change makes a significant difference when combined with the previous amendment to allow allowances to be transferred between spouses.  It means that spouses or civil partners with combined farmland estates worth £5 – 6 m will pay […]

Rural estates are dealing with an increasingly long list of pressures: unpredictable weather patterns, changes to inheritance tax rules, the withdrawal of Basic Payments, increased expectations around environmental delivery, greater regulation and rising operational costs. Taken together, these factors are making it harder to rely on established operating methods and assumptions about revenues. This is […]

The past year has been a testing one for the UK rural sector. For many landowners and rural businesses, it has become clear that maintaining the status quo is no longer an option. Structural pressures – from inheritance tax reform and rising costs to increased regulation and climate change – are unlikely to disappear. Against […]

Succession planning, strategic clarity and sharper scrutiny of business performance will be defining themes for the rural sector as we head into 2026. 2025 ended on a more positive note than many expected – thanks to a surprise increase in the inheritance tax relief thresholds which will apply from April 2026, which will significantly reduce […]

Farming & food Heat and drought lead to UK farmers losing £800m after one of the worst harvests on record (UK)  Three of the five worst harvests on record have now occurred since 2020 and 2025’s was the second worst in records going back over 40 years.  Analysis by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit […]

Welcome to this quarter’s health & safety update. As we head into the latter part of the year, there’s no shortage of change and challenge across our industry — from ongoing safety concerns in agriculture to new legislation affecting landlords and property managers. In this edition, we take a look at the rise in farming […]

Landowners and farmers are amongst those who could feel the biggest impact of the Great Grid Upgrade – the UK’s largest overhaul electricity infrastructure for generations.  The GGU involves 17 new major infrastructure projects designed to allow for cleaner and affordable energy to be carried from the site of production, such as offshore wind farms, straight to homes and businesses.  This is likely to bring challenges and opportunities for a large number of rural landowners.  For example, the modernisation […]

What the Budget means for farmers and landowners Chancellor Rachel Reeves has delivered her Autumn Budget after weeks of speculation about the contents. The following is a brief summary of some of the key announcements with implications for farmers and landowners and our understanding of them so far. Inheritance tax on farms and estates – […]

Farming & food Global food systems pushing the planet beyond safe environmental boundaries – “the science is undeniable”  The latest report from the EAT-Lancet Commission, which is a collaboration of health, agriculture and environmental scientists, reaffirmed its ‘Planetary Health Diet’, which recommends a shift toward largely plant-based diets with moderate amounts of animal-source foods.  The […]

The Renters’ Rights Act will be implemented in three phases, with the first changes taking effect from 1 May 2026.  The Government has confirmed the following timetable for the rollout of the new legislation, which received Royal Assent in October 2025:  Phase One  From 1 May 2026, the key changes are:  Phase Two  From late 2026:  […]

Every corporate business in the UK is under growing pressure to measure  the impact of their operations on climate change and biodiversity and to take steps to reduce it.  Nature-based solutions are one way for them to meet both their regulatory obligations and voluntary sustainability goals, while at the same time opening up new revenue  […]

Farming & food  A third of British farmers made no profit in past year (UK)    35% of the farmers surveyed for a report for McCain Foods said that they made a loss or were breaking even.  The report states that 51% of farmers have considered leaving the industry in the past year due to financial […]