If rural landowners and farmers drafted a letter to Santa, writes Charles Cowap, it might look a little like this…
Dear Santa,
Here is a list of all the things we would really like for Christmas:
Continued access to the single market after Brexit so we can trade on free terms with the rest of Europe.
Continued labour mobility to ensure we can recruit the staff we need.
Decent broadband at a fair price everywhere.
More investment in agricultural science to help us to develop our businesses and become more competitive. We spend about 1% of our agricultural GDP on research, but in the USA and China it’s more like 2.5%.
Fair prices for quality products, including a fair deal from the major food buyers, led from the front by the big supermarkets.
Prompt settlement of our basic payment scheme claims this year.
A fully integrated rural plan for farming, food and the rural environment instead of two separate 25-year plans.
Greater certainty over funding for environmental schemes or other initiatives beyond 2020.
A chance to play our part in natural flood management, carbon storage and all the other exciting natural capital initiatives without falling foul of regulations, compromising our entitlement to Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) payments, jeopardising our tax status, threatening the welfare of our livestock or upsetting our landlords or tenants – and in a way which makes these into truly sustainable alternative revenue sources and business models.
Sensible regulation which rewards us when we do well and doesn’t treat us like idiots the rest of the time – other than the few who really are idiots.
Realistic support for new entrants to our industry, coupled with suitable incentives to help older farmers to retire without jeopardising their hard-earned gains through loss of agricultural property relief, working farmer status and all the other things that prey heavily on the mind of an older farmer.
Effective, fair and timely compensation and mitigation when we absolutely must lose our land to compulsory purchase, and fair treatment of compensation for capital gains tax when we are forced to sell our land against our wishes or at a time which doesn’t suit us.
Decent rural transport and housing for ordinary young people in our industry.
Ramblers, walkers, cyclists and riders who are respectful of the countryside and what goes on there, especially at harvest and lambing time.
We would very much like to ask that HM Revenue and Customs’ research into and reviews of the operation of agricultural property relief and employer-provided accommodation are conducted with full sensitivity to the special characteristics of rural businesses.
A much bigger and better emphasis on “rural-proofing” all policy measures before they are even announced. For example, rural post office coverage, rural surgeries and pharmacies, schools, rural policing and all other rural services.
For agricultural and rural awareness to be a compulsory part of the induction training for all public officials who must deal with the countryside, including representatives of utility providers and others who can wield enormous power over us.
For all policy advisers and politicians fully to understand the role and operation of the agricultural tenanted sector.
We would like to have a say in how environmental and other objectives are to be achieved locally on our land, respecting and using our knowledge, experience and insight rather than subjecting us to prescriptive requirements and tick-box approaches.
For enforceable codes of practice with hard-hitting sanctions to regulate the conduct of anybody and everybody who wields any legal authority or power over rural businesses – including public and semi-public utility developers on schemes like HS2.
Much more research and development into how to protect all our trees and plants from the rapidly growing threats from invasive species, with rapidly implemented and effective control measures.
Effective, accessible and affordable means of resolving our disputes when they do arise, whether with suppliers, purchasers, landlords, tenants, local authorities, Defra or anybody else.
International trade agreements which allow us to compete fairly in the global marketplace, particularly with regard to quality and tariff barriers.
Find us on the nice list
We know it looks like quite a long list Santa, but we have been working very hard this year and it has not been at all easy for us. We produced a lot of food – although we know we could produce more if you give us some of the things we have asked for. We have done a lot for the environment, most of it not paid for by taxpayers. We have absorbed increasing costs and endured volatile output prices.
We are older but probably no wiser, and age, stress and injury continue to take their toll in our industry, which is as dangerous as ever. What we might sometimes lack in entrepreneurialism we more than make up for in our resourcefulness and resilience; our ability to get by and to make do and mend.
Without us there would be no Scotch whisky to warm you on your Christmas Eve travels, no carrot for the reindeer, no turkey or goose on the table, no sprouts, no flour for the mince pies and no milk for the white sauce or brandy butter. Even a very little can go a long way in the rural economy.
Happy Christmas Santa, and to all our readers with the hope that 2017 will be a year of new promise and prosperity – interesting, but not too interesting.
Charles Cowap is a rural practice chartered surveyor
If rural landowners and farmers drafted a letter to Santa, writes Charles Cowap, it might look a little like this…
Dear Santa,
Here is a list of all the things we would really like for Christmas:
Continued access to the single market after Brexit so we can trade on free terms with the rest of Europe.
Continued labour mobility to ensure we can recruit the staff we need.
Decent broadband at a fair price everywhere.
More investment in agricultural science to help us to develop our businesses and become more competitive. We spend about 1% of our agricultural GDP on research, but in the USA and China it’s more like 2.5%.
Fair prices for quality products, including a fair deal from the major food buyers, led from the front by the big supermarkets.
Prompt settlement of our basic payment scheme claims this year.
A fully integrated rural plan for farming, food and the rural environment instead of two separate 25-year plans.
Greater certainty over funding for environmental schemes or other initiatives beyond 2020.
A chance to play our part in natural flood management, carbon storage and all the other exciting natural capital initiatives without falling foul of regulations, compromising our entitlement to Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) payments, jeopardising our tax status, threatening the welfare of our livestock or upsetting our landlords or tenants – and in a way which makes these into truly sustainable alternative revenue sources and business models.
Sensible regulation which rewards us when we do well and doesn’t treat us like idiots the rest of the time – other than the few who really are idiots.
Realistic support for new entrants to our industry, coupled with suitable incentives to help older farmers to retire without jeopardising their hard-earned gains through loss of agricultural property relief, working farmer status and all the other things that prey heavily on the mind of an older farmer.
Effective, fair and timely compensation and mitigation when we absolutely must lose our land to compulsory purchase, and fair treatment of compensation for capital gains tax when we are forced to sell our land against our wishes or at a time which doesn’t suit us.
Decent rural transport and housing for ordinary young people in our industry.
Ramblers, walkers, cyclists and riders who are respectful of the countryside and what goes on there, especially at harvest and lambing time.
We would very much like to ask that HM Revenue and Customs’ research into and reviews of the operation of agricultural property relief and employer-provided accommodation are conducted with full sensitivity to the special characteristics of rural businesses.
A much bigger and better emphasis on “rural-proofing” all policy measures before they are even announced. For example, rural post office coverage, rural surgeries and pharmacies, schools, rural policing and all other rural services.
For agricultural and rural awareness to be a compulsory part of the induction training for all public officials who must deal with the countryside, including representatives of utility providers and others who can wield enormous power over us.
For all policy advisers and politicians fully to understand the role and operation of the agricultural tenanted sector.
We would like to have a say in how environmental and other objectives are to be achieved locally on our land, respecting and using our knowledge, experience and insight rather than subjecting us to prescriptive requirements and tick-box approaches.
For enforceable codes of practice with hard-hitting sanctions to regulate the conduct of anybody and everybody who wields any legal authority or power over rural businesses – including public and semi-public utility developers on schemes like HS2.
Much more research and development into how to protect all our trees and plants from the rapidly growing threats from invasive species, with rapidly implemented and effective control measures.
Effective, accessible and affordable means of resolving our disputes when they do arise, whether with suppliers, purchasers, landlords, tenants, local authorities, Defra or anybody else.
International trade agreements which allow us to compete fairly in the global marketplace, particularly with regard to quality and tariff barriers.
Find us on the nice list
We know it looks like quite a long list Santa, but we have been working very hard this year and it has not been at all easy for us. We produced a lot of food – although we know we could produce more if you give us some of the things we have asked for. We have done a lot for the environment, most of it not paid for by taxpayers. We have absorbed increasing costs and endured volatile output prices.
We are older but probably no wiser, and age, stress and injury continue to take their toll in our industry, which is as dangerous as ever. What we might sometimes lack in entrepreneurialism we more than make up for in our resourcefulness and resilience; our ability to get by and to make do and mend.
Without us there would be no Scotch whisky to warm you on your Christmas Eve travels, no carrot for the reindeer, no turkey or goose on the table, no sprouts, no flour for the mince pies and no milk for the white sauce or brandy butter. Even a very little can go a long way in the rural economy.
Happy Christmas Santa, and to all our readers with the hope that 2017 will be a year of new promise and prosperity – interesting, but not too interesting.
Charles Cowap is a rural practice chartered surveyor
If rural landowners and farmers drafted a letter to Santa, writes Charles Cowap, it might look a little like this…
