Record numbers turn out for farming business meeting

Over 160 farmers and agricultural business owners gathered at Wellington Barn in Wiltshire to hear from legal and financial experts on key issues facing the sector.

The event was hosted by the region’s leading advisers in farming and agricultural business: law firm Withy King, Old Mill chartered accountants and Lloyds TSB.

Topics covered included land sales and development opportunities in rural areas, financial solutions available for those affected by extreme weather, the benefits of careful tax planning and the most effective uses of the Annual Investment Allowance.

“The consensus is that farmers are likely to face another challenging year with bad weather continuing to affect harvests and livestock,” said Angus Williams, Head of Residential Property, Farms and Estates at Withy King. “We explored potential financial solutions and other issues linked to sound agricultural business management.

“We also discussed the return of developers to the market which is good news for those with land to sell, particularly on the edge of settlements identified for expansion and development. Some land owners may even start to see land option payments coming through.”

[caption id="attachment_3007" align="alignnone" width="600"] Pictured from left at the Farmers Meeting are: Mike Awre, Regional Agricultural Manager at Lloyds TSB Agriculture, Edward Cooke, Partner at Withy King and Mike Butler, Partner at Old Mill.[/caption]