‘Growing together’ was the sentiment at the heart of this year’s Thrings Agriculture Seminar, with discussion firmly on strategies for success in an ever-changing rural sector.
This year’s instalment, once again held at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester, featured a very special keynote speaker with BBC Countryfile presenter and farmer Adam Henson drawing on his extensive career in agriculture, as a broadcaster and as the co-director of the Cotswold Farm Park to discuss the challenges facing the rural sector as well as the potential opportunities and the strategies available to achieving them.
This was followed by a discussion on wellbeing in farming and how the challenges can heavily impact the mental health of farmers, with Adam discussing the creation of his podcast Keeping on Track, supported by Thrings.
Alongside Adam, lawyers from the firm’s Agriculture, Planning, Private Client, Family and Property teams took to the stage in front of more than 200 farming and rural professionals in attendance, providing key advice to support the continued success of their businesses.
This began with a fireside talk between agriculture and environmental law experts Harvey Davies and Jonathan Thompson discussing the opportunities and restrictions presenting themselves to farmers around engaging in natural capital projects.
Following a year of great change within the world of rural planning, Fred Quartermain offered an insightful update on the most significant matters and what expected legislative changes could mean for the agriculture sector.
This was followed by a series of practical tips for landowners from the Thrings litigation teams, with property expert Simon McIlroy focusing on the implications of Electronic Communications Code on rural estates whilst agriculture specialists Richie Rees and Lara Williamson discussed restrictive covenants and rights of way.
With the Budget set to dramatically impact family farming businesses due to changes in agricultural property relief (APR) rules for inheritance tax, Samantha Doherty, Karen Perugini and Gemma Goode from the Thrings’ Succession and Tax team outlined what is set to change and how farmers can look to diversifying their practices to help remain profitable in the fact of increased tax bills.
One Couple One Lawyer practitioner Kate Barber also discussed how divorce and separation doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the family business, reflecting on the more amicable routes to separation which were the subject of a recent Farmers Weekly feature.
Keynote speaker Adam Henson said: “I was delighted to be invited to speak at Thrings’ seminar about the Cotswold Park Farm’s journey and what my time in farming has taught me about preserving the future of a growing rural business.
“This event has come at such a perfect time, with the likes of the Budget causing a great deal of uncertainty and I found it a very positive experience to engage with so many like-minded people on the issues important to so many of us.”
Duncan Sigournay, Head of Thrings’ Agriculture team and Chair of the Annual Agriculture Seminar, added: “Whilst farming can often seem like a solitary endeavour, it is arguably a sector with one of the strongest communities and it is through strengthening those bonds that it can have the best potential to grow. There is an increased importance around preserving mental health, given the challenges farmers face and it was good to see this being a more open topic of discussion around the event.
“We are pleased to have welcomed Adam to this year’s event. His experience, not only as a well-respected broadcaster engaging with all corners of the farming world, but as a farmer himself shone through in his talk which really resonated with our attendees. Despite all the challenges the sector faces it was really good to hear from someone who is so passionate and positive about the industry.”
Thrings’ Agriculture team is one of the largest of its kind in the UK with decades of experience in successfully supporting its farming and landowner clients to achieve their aims and the potential for their business. Its lawyers are ranked in the highest tier by both the prestigious Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners directories and have been chosen by the NFU to act for its members in more counties than any other firm.
Find out more about how we can support farmers, food producers and rural communities on our Information for Farmers page.
