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Cultivating Confidence: The changing legislative outlook for agriculture in Britain
In the ever-evolving landscape of agriculture, farmers face numerous challenges, from unpredictable weather patterns to fluctuating market prices. More recently new approaches implemented by the government across agriculture and diversifications mean there are significant headwinds for family farms of all sizes. Reforms to Agricultural Property Relief (APR) have been announced, which will affect inheritance tax on farmland. From April 2026, the 100% relief rate will only apply to the first £1 million of combined agricultural and business property, with a 20% tax rate on assets valued above this threshold. As we approach the Oxford Farming Conference 2025, with its theme of "facing change, finding opportunity," it is crucial to highlight solutions that can help farmers navigate these uncertainties.
Directors & Officers (D&O) insurance is well established and a range of benefits tailored to the unique needs of farmers is available. Firstly, it safeguards farmers against potential legal claims arising from accidents or damages on their property, both physical and financial. Whether its an HSE investigation after an on-farm injury or a local authority pursuing a planning application breach, the policy is there to offer a first line of defence.
Moreover, D&O goes beyond traditional insurance by offering value-added services that can help navigate more recently announced changes. For instance, policyholders gain access to expert advice on risk management and best practices in farming. This guidance helps farmers implement preventive measures, reducing the likelihood of adverse events and offer a more “offensive” capability compared to traditional legal expenses insurance, importantly without a prospects of success clause being applied.
County Insurance Services have arranged an exclusive 10% discount for all Orion members for the “Rural Protect” D&O policy, which is specifically designed for farmers, landowners and associated rural companies. You don’t have to be insured through County Insurance Services currently, to benefit from this discounted policy.
The Oxford Farming Conference 2025 emphasises the importance of embracing change and finding opportunities within it. D&O aligns perfectly with this theme by empowering farmers to adapt to evolving circumstances. By mitigating risks and providing essential support, D&O insurance enables farmers to have confidence in seizing new opportunities and have the backing of a legal support mechanism when needed.
To find out more, you can visit the QR Code at the top picture or visit https://tinyurl.com/RuralProtectVid to watch a video our Sales Director recently made with one of our insurer partners, HB Underwriting. Alternatively, you can call 01865 290916 and talk through your requirements.
Cefetra Market Summary for Orion Members - Late December 2024
OSR and feed barley markets have found some strength as the year begins to draw to a close and consumers tidy up, but wheat continues to struggle to make any headway with large volumes still being offered out of Russia and nearby origins.
A few weeks ago, Russian values started to firm as material around ports began to tighten, as they usually do at this time of year. Since then, the Ruble has come under pressure and on the back of that, interest rates in Russia are reported to be up to around 20%. Many farmers appear to be of the mindset that they will earn more by having the money in the bank rather than grain in the shed, seeing another influx of wheat coming forward to refill the supply chain and adding pressure to the global market.
Ultimately, we know Russian export pace will need to slow again in the new year, given that they have exported at the same pace as last year to date, but with significantly lower production. This could provide some support to EU grains that will need to pick up the shortfall later on, but closer to home it is looking as though the UK S+D may remain heavy for the rest of the season as the carry out into ’25 crop continues to grow. We could see a technical pull (futures moving up) if MATIF is supported, but physical cash prices in the UK may well struggle to follow.
Initial reports of the Russian crop in the ground for next harvest are the worst we have seen in over 20 years. Although some in the trade are suggesting things may not be as severe as this, the crop has just been drilled late so is not as well-established versus normal at this time. Worth keeping an eye on this story but there’s no market movement on the back of it just yet.
The volume of corn and wheat imported into the UK, as well as compounders having booked the maximum barley inclusion, has effectively cured the shortfall of wheat produced this season. The EU has imported a record volume of Corn from the US this year so far, by a considerable amount. A frustrating situation for us all, but given that UK wheat and barley values have been the firmest in Europe all season (believe it or not), it’s no surprise that other origins have been competitive into our markets.
Feed barley has finally found some export demand into Ireland, which has propped values up. The upside from here is likely to be limited though, as any further price increase could price us out of the market again, which we cannot afford to lose. Malting premiums are potentially the lowest they have been, with tonnages continuing to be rolled by end users and demand on its knees in the UK and EU.
Wishing you a Happy New Year.
To find out more, please contact Josef at Cefetra Grain: Josef Grinczer, Senior Farm Buyer & Committed Grains Assistant Manager, 07712 325197, grinczer@cefetra.co.uk
Training Courses offered by NIAB for early 2025
Click on the image below to find out more about NIAB training and to book, or email: niabtraining@niab.com
Update from Stuart Goodinson, Orion GM
As we enter the New Year, the cropping situation is a mixed bag. Oil Seed Rape (OSR) plantings are down approximately 20% compared to previous years, which aligns with trends in other parts of the country and is not surprising. The OSR that has been planted appears to have established well. Many winter cereal crops are also well-established, which is great news considering the difficult conditions we experienced in October. That said, some crops have struggled in the wet weather, and decisions are still being made on how to address these challenges.
Looking ahead to the spring season, we can expect new fungicide formulations from Bayer and BASF, which will offer new positions, options and pricing for T1, T2, and T3 spraying. More details will be announced soon.
I have had several meetings with various suppliers. There are new active ingredients and products coming to market. There are also many new cereal varieties lined up for the autumn, which will provide us with additional tools for crop production in 2025-26.
The nitrogen market remains unstable, with general upward pressure on prices primarily due to limited energy supplies in Iran and the Middle East. Additionally, CF is trying to limit their production and minimise stock in response to rising energy costs. Conversely, prices for P&K remain relatively stable. It’s advisable to place orders promptly to avoid unexpected price increases.
We offer several options for liquid fertiliser supplies. If you are considering transitioning to liquid fertilisers, please give me a call so we can discuss your options. Tanks are available and can be installed at little or no cost, freeing up storage space.
I’ve already noticed that some spring seed varieties are selling out quickly among suppliers, and I’ve heard rumours of potential shortages, so it's a good idea to order early. We now have a wide range of maize varieties and pricing available, as well as a diverse selection of seeds for Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) schemes. I'm always happy to chat through any questions you may have!
Orion Suppliers Latest Promotions posted in December
Blanchford have inserted a flyer in the Orion App promotions section inviting Orion Farm Members to take advantage of Orion Group Membership at Blanchford Building Supplies.
City Plumbing Supplies are promoting their Bathroom range including numerous free accessories.
TVE Hire & Sales constantly add to their New & Used machine sales and hire including Bobcat Agricultural Telehandlers with 3 years 0% finance.
If you haven't yet got the Orion App and want to find the latest supplier promotions together with a lot of other features, please click on the button and fill out the contact details at the bottom of this page or contact Adam Donaldson on 07907 581094 or adam@ofg.org.uk
Suppliers, if you would like to ensure all your details are up to date, and add in any promotional material for Orion Members, then please get in touch with Adam or fill in the contact details at the bottom of this page.
Members, you can see the details of all supplier promotions, and search the Orion online supplier catalogue via the Orion App. Here is a short video on how to find supplier promotions:
First successful deal directly between Orion Members on the secure Orion App
Since the creation of the capability for Orion Members to advertise to each other via the App last month, the first successful connection has been made. A farm near Witney found a Member to take 100T poultry manure regularly from their farm. The agreement was made between the two members within 5 hours of the advert being posted.
The capability covers items for sale, for hire or contract or wanted. As part of the Orion App, the facility is for Orion Members only and is monitored by Orion Farming Group to ensure regulatory compliance. There is no fee for this service with the aim being for Orion to act as a trusted and secure intermediary between Members looking to sell / hire items or contract services from other Members. Please get in touch with Adam Donaldson on 07907 581094 if you would like to find out more. You can find out a bit more about it in the short video below.
Jewsons Oxford Botley Branch
For those members who use the Jewsons Botley Branch in Oxford, please note that this branch has now closed and all stock and staff transferred to the Abingdon Branch.
Compound feed
Tender invitations have been sent to all the Group’s compound feed suppliers for the 2025 – 2026 compound year (September 25 – August 26). The Feed & Livestock committee will assess all submitted tenders and Members will be notified as to which supplier(s) will supply the Group in April. Customer service and product quality are two of the criteria taken into consideration by the committee when considering which supplier(s) to offer the tender to and so any feedback, both positive and negative, would be appreciated.
De-icing salt
With the possibility of freezing conditions in the forecast this month and possibly next, it might be an idea to have a pallet of de-icing salt in the shed to de-ice drives, yards and any other areas where machinery, livestock or employees have access.
Lead times
In the run up to Christmas, lead times especially for minerals and compound feed understandably went up quite significantly. Now that normal service has resumed after the festive period, please don’t assume that they will revert to the standard 3-5 working days and work on the assumption that minerals will still be 8-10 working days and compound feed will still be 7 working days, when planning your deliveries.
Weekly Update
Several members like to keep an eye on how the straights markets are performing, especially at the moment with unprecedented volatility in the markets. To that end, a weekly update is sent via email every Thursday to Members using straights feeds, with guide prices for all main feed commodities. It tracks price and currency changes to provide information and updates on market changes, as well as a brief market report highlighting how the major commodities are performing globally and any impact that might have on the domestic market. And finally you also get the totally irrelevant but quite interesting facts weekly instead of monthly!! Please contact the office if you would like to be added to the distribution list to receive this information.
And Finally…
Totally irrelevant but quite interesting facts of the month… From 1700 until 1905, cows were tied to posts in St James’s Park and their milk sold ‘straight from the udder’ and the offspring of a cow and a bison is called a ‘beefalo’.
For more details on any matter raised in the Feed & Livestock section, please contact Joe in the office: Joe Cobb, Feed & Livestock Manager, 01865 393 139
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