In a recent address at the Norfolk Farming Conference, Mark Spencer, the farming minister, provided insight into the future direction of agricultural subsidy allocation. While echoing the emphasis of the importance of balancing food production with environmental protection, which was the message from the Oxford Farming Conference at the beginning o...

 The 25th March marks Lady Day – Feast of the Annunciation and more relevantly the first quarter day of the year. Traditionally, on quarter days tenants paid their rents to landlords and this is perhaps a timely reminder that with most agricultural tenancy agreements, notices of end of tenancy or indeed rent reviews are time critical. If you a...

 After Secretary of State Steve Barclay's, recent announcement at the Oxford Farming Conference, referred to by DEFRA as 'the biggest upgrades' to the UK farming scheme since leaving the European Union, we revisit some of the key headlines and highlight what farmers and landowners should be aware of in the upcoming 2024 scheme year. Key Headli...

The Energy Act 2023 received Royal Assent at the end of October with the aim being to lay the foundations for an energy system fit for the future. This is the most significant piece of energy legislation since 2013 and will doubtless be followed a raft of secondary legislation to set the detail behind it. This enormous undertaking by Government wil...

We reported recently on the new Energy Act 2023, and a matter of days later, the Levelling UP and Regeneration Bill received Royal Assent on the 2nd November and is now an Act. It has been 17 months in the making and is now law. Having said that, as always with new legislation, it will require a raft of consultations followed by secondary legislati...

Proposed PFK Headquarters

PFK are pleased to have been granted detailed planning approval to develop their own land at Mile Lane for their new Head Office facility. Andrew Green, Managing Director, confirmed "We are delighted to have worked closely with the newly formed planning department at Westmorland and Furness Council in achieving a great result that will enable us to...

Over the last two months, we have offered a Cumbrian hill farm to let as a complete unit on a ten year Farm Business Tenancy. This is an attractive family farm, and as we now go through the shortlist and interview process to finally find the successful tenant, it is interesting to reflect that in spite of the changes in support structures and gener...

At long last we find ourselves in a position whereby the long awaited 2023 SFI scheme has been opened for applications.  The scheme itself opened to applicants on 18th September but currently the only people who are permitted to apply are those who have been invited by the RPA. The RPA are currently working on a controlled roll out of the sche...

Non-Executive Director at PFK Robert Craig, where he contributes towards the growth of the Rural Department of business has been appointed as the new Chair of the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF). At the associations October Chairman's meeting on the 3rd October, Robert, the previous Vice Chair, started his three year tenure, taki...

According to Forestry Commission figures, 46% of English woodland is unmanaged or under managed. Woodland Management Plans (WMPs) are pivotal tools for sustainable woodland management. They provide clear guidelines for landowners and managers, ensuring a balanced approach to economic, ecological, and social aspects. In this article, we'll explore t...

 Over the past year at PFK Rural, we have experienced a notable increase in inquires from both existing and new Clients regarding utility companies' requests for access to landowners' property to perform various works. Simply put, it is critical for landowners to be well-informed about their rights when it comes to utility companies. Whether i...

PFK Rural's Director, Julie Liddle LLM, FRICS, FAAV, MCIArb, has been elected Junior Vice President of the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers (CAAV) for 2023/2024 at their AGM in Oxford. Julie is a farmers daughter, raised in County Durham. Her key experience relates predominantly to Landlord and Tenant arrangements (rural and commercial) ...

If you need a second dwelling on your farm, do you know what is required? Being fully informed might make the difference between success and failure. Obtaining planning permission in rural or isolated locations can be interesting at best, but being poorly advised or not advised at all, is not the way to proceed. The National Planning Policy Framewo...

PFK are delighted to announce that Jo Edwards has been welcomed onto the board as a Director of PFK Rural Limited. Jo has been with PFK since 2005 and has been a very important and hardworking member of the team, we are extremely glad to be able to share her passion and expertise with the entirety of PFK. We hope that like us, you will join us in c...

On the afternoon of Thursday 27th July, PFK Rural Ltd offered for sale 214.95 acres of permanent pasture land in parish of Matterdale. Andrew Maughan from Penrith & District Farmers' Mart undertook the auction on behalf of PFK Rural and offered for sale five lots all of which were met with plenty of competitive bidding. First up was Lot 1 which...

Now the dust has settled from the 15th May BPS deadline, here at PFK our attentions are turning to Countryside Stewardship mid tier applications. With the recent announcement of further increases in payment rates for various options for upland farms including making the payment for Low input grassland in the SDA areas the same as that for lowland g...

FOR SALE BY PUBLIC AUCTION - 27TH JULY 2023 AT 2PM The sale of land at Matterdale offers a rare opportunity to purchase up to five blocks of land within the parish, all of which benefit from roadside access. The land will be of benefit and interest to farmers looking to expand their existing land holdings or anyone with amenity, environmental or sm...

In our industry we provide professional advice covering a range of subjects, the last few years has seen much change in policy, an obvious consequence of Brexit. New legislation cannot be created overnight, and it is not since before the McSharry reforms in 1973 that we have had to think about standing on our own two feet. With this in mind, I touc...

Upland farmers play a crucial role in sustaining our farm businesses, food production, and improving the environment. The UK government has introduced several initiatives to support upland farmers and provide them with opportunities to enhance their operations while contributing to environmental conservation. In this blog post, we will explore the ...

The Landscape Recovery scheme, part of the English Environmental Land Management Schemes (ELMS), is a ground-breaking initiative that aims to achieve large-scale ecological restoration and long-term environmental benefits. It focuses on four key features: large-scale projects, long-term public funding, bespoke agreements, and blended funding. By ta...