As well as scrapping no-fault evictions, the Bill has modified several grounds for possession, including those for rental arrears and anti-social behaviour.

Working relationships within the agricultural tenanted sector will also continue to evolve as the government implements its response to the Rock review. A new Farm Tenancy Forum will be created, and the accessibility of environmental schemes to tenants will be improved further. Whilst for all upland farmers, ELMs support has been increased as the government has equalised payment rates between upland and lowland areas.

FOOD & FARMING

Response to Rock Review published
A new farm tenancy forum will be created. This is the unexpected headline from the government’s response to Baroness Kate Rock’s review into the agricultural tenanted sector in England. Why unexpected? The forum was not something the review explicitly asked for, instead it suggested that government should be incentivising and providing advice on how landlords and tenants can collaborate and proposed a tenant farming commissioner be empowered to enforce fairness in the sector. This proposal for a commissioner was rejected but a call for evidence will be issued later in the summer.

The forum will have the primary role of supporting the implementation of the government’s response to the Rock Review. It will be made up of representatives of tenant farmers, landlords, and organisations representing professional advisors who will meet quarterly with the farming minister and provide Defra with regular updates.

The response also outlines changes to the Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes. The government has already removed barriers to tenants, made Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) agreements shorter and retained the name ‘Countryside Stewardship’. It has now agreed to a general principle of ‘tenants not requiring landlords’ consent’ where appropriate and put the onus on tenants to check their tenancy agreement.

Further responses are included on:

• Woodland schemes

• Private markets and natural capital

• Code of practice for land agents

For more information, read our Rural Research Briefing Note.

Uplift for upland farms
Environmental Land Management scheme payment rates will be equal for upland and lowland farms where they are carrying out the same actions. The move follows more than a year of intense lobbying by industry groups. Rates have been increased for upland farmers for four Countryside Stewardship options, including paying farmers for low inputs on grasslands in upland areas. Upland farmers will now be paid £151 per hectare, up from £98. The creation of upland wood pasture will increase from £333 per hectare to £544. A further seven Countryside Stewardship options will also be amended to make them more accessible to upland farms. The announcement means upland farmers can also apply for upland Wildlife Offers as well as the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme if they are in an AONB, National Park or the Broads. More details will be provided when the full 2024 offer is published in the summer. If you would like to discuss environmental schemes please contact Georgina Sweeting.

Farm to Fork summit
Rishi Sunak’s Downing Street Farm to Fork summit received mixed reviews; it was described by some attendees as little more than a publicity stunt that failed to respond to the issues of the day, like soaring inflation. Whilst others including the NFU (which secured the commitment for the summit to occur) were more upbeat describing it as a positive outlook for UK food security and a demonstration that domestic self-sufficiency is back on the political agenda. In its view food security had been put on a par with energy security.

Whilst discussion on the day may not have led to concrete actions, a number of announcements preceded the summit. The Prime Minister published an open letter to farmers, promising to put UK farming at the heart of future trade deals and vowing that chlorinated chicken and hormone-fed beef would not be allowed on to the UK market. The letter highlighted six principles to ensure that farming is considered by trade policy, including reviewing the impact of trade deals on farming, prioritising export opportunities and removing market access barriers. The commitment to seek to advance international co-operation and to safeguard our ability to maintain high environmental, animal welfare and food standards in new trade agreements is particularly significant, given World Trade Organisation rules do not currently allow trade barriers based on systems of production.

The announcements also included reviews into fairness in the horticulture and egg supply chains, and confirmation that new support will be launched for fruit and vegetable producers in 2026. A call for evidence relating to cutting red tape to aid repurposing farm buildings will open later in 2023.

Food Security Unit created
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Scottish government established the Short-life Food Security and Supply Taskforce. A new Food Security Unit has been launched to take forward the legacy activity of the taskforce. It will monitor food system resilience so that government and industry are able to react more rapidly to future shocks.

POLICY

Section 21 evictions banned
As part of a long-promised reform of the private rental sector in England, the government has announced its plans to scrap section 21 notices, also known as no-fault evictions. No-fault evictions allow landlords to evict tenants without giving a reason. As well as providing some security and stability for renters, removing the ability to serve section 21 notices would protect tenants from landlords who intimidate with threats of eviction when tenants try to report issues or unsatisfactory conditions of the property.

To provide some balance, the Bill also aims to make it easier for landlords to regain vacant possession of their properties in cases of anti-social behaviour or repeated unpaid rent. The new mandatory ground for repeated serious arrears allows a section 8 notice to be served if rent arrears have exceeded two months on at least three separate instances within a three-year period. Renters will also be given the legal right to request a pet in their home, which landlords cannot unreasonably reject. The government also announced its intention to bring forwards further legislation which will make it illegal for landlords to impose a blanket ban on those in receipt of benefits as well as families with children and to apply the Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector.

The Bill largely mirrors recent reforms in Scotland and Wales, and has attracted criticism from landlords’ and tenants’ perspectives. A common criticism on behalf of tenants is that there is nothing in the Bill to stop landlords trying to increase rents to an unaffordable level as an alternative to serving a section 21 notice. Landlords have expressed concern over the ability to quickly and successfully repossess their properties in circumstances that require it and request more details and assurances in the Bill. For more information, consult our Rural Research Briefing Note.

Scrapping red tape on wine
Cutting red tape will provide a £180 million boost to the nation’s wine industry. The government is planning to remove retained EU laws on the production and marketing of wine, allowing wine makers to pick from a wider range of vines and produce new blends. Bottlers will also be able to turn imported wine into sparkling wine. Changes will also include removing certain packaging requirements, such as ending the mandatory requirement that certain sparkling wines must have foil caps and mushroom stoppers. The reforms are also intended to expand the range of projects which can be produced, including low and no alcohol wines.

New taskforce for land use
A Geospatial Commission report has recommended the establishment of a new land use analysis taskforce. It would be tasked with bringing together scientific knowledge and land use data to assess competing land use drivers and support decisions on ultimate land use. The recommendation is part of a wider report from the Commission, which also recommends:

• Championing market innovations that help to visualise and deliver better land use decisions

• Strengthen the links between land use policy design, academic research and industry practice

• Develop a standard approach to classifying key land use data to improve how we can link data about land

The report highlights that land use is fundamentally a spatial challenge and some land can accommodate multiple uses. It considers these multi-use opportunities across six sectors: energy, housing, biodiversity, food, water and transport. The government is due to publish its land use framework later this year.

ENVIRONMENT & NATURAL CAPITAL

Landscape Recovery reopens
The second round of the Landscape Recovery scheme is now open for applications. The scheme is one of the new ELM schemes focusing on long-term support for large scale landscape and ecosystem recovery projects. This round has a particular focus on net zero, improving biodiversity and creating wildlife rich habitats, but all projects should aim to provide co-benefits such as water quality, soil health and social benefits.

Approximately 25 projects will share £15 million of initial development funding to refine their plans. Non-government organisations, private companies, agents or other third parties can apply or run a landscape recovery project on behalf of other land managers. All land types are eligible, but the proposal must cover a broadly connected area of at least 500 hectares within England. The application deadline is midday on 21 September 2023. More information about the application process is available in our Briefing Note, if you would like to discuss a potential project please contact Hannah Turner.

Scotland’s new national parks
Communities can now register early interest in becoming Scotland's next national park. Nominations will officially open later this year when the appraisal framework is finalised. A draft version is currently available, detailing how submissions will be assessed. This new park would be in addition to two existing national parks; the Cairngorms and Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, both of which were created 20 years ago. The Scottish government has committed to outlining at least one new park by spring 2026. There is no requirement to register interest in order to submit a nomination, but registered parties will be kept up-to-date with important information and key dates.

PROPERTY & DEVELOPMENT

Scotland: One-in-five short-term lets approved
Only a fifth of applications for short-term let properties in Scotland have been approved as of March this year. Short-term let properties, such as those renting through Airbnb, must register with the scheme by October 2023. The data, obtained through Freedom of Information requests to 31 of Scotland’s 32 councils showed 21% of the 3,148 applications had been approved. The information was requested by the Scottish Conservatives who went on to chastise the “anti-business SNP-Green coalition”. The scheme requires landlords to display energy performance ratings, have adequate insurance and various fire and gas safety precautions in place. The government aims to have every relevant property fully licensed by July 2024.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

Food price fairness to be investigated
An inquiry will be launched into the fairness of food prices in the UK, looking to understand how profitability and risks are shared throughout the food supply chain. The cross-party Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee, which announced the inquiry, will also investigate the effectiveness of government regulation and the impact of external factors such as imported food and global commodity prices. The committee’s decision to investigate is in response to ongoing inflation and complements its current food security inquiry. The committee is currently accepting written submissions from individuals and organisations involved in the industry, such as farmers, manufacturers, retailers, consumers and government representatives, with a deadline of 28 July.

Scotland: Rural Land Market Insights
Local communities, family farms and smaller businesses are at risk of being priced out of Scottish rural land. That is the warning from the Scottish Land Commission (SLC) in the Rural Land Market Insights Report 2023. Scottish land is in high demand from forestry and natural capital investors, meaning supply is tight and prices are increasing. Corporate and institutional buyers are also interested in land as a financial asset and inflation hedge. According to the report, the competitiveness of the market has led to less land being sold off-market. The SLC says there is a need to shape how land is used to deliver on climate and nature goals in order to be able to deliver on promises of a just transition. Without action, the Commission says the ownership of land will continue to become more concentrated and individuals or communities will be locked out of the market, unable to secure land they may need.

OTHER RURAL NEWS

No mental health crisis, yet
Evidence does not reveal a mental health crisis in rural England, yet. Earlier this month the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee published its ‘Rural Mental Health Fourth Report of Session 2022–23’. The purpose of this report is to examine the picture of rural mental health across England. It covers the significant risks and issues which need to be addressed to prevent the impending crisis, including:

• Rural communities’ needs are not reflected in mental health policy and national NHS planning

• NHS mental health services are often not accessible for rural communities

• Poor public transport contributes to loneliness and prevents access to mental health services

• Gaps in health data and the lack of reporting of rural deprivation

• Stress from unpredictable weather, animal health crises and policy changes that affect farmers.

The committee made a number of recommendations for tackling these issues, including timelines for funding and rolling-out mental health first aid training for personnel dealing with those living and working within rural industries. It also said Defra and the Department for Health and Social Care should work together to establish rural mental health policy and services and promote more effective suicide prevention for rural groups.

And finally… Make hay while the emoji is smiling
Looking over the fields of Britain, don’t be shocked if you find them smiling back at you. Or winking. Or perhaps even laughing. That is because Carrs Billington Agriculture has launched a competition to support WellChild, the national charity for seriously ill children. Farmers are being challenged to create emoji-inspired displays from silage bales wrapped in WellChild’s distinct purple colour. They can customise their bales with special emoji packs provided by Carrs Billington. Anyone can take part in the competition, they simply have to take a picture, tag the location and post it on social media including @CarrsBillington and the hashtag #purplebales. Each time a person does this with a photo of different bales they will be entered into a draw to win £200 of Carrs Billington vouchers. The farmer whose emoji bale display is judged the best, will receive a family ticket and accommodation to Alton Towers. The campaign is hoping to raise awareness of the charity and show support around the world.