Welcome to the November edition of the Thrings Agriculture Newsletter. Apart from the noticeable change in weather, Autumn has also brought with it plenty of interesting legal developments within the world of Agriculture. The new CAP draft regulations are finally on the table and as widely anticipated they include some very significant provisions for UK farmers. Most in the industry believe that the new scheme won't |  | be up and running until 2015,which leaves plenty of time to speculate on what the scheme may eventually look like. The Thrings SPS team are working hard considering and advising on all of the practical ramifications of the Reform both in terms of deals already completed as well as for those in the pipeline. They are bound to be the centre piece of our Spring Seminars - more on those in the New Year. Besides the CAP reform, there are a number of ongoing and interesting developments concerning the use of land. As we all know, ownership, management and leasing of agricultural land is increasingly complex and this edition contains a number of legal updates which I hope will be of interest to all readers. Peter Cusick, Partner and Head of Agriculture |
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Solar farm success The pv solar industry is in turmoil again following the latest government proposals to drastically cut the Feed in Tariff for domestic installations and further cut the subsidies for farm scale projects up to 250kW. The cuts are intended to reflect the falling cost of pv panels and installation, which mean that some projects may still be viable, particularly for owner-occupiers. | 
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Development land and tax: creative thinking required?  | Many farmers and landowners are on the alert to the windfall that would come their way if part of their land should acquire planning permission for development. However, both increased value and actual profit will be followed by potential tax liability. |
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Restrictive covenants: a nuisance or what? In the light of a recent Court of Appeal case, we explain what restrictive covenants are and why, now more than ever, they need careful consideration. | 
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Could your land be a Community Asset?  | Under the Localism Bill, the Government is proposing that local authorities will acquire the right to place anyone’s land or buildings, but not services, on a list of Community Assets. The owner is then forbidden from disposing of the asset, either by sale or gift, until the local community has had a chance to raise the funds to bid for it! |
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