Opportunities for growth in farming were the main talking points at this year’s Thrings Agriculture Seminar as the firm turned its attention to the changing rural landscape.
Returning to the historic Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester, the firm’s flagship annual farming event welcomed more than 200 farmers, advisors and other rural land professionals with a packed agenda of pressing topics and key advice for farmers to not only survive but thrive in uncertain times.
Bringing together farming’s strongest voices
Launching the 2025 seminar series was farmer and former NFU President Baroness Minette Batters, whose keynote speech addressed the challenges and opportunities shaping UK agriculture.
Having led the sector through some of its most turbulent years during her six-year tenure at the NFU – including through Brexit and the Covid pandemic – Baroness Batters shared her insights on building profitable, sustainable and resilient businesses for tomorrow.
Speaking after the event, Baroness Minette Batters said: “I was delighted to be able to share some of the top line Farm Profitability Review findings at Thrings Agriculture Seminar. I talked about the role agriculture plays in underpinning the rural economy and why we need a plan to grow, produce, create and sell more of what’s being produced on our farms. Aiming to significantly increase our value to UK GDP in the next decade.”
This year’s event welcomed not one but two guest speakers, with Thrings Head of Agriculture Duncan Sigournay joined by Andrew Meredith, Editor of Farmers Weekly for a fireside chat on the future of farming.
With pressures continuing to mount on farmers, including the controversial changes to Inheritance Tax and the closure of applications for the Sustainable Farming Incentive earlier this year, Thrings’ Head of Agriculture Duncan Sigournay was joined by Farmers Weekly editor Andrew Meredith for a fireside chat on the future of farming.
The youngest editor in the market-leading magazine’s 91-year history, hailing from a farming family, Andrew shared his view on the factors influencing farms today, from the controversial changes to Inheritance Tax and the closure of applications for the Sustainable Farming Incentive earlier this year, to the concerns posed by the upcoming Autumn Budget and the increasing role technology and AI has to play.
Andrew Meredith said: "Building a strong partnership between farmers and those who seek to advise them is vital in today's increasingly complex world".
"Working together to seek out opportunity and navigate around challenges on tax, planning permission, succession and a host of other issues will be vital for businesses on both sides of that relationship, and it was a pleasure to speak to a room full of people bursting with the answers to these issues."
"The inheritance tax furore and poor arable prices have cast a shadow over farming this year but there are bright spots too and I am grateful to Thrings for the opportunity to speak about both."
Sector leading expertise on show
Chaired by Agriculture Partner Mark Charter, the event saw an array of Thrings’ Agriculture, Planning and Environment, Private Client and Litigation experts take to the stage to provide advice to the audience on a range of key issues being faced by farmers today.
This included Thrings’ Head of Natural Capital Harvey Davies and Agriculture Partner Josephine Taylor who discussed the two faces of Natural Capital, exploring the outcomes of recent planning appeals and the changing approach by inspectors and the courts to the weight the environment carries in making decisions.
Ros Trotman and Rebecca Stanton, Partner and Senior Associate in the firm’s Planning and Environment team, gave an update to changes in policy impacting potential plans for diversification and the contrast in restrictions for the Green Belt and the Grey Belt.
Fresh from success in the Court of Appeal earlier this year, Richie Rees provided the audience with an overview of what agricultural businesses need to consider if they are seeking to overturn arguably unjust decisions by government bodies.
Closing the event were Sam Doherty, Partner in Thrings’ Private Client team and Corporate Senior Associate Conor Melvin, who offered solutions on how farming families can look to secure their businesses for the next generation through succession planning and suitable business structures.
Mark Charter, Partner in Thrings’ Agriculture team and chair of the 2025 seminar, said: “With the increasing challenges facing farmers today, it is important they are being provided with options and opportunities to keep their businesses viable and their practices sustainable. Today’s event was very much about seeking out those routes and showing them that there is a future for farming.
“It was great to have so many people join us for this year’s seminar and we’re absolutely thrilled to have Minette and Andrew share their knowledge with us. Both are truly leaders in the world of farming and the expertise and perspective they have brought to the discussion has been invaluable so a tremendous thank you goes out to both of them.”
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 countries than any other firm.
Find out more about how we can support farmers, food producers and rural communities on our Information for Farmers page. You can also sign up to our mailing list to get the latest news, updates and event details from the team.