Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Farm expansion may no longer work after Brexit

Leaving the EU will bring a more challenging and more commercial environment in which farmers will have to watch net margin rather than gross cash flow, according to Jeremy Moody, secretary and adviser to the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers.

The commercial realities of farming will focus rental values more on the productive capacity of land. Decisions about land occupation will include a consideration of fulfilling new requirements under a domestic farm policy including environmental public good.

In the past businesses have tended to become larger as they seek economies of scale, but this may not be the pattern in the future. Some will find under the new regime that land they have taken on to expand will no longer perform financially.

Scale will probably still be a goal for commodity producers but with a sharper business focus.

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