Farmer Focus: Tax and disease risk threaten ‘best ever’ year
Daffyd Parry-Jones © Richard Stanton Another month, another article, and, in this case, another year. This will be my last article for 2025.
Looking back over the year, I must admit it could be one of the best years ever for us.
But I’m nervous to say that, as I appreciate that many would strongly disagree, having suffered with extreme weather conditions.
See also: How a beef farm is managing grassland to face extreme weather
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The last of the wet winter weather came at the end of February here, paving the way for a glorious March and April, ready for lambing and calving.
The fine weather continued until the end of May, which enabled everything to grow and thrive.
We were so fortunate in west Wales to have just enough rain – or at least damp conditions – to allow the grass to recover following the spring drought, and to enable it to grow all summer.
Another factor that made this year so memorable was the increase in livestock prices.
The inflation of beef prices over the first few months of the year was amazing, and very much welcomed.
Selling finished cattle during spring and summer has been a pleasurable experience, giving us added confidence as suckler beef producers to remain in the game.
Lamb prices were also encouraging, as we usually experience a price freefall from mid-June onwards.
This year, they held up well into mid-August, which coincides with our main lamb-selling period.
It has, however, also been a year of frustration, as we have witnessed the bluetongue virus spreading rapidly across the land.
Even we in the west will have to carefully consider whether to vaccinate our livestock this winter.
It has also been a real concern for our rural shows to formalise solutions to overcome these hurdles.
Inheritance tax has been another very worrying issue over this past year.
It is one that has been strongly fought against by our unions, during negotiations held in the background, in the hope of getting a last-minute U-turn on the matter.
Like many other farming families, over the past few months we have been having negotiations with our solicitors in an attempt to minimise the damage, if what seems inevitable does indeed happen.
Doing the right thing at this moment should be a priority for us all.