2025: What made the farming news in March and April?

Our review of 2025 continues with a look at what made the news in March and April – from the shock withdrawal of the SFI 2024 scheme to farmers pounding the streets of London for charity.

See also: Stacking income: What is it and how to do it on farm

March 2025

• The row over inheritance tax (IHT) escalated when the Treasury roundly rejected a so-called “clawback” proposal from the NFU, the Country Land and Business Association and others. This would have exempted farmers from IHT if the farm stayed within the family, while the full 40% tax would be charged if the incoming generation then decided to sell up. The Treasury rejected the tax alternative, saying it would unfairly benefit the wealthiest estates.
• Thousands of farmers subsequently flocked to London for a “Pancake Day Rally” to vent their frustration at government policies.
• In a further slap in the face to farmers in England, Defra suddenly announced on 11 March that the Sustainable Farming Incentive 2024 was to close with immediate effect. Farmers had been led to believe they would be given six weeks’ notice before any closure, but Defra said the money had run out. It promised a new scheme “in the summer”.  
• The National Trust was in celebratory mood as the first two pairs of Eurasian beavers were released into the wild under licence in Dorset.
• Yorkshire farmers Robert and Emma Sturdy lost their long-running fight to prevent Harmony Energy from building a new solar farm over half of their tenanted holding at Old Malton. Having won their case at local level, central government overruled them and gave the project the green light.
• Liberal Democrat MP and chairman of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) committee Alistair Carmichael launched his Supply Chain Fairness Bill in the House of Commons, seeking to win farmers a larger slice of the retail pie.
• Defra secretary Steve Reed came under fire when it was revealed he had visited just four farms in his first eight months in office. Conservative MP Charlie Dewhirst described the level of disengagement as “shocking”.
• Scotland’s rural affairs secretary Mairi Gougeon announced she would be stepping down as an MSP before the next Scottish election (May 2026), ending a five-year stint in the role.
• Farmers and others working in agriculture rolled up their sleeves – to reveal a vast array of tattoos. From tractors to livestock, alpacas to wheat, the body art illustrated the commitment and passion of so many engaged in this great industry.

April 2025

• Farm employers braced themselves for the first impacts of last October’s Budget, as the national living wage climbed 6.7%, apprentice rates went up 18%, and employer national insurance contributions reached 15% from 6 April. This was on top of higher energy, water and council tax bills. NFU president Tom Bradshaw said “policy after policy has eroded trust, driving farmer confidence to an all-time low”.
• Former NFU president Baroness Minette Batters was appointed by Defra secretary Steve Reed to lead a review into farming profitability, with the aim of delivering key recommendations within six months. With numerous other policy reviews and strategies in development, farmers feared it would amount to “just another talking shop”.
• A Scottish shepherd and his daughter filmed a sea eagle snatching a live lamb from a field on the western isle of Pabbay. The video attracted 660,000 views on Facebook.
• A poultry housing order covering much of the Midlands and Yorkshire was extended to the most northerly counties of England as avian influenza continued to spread. More than 2m birds had died or been culled in the previous six months.
• Defra introduced a complete ban on personal imports of meat and dairy products from Europe amid concerns over foot-and-mouth disease in some countries, with £5,000 fines available. The UK threat level was raised to “medium”.
• New tractor registrations slumped to a 24-year low, the Agricultural Engineers Association revealed, blaming the ongoing squeeze on arable margins and the sapping of producer confidence since the last Budget.
• Norfolk grower Michael Wilton started irrigating cereal crops at the Stody Estate, near Melton Constable, having had just 13mm of rain over the preceding six weeks. The water was desperately needed to wash some inorganic fertiliser into the root system.
• Dairy farmers were urged to start offloading cull cows in an attempt to limit overproduction of milk. AHDB data showed that April supplies were running 5.5% ahead of year-ago levels, while spot milk prices plummeted to 20p/litre from some processors.

Alice and Rich Rossiter © supplied by Alice Rossiter

• The annual London Marathon on 29 April attracted several runners from the farming community, raising vital funds for a variety of charities. Devon sheep farmers Alice and Rich Rossiter were among them, raising an impressive £34,000 for Prostate Cancer UK.