Independent Batters Review Proposes 57 Recommendations to Boost English Farming Sector
The Independent Batters review has published 57 recommendations aimed at boosting productivity, investment, and resilience in English farming. The proposals include a plan for a new deal that recognizes the true cost of production and environmental delivery. Baroness Minette Batters, who led the review, warned that there is no single solution to making farms profitable.
Farm businesses face significant concerns, particularly regarding inheritance tax changes affecting farms worth over £1 million, which will be set at 20% from April 2026. Although the review did not analyze these changes in detail, it flagged them as the biggest concern for the sector. Farmers report facing rising costs and extreme weather conditions, including drought impacting this year.
Costs are projected to be 30% higher in 2026 than in 2020, while England's £2.4 billion farming budget has remained largely unchanged since 2007. To address these challenges, a new farming and food partnership board will be created to drive growth, productivity, and long-term profitability across the sector.
The government plans to include measures such as planning reform prioritizing food production, accelerated development of on-farm reservoirs, polytunnels, and farm shops. Additional steps aim to ease investment barriers, boost exports and markets, and address supply chain fairness.
The National Farmers' Union (NFU) welcomed the review as thorough and complex, emphasizing the importance of fairness in the supply chain, planning reform, and clear guidance on sustainable farming incentives and inheritance tax changes. Gavin Lane, president of the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), also welcomed the review and called for urgent action, highlighting that profitability remains slim and many farms could face unaffordable inheritance tax bills.
