I was recently invited to a breakfast meeting with local farmers, which was hosted by Frank and Jayne Speed, at Betley Court Farm in Betley. You may be aware that Betley Show and Betley Bonfire have been run from the farm for many years, along with holiday lets and, of course the tea room where the meeting was held.
The meeting was attended by representatives from the National Farmers Union and farm owners from the borough, where we discussed many issues affecting the farming community. These included HS2, the SFI (Sustainable Farming Incentive) scheme, the Red Tractor assurance scheme, food inflation, supply and demand and the removal of specialist tax rules for furnished holiday let properties.
It was a very enjoyable and informative meeting, and I will be taking up some casework for some of the farmers as a result of our discussions. Thanks to Frank and Jayne for their hospitality, and if you would like to visit the Tearooms, you can find further information on their website at https://www.betleytearoom.co.uk/.