Urgh, the shining lights in DEFRA and associated bodies are going out. I fear now that we lose all the expertise that guides those in government who are seriously in need of illuminative counsel. Hate to say it, but we really are in increasingly dark times.

Here it is happening again from Steve Reed. He does not understand one of the fundamental features of the IHT reforms. Absolutely staggering. x.com/NoFarmsNoFoods…

So far we have seen a change of stance on non-doms, the winter fuel payment & private equity rules. But not one iota of change on the Family Farm Tax, despite a credible clawback alternative & CBI studies showing it will be a net cost. Why does Reeves hate farmers so much?

Maybe in other times it would be worth dedicating some time to this, but in the current climate I am firmly stowing this in the file marked 'rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic'.

Earliest ever start to wheat harvest. Early indications of yield and protein are known. One is good and one is not.

x.com/i/article/1947…

Bit of a shame UK farmers can't refuse to license their products for consumption by anyone in the Treasury.

Wheat harvest done. Still to double check the numbers, but looking like we'll only just average above 7t/ha compared to over 10t/ha last year. Very poor year. Without stewardship and other grants, financial numbers would be looking pretty drastic.

Blackgrass appearing much earlier than normal?

Example #230 of how AI is useful for everyday farming. "Build me a calculator to work out optimal blending ratios for milling wheat target protein" takes minutes and save time and mistakes.

Here’s farmer Charles Goadby Charles Goadby completely debunking the Treasury and BBC Verify’s misleading impact assessment figures on the Labour government’s inheritance tax on family farms. Worth watching and sharing.

My offer to the government: pay me £700m and I'll cancel my Scotland fishing trip this year. Same outcome.

"This decision was taken due to the serious disruption they may cause to the local area, including businesses, emergency services and Londoners going about their day." Why are things different to last time when very little disruption was caused?

Over recent weeks Nick Timothy MP has been speaking to farmers in our constituency about the governments disgraceful family business tax. Our hens appear briefly at the end of the video!

Just stuck the mistakenly released OBR document into ChatGPT to see what impact it has for farms specifically:

Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi is spot on. The change made yesterday to transferrable allowances is welcomed but doesn't go far enough. We urge the Govt to listen to its backbenchers and make amendments to the Finance Bill to protect the elderly and the terminally ill. NFU Cymru 🚜

Let’s remember that the family farm tax was not in Labour’s manifesto and the party had promised not to change APR before the election. Labour is punishing someone for staying loyal to the platform he stood on.