Author: Michael Haverty

Spot Light on: Covid-19 Impacts on Farming

There has, of course, been only one topic that has dominated everything else over the past few weeks.  This article provides some initial thoughts on how the pandemic might affect agriculture and the wider economy. 

Short Term

  • The Consumer:  Supermarket shelf-stripping has been a consequence of both panic buying and a requirement to replace the food usually purchased via food service, restaurants, coffee shops etc.  Consequently, the demand from retailers for most goods including milling wheat for bread and biscuits has rocketed; the broiler kill rate has gone up sharply and the demand for other meats has also increased.  Total food requirements should not change overall, but it is taking a while for these supply lines to re-route to where the food is needed.
    However, eating habits in the home differ from the restaurant or food service.  With no eating out, consumption of expensive cuts of beef and lamb and ‘top-end’ cheeses such as Stilton have fallen sharply.  We would expect more demand for chicken and lower priced pig and beef meat for burgers and sausage style foods. 
  • Prices: Commodity prices move when demand and supply are not aligned.  Expect some volatility.  Overall trends may take some time to establish according to how the supply chain manages the flow of goods and how the consumer changes their habits. However, an added challenge for the UK agri-food sector is the near disappearance of the food services segment due to the lockdown. This has meant that demand for some products (e.g. steak meat) has imploded and whilst retail demand has increased for some products (e.g. mince), this does not adequately compensate for the loss of value in steak meat. As a result, beef prices have been falling. Similar trends are also affecting the dairy sector where the loss of food services and catering trade is having a major negative impact on spot prices, with prices as low as 15ppl reported. 

Medium Term

  • The Farmer:  Farmers are relatively good ‘self-isolators’ already.  Most should be able to ‘carry on farming’ with the majority of farms operating as usual as long as supplies get through.  However, staff absences could lead to livestock welfare issues and diversified business’ dependent on general public foot fall could be hard hit.
  • Farm Workers:  Access to casual migrant labour is going to become a big issue if travel bans remain in place over the summer.  Appeals have started to go out for British workers to work on farms, both locally and nationally. 
  • Supply Chain:  Many food processing operations are labour intensive and cannot be done at home.  The flow of cash has also already slowed, with many firms hoarding cash and not paying each other.  Expenditures that are not short-term-critical are also being postponed.  Profitable businesses unable to turn their profits into cash will struggle in coming weeks and months.  Some supermarkets have committed to pay small manufacturers more quickly than usual.
  • Trade:  Cross-border restrictions do not apply to goods.  However, some supply-chain glitches are already emerging, people going into self-isolation, shipping containers not where they are supposed to be etc.  Whilst bulk imports are still available, smaller items such as minerals and medicines are showing signs of delays.

Long Term

  • Policy:  The severe shortages of food availability in the shops, and the images of desperate panic-buying shoppers might encourage Defra, and Government more widely, to rethink its policies on food security.  Might Defra consider that more home-produced goods could be a strategic benefit?
  • Supply Chains:  Following the horsemeat scandal of 2013, some food supply chains decided to shorten their linkages, sourcing from fewer and more local outlets.  Perhaps this will do the same. 
  • Wider Economy:  The Bank of England has cut the interest rate down to an all-time low of 0.1%.  It will also embark on another round of quantitative easing.  These measures, along with the rising Government debt, and a flight to the ‘safe haven’ of the Dollar have all seen the Pound weaken.  In the short-term, weak Sterling is good for farming.  Longer-term, it tends to be inflationary across the whole economy.  Industries will also look towards Government to support the rebuilding of the UK economy when this calms down.  This could be a huge cost, and hinder investment.

 

 

A Monthly Briefing for UK Farmers – April 2020

  • Andersons’ consultants are continuing to support their clients during the pandemic. If you require any advice, please contact your  usual consultant, or the office on 01664 503200 or email [email protected]
  • The Government has introduced a number of initiatives to support businesses as a result of COVID-19, these include;
    • Business Interruption Loan Scheme to provide loans of up to £5m, with no interest payable for the first 12 months.  Applications are made through the banks.
    • One-off cash grant of £10,000 to all businesses qualifying for the Small Business Rate Relief.  This will be made automatic, through Local Authorities.  Useful for farming enterprises which have diversified into the leisure sector and pay business rate
    • The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is open to any employer and covers the wage cost of any worker ‘furloughed’ – sent home due to there being no work for them.  Up to 80% of their wages are paid by the Government, up to a monthly limit of £2,500.
    • The self-employed scheme to pay 80% of the average monthly trading profits over the last 3 years.  It is only open to those with a trading profit of less than £50,000 per year.  Funds will be in one single payment in June covering the three months of the scheme (March-May). 
    • VAT payments due between 20th March and 30th June are deferred.  Businesses have until the end of the 2020/21 tax year to pay.  The return still needs to be made though.
    • Self-Assessment Tax payments due in July will be deferred until 31st January 2021.

Please call one of our consultants if you wish to discuss any of the above initiatives or require a farm budget to approach your bank.  Contact details for consultants can be found on the main website.

  • The 2020 Basic Payment Scheme claim window is now open. In England the deadline for submissions without penalties remains 15th May 2020 (there is strong pressure mounting to have this extended by a month).  Wales has recently announced it has extended the deadline for SAFs to be submitted by one month until 15th June 2020.  Consequently the entitlement transfer deadline has also been extended in Wales from 30th April to 15th May 2020.  Entitlement transfers in England remain 15th May deadline.
  • England, (Scotland) and Wales have all now confirmed that the Crop Diversification rule (two and three crop rule) will not apply for the BPS 2020.  Ecological Focus Area (EFA) requirements remain.
  • All 2020 BPS payments will be made in Sterling, there will not be an option to be paid in Euros this year.  The exchange rate to convert Euro denominated entitlements to Sterling is expected to be the same rate as in 2019; €1=0.89092.  There seems a strong chance that the 2020 payment will also set the ‘start point’ for payments during the Agricultural Transition.
  • In England, the Countryside Productivity Small Grants Scheme (CPSG) Round 2 claim deadline has been extended to mid-night on 31st July 2020.  Due to COVID-19 issues, suppliers are finding it difficult to deliver equipment by the original 31st May deadline.
  • In Wales, the BPS 2019 Support Scheme and the Glastir 2019 Support scheme have re-opened.  These are available to those who have not received either a full payment under the 2019 BPS and/or the 2019 Glastir Entry or Advance, or a payment under the previous Support Schemes.  Eligible claimants will receive 70% of their estimated BPS payment or 50% of their expected Glastir payment.  These are opt-in schemes and applications must be submitted by 17th April 2020 via RPWales online.  A reminder that the Farm Business Grant in Wales closes on 10th April 2020.