Rural business forum

Helen Grant MP for Maidstone and the Weald organised a Rural Business Forum at Kenward House, Yalding on 12th July, which we were delighted to sponsor along with Barclays Bank and NFU.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Minister Dr Thérèse Coffey MP and Kent Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott both spoke and answered questions from the audience. Topics included the latest on Brexit, the rural economy and rural crime, which causes a huge issue for many farmers.

Gullands’ Andrew Clarke spoke about how farms and rural businesses should be preparing ahead of Brexit, including starting with the basics and is it time to change business structure.

Andrew comments: “Whether a sole trader, traditional partnership, limited liability partnership or a limited company. Do you have family members or investors who would like to be involved? The great advantage of the limited liability options is that your personal assets are unlikely to be called upon to satisfy any of the business’ liabilities. However, the farmhouse is typically an intrinsic part of many rural businesses, so reviewing the whole structure is important as the way farm assets are held maximises the opportunities for Business Property Relief and Agricultural Property Relief.”

To discuss this and other rural issues in more details, visit our stand at the Weald of Kent Ploughing match for further information.