Farming Conference
Our one-day Farming Conference delivers essential updates and practical insights for professionals advising agricultural clients. With proposed changes to Agricultural Property Relief for Inheritance Tax and developments from the 2024 Autumn Budget, this event offers timely guidance on the evolving landscape of rural business.
Through expert-led sessions and real-world case studies, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing the farming sector, helping you provide more informed, strategic advice to your clients.
Who should attend the conference
This conference is ideal for partners and managers working with farming clients and rural enterprises. Whether you're navigating tax reforms, succession planning, or sector-specific compliance, the event provides focused updates and actionable strategies.
By attending, you’ll stay ahead of key legislative changes, explore planning opportunities, and hear from leading voices in agricultural finance and policy.
Online Conferences
The on-demand version of this conference is now available to purchase separately from the Mercia Live event. This gives you the ability to catch up on technical updates at your convenience. If you've already registered for the live event, you'll now receive complimentary access to the recording.
Farming Conference Offer
Limited time special offer: Buy one place and bring a colleague at no extra cost!
Book your place at our live Farming Conference 2025 and ensure your team is fully equipped for the changes ahead.
Complete this form to secure your complimentary place. Please note the website pricing does not reflect this offer.
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Full conference agenda
9.30am
Welcome and Introduction
Pat Nown, Mercia Group
This session will tackle the elephant in the room.
From 6 April 2026, agricultural and business property will continue to benefit from the 100% Inheritance Tax (IHT) relief but only up to a limit of £1 million. This significant change impacts the IHT liability on death and therefore will change strategies used to mitigate IHT during lifetime.
This session will initially focus on technical aspects of the changes for individuals (and trusts) but will then consider key practical issues and pitfalls arising from increased lifetime planning activity including the Capital Gains Tax (CGT) peril.
Content will include worked examples/scenarios.
To include:
- Business Property Relief (BPR) and Agricultural Property Relief (APR) essentials – some reminders.
- The impact of the changes on lifetime planning including CGT matters.
- Ensuring BPR and APR are secured – the risk areas.
- Further new developments and announcements.
10.20am
Refreshment Break
Pat Nown, Mercia Group
11.15am
Refreshment Break
11.30am
A Livestock Farmer’s Perspective
12.00pm
Lunch Break
Jeremy Moody, CAAV
This session will cover:
- The Agricultural Transition has accelerated.
- Government has collapsed payments and stopped SFI.
- It is looking at future land use.
- What are its policies for agriculture and the environment?
- Future changes in farming and land use
2.00pm
Refreshment Break
Richard King, The Andersons Centre
This session will cover:
- A presentation giving an overview of the current situation of UK farming, policy and profitability outlook, and overview of the key sectors.
3.00pm
Refreshment Break
David Missen, Larking Gowen LLP
David will look at the general area of succession planning, focusing on what opportunities remain post Autumn Budget 2024 and how the whole thrust of succession planning has changed. He will include a number of case studies.
David Missen, Larking Gowen LLP
David will also revisit the impact of the switch to the cash basis for Income Tax which remains a highly relevant topic for farming businesses and one which seems to have attracted remarkably little attention from practitioners. He will include a number of case studies.
CPD Hours: 6
Conference speakers
Pat is a tax consultant lecturer at Mercia Group. Pat originally trained and worked in the profession for Ernst & Young, Grant Thornton and KPMG before moving to the University of Derby as their senior tax lecturer. Her time at Derby included undergraduate and professional tax training as well as being involved in examinations and publishing projects for ACCA and other professional bodies.
This led to a ten-year period with the Financial Training Company (now Kaplan) where she was Tax Product Director for the Midlands as well as becoming well known as a prominent exam-based tax lecturer. Over her career Pat has been actively involved in the tax professional bodies including serving as a Council member for 12 years for the Association of Taxation Technicians.
Jeremy is Secretary and Adviser to the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers and an independent adviser.
Richard is a Partner and Head of Business Research at the Andersons Centre. He is a qualified Chartered Surveyor and Agricultural Valuer.
Having previously been a Partner within a regional firm of chartered accountants, David is now an independent consultant. He is an agriculture subject matter expert for the ICAEW farming community and also writes assignments and lectures for firms within the sector. He has his own small farm which he has expanded with a mixture of arable, solar and stewardship areas.
One Day Conference
