Talk Farm – the agricultural law podcast

Talk Farm is brought to you by HCR Law’s Agriculture and Estates team. Each month, we amplify voices from across the industry and discuss the challenges and opportunities shaping rural life in Britain and beyond our shores. Tune in for insights into everything from government policy to mental health in farming.

Let's talk agricultural law

Key contacts

Rory Hutchings

Partner, Head of Agriculture and Estates Team

As an agricultural lawyer, I have a huge interest in the work I carry out as well as farming in general. My clients have included a variety of diverse farming businesses including livestock, arable and dairy farms, agricultural cooperatives, certification organisations, agricultural shows and tourist enterprises. I take the time to understand my clients on a personal level, and get to know their needs as agricultural businesses.

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Man smiling wearing a green jacket standing in front of a brown wooden building. His hand are in his coat pockets and he is wearing glasses

James Frankland

Partner

Acting for landowners and farmers is about being at the heart of their business and family.  I enjoy working with clients and other advisers and being part of the client’s team.  I also enjoy working on diverse matters as my farming and charity clients tend to be innovative and always looking for the next opportunity. Working in the Agricultural and Estates team is about long-term relationships.

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Abie Reader - Talk Farm

Latest episode – Welsh farming today

Welsh farmers face a tough climate. Beef prices are high due to a national shortage, while milk prices have dropped. Arable farmers are struggling after years of unpredictable weather, avian influenza continues to affect poultry producers and changes to inheritance tax remain an overriding concern.

In the latest episode of Talk Farm, Bryn Thomas speaks to Abi Reader, Vice President of NFU Cymru and dairy farmer, about the current state of Welsh farming.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Listen here

Catch up on previous episodes

When the Home Office comes knocking

The latest episode of our Agriculture and Estates podcast, Talk Farm, explores one of the most pressing issues facing UK farms today: workforce challenges and immigration compliance.

Co-Host Rory Hutchings is joined by Aled Owen, Partner in our Agriculture and Estates team, and Lynne Adams, Legal Director in our Employment and Immigration team, to unpack a recent case involving migrant workers and the lessons it offers for the farming community.

Tune in wherever you get your podcasts, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Listen to our podcast on IHT

Tackling food waste on farms

In this first episode, James Frankland, Co-Host and Partner in our Agriculture and Estates team, speaks with Roz Scott, Gleaning Coordinator at Still Good Food – a charity making a big impact in Suffolk by reducing surplus farm produce and redistributing it to the community.

Every year, an estimated 3.6 tonnes of food is lost on UK farms. Much of this waste is due to strict cosmetic standards set by supermarkets, which make perfectly edible produce unsaleable. James and Roz discuss how supermarket policies shape what ends up on our plates – and what doesn’t.

You can listen to this podcast online, including via Spotify and Apple.

Listen to it here

Full archive of episodes

Episode synopsis

It will soon be one month since Labour released their new budget, which confirmed the fears of the rural community in reducing Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief, amongst other changes that will squeeze farmers and other agricultural professionals.

The first episode of Talk Farm is dedicated to helping you understand these changes and mitigate negative impacts on your livelihood. James Frankland, Co-Host and Partner in our Agriculture and Estates team, is joined by Lisa Millington, Partner in Private Client.

Listen to episode 1

Episode synopsis

The second episode of Talk Farm, the podcast brought to you by our Agriculture and Estates team, is here. Partner Rory Hutchings is joined this month by Aled Jones, Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society.

During the episode, conversation ranges from the role of agricultural shows in combatting loneliness and helping farmers overcome adversity, to how they have encouraged financial resilience, innovation and diversification over the centuries.

Listen to episode 2

Episode synopsis

It’s been an eventful few months for UK farmers and agricultural professionals, with developments both at home and abroad posing a new set of challenges and opportunities.

In the latest episode of Talk Farm, host James Frankland welcomes Ed Barker, Head of Policy and External Affairs at the Institute of Agricultural Industries Confederation, as his guest. James and Ed’s conversation addresses the key trends – both micro and macro, national and international – shaping UK farming

Listen to episode 3

Episode synopsis

Partners James Frankland and Rory Hutchings are joined by Denise Wilkinson, Head of HCR Law’s Agriculture and Estates team.

Denise, Rory and James explore the year ahead in agriculture in a wide-ranging conversation, covering Environmental Land Management Schemes and Sustainable Farming initiatives, the changes to Agricultural and Business Property Relief, and how the budget will affect land values.

Listen to episode 4

Episode synopsis

In this episode, host James Frankland, Partner in the HCR Agriculture and Estates team talks to Richard Crane, current Master of the Worshipful Company of Farmers.

Join James and Richard as they discuss how liveries work and the vital role of education in upholding skills and standards in farming.

Listen to episode 5

Episode synopsis

In the latest episode of Talk Farm, HCR is delighted to collaborate with the Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth to hear perspectives on farming from beyond our shores.

Chris Riddle, Trustee of the RASC, is joined by Jessica and Ella Underberg – a mother-daughter duo on a mission to improve awareness of the importance of agriculture through education and community-building.

Listen to episode 6

Episode synopsis

Seven months on from the October Budget, and following a technical consultation process, the government has confirmed that it has no current plans to change proposed IHT legislation. In this episode, host James Frankland, Partner in the HCR Agriculture and Estates team talks to Lisa Millington, Partner and Head of the HCR Agriculture Private Client team – as they discuss how farming families can adapt to the changes brought by the Budget.

Listen to episode 7

Episode synopsis

We end the first series of Talk Farm on the important subject of mental health in farming, something which has become more widely talked about in recent years.

Host Rory Hutchings and Malcolm Thomas MBE, Trustee and former Chairman of the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI), discuss some of the causes from the weather and livestock disease to loneliness and a perceived lack of public support.

Listen to episode 8

Episode synopsis

In this first episode, James Frankland, Co-Host and Partner in our Agriculture and Estates team, speaks with Roz Scott, Gleaning Coordinator at Still Good Food – a charity making a big impact in Suffolk by reducing surplus farm produce and redistributing it to the community.

James and Roz discuss how supermarket policies shape what ends up on our plates – and what doesn’t.

Episode synopsis

Host Rory Hutchings is joined by Aled Owen, Partner in our Agriculture and Estates team, and Lynne Adams, Legal Director in our Employment and Immigration team, to unpack a recent case involving migrant workers and the lessons it offers for the farming community.

The case concerns a leading dairy farm in Wales, known for its high standards in animal welfare, regulatory compliance and progressive waste management. After Brexit, the farm hired migrant workers to address a labour shortage but was later raided by immigration authorities.

Episode synopsis

Welsh farmers face a tough climate. Beef prices are high due to a national shortage, while milk prices have dropped. Arable farmers are struggling after years of unpredictable weather, avian influenza continues to affect poultry producers and changes to inheritance tax remain an overriding concern.

In the latest episode of Talk Farm, Bryn Thomas speaks to Abi Reader, Vice President of NFU Cymru and dairy farmer, about the current state of Welsh farming.

Full archive of episodes

Episode synopsis

It will soon be one month since Labour released their new budget, which confirmed the fears of the rural community in reducing Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief, amongst other changes that will squeeze farmers and other agricultural professionals.

The first episode of Talk Farm is dedicated to helping you understand these changes and mitigate negative impacts on your livelihood. James Frankland, Co-Host and Partner in our Agriculture and Estates team, is joined by Lisa Millington, Partner in Private Client.

Listen to episode 1

Episode synopsis

The second episode of Talk Farm, the podcast brought to you by our Agriculture and Estates team, is here. Partner Rory Hutchings is joined this month by Aled Jones, Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society.

During the episode, conversation ranges from the role of agricultural shows in combatting loneliness and helping farmers overcome adversity, to how they have encouraged financial resilience, innovation and diversification over the centuries.

Listen to episode 2

Episode synopsis

It’s been an eventful few months for UK farmers and agricultural professionals, with developments both at home and abroad posing a new set of challenges and opportunities.

In the latest episode of Talk Farm, host James Frankland welcomes Ed Barker, Head of Policy and External Affairs at the Institute of Agricultural Industries Confederation, as his guest. James and Ed’s conversation addresses the key trends – both micro and macro, national and international – shaping UK farming

Listen to episode 3

Episode synopsis

Partners James Frankland and Rory Hutchings are joined by Denise Wilkinson, Head of HCR Law’s Agriculture and Estates team.

Denise, Rory and James explore the year ahead in agriculture in a wide-ranging conversation, covering Environmental Land Management Schemes and Sustainable Farming initiatives, the changes to Agricultural and Business Property Relief, and how the budget will affect land values.

Listen to episode 4

Episode synopsis

In this episode, host James Frankland, Partner in the HCR Agriculture and Estates team talks to Richard Crane, current Master of the Worshipful Company of Farmers.

Join James and Richard as they discuss how liveries work and the vital role of education in upholding skills and standards in farming.

Listen to episode 5

Episode synopsis

In the latest episode of Talk Farm, HCR is delighted to collaborate with the Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth to hear perspectives on farming from beyond our shores.

Chris Riddle, Trustee of the RASC, is joined by Jessica and Ella Underberg – a mother-daughter duo on a mission to improve awareness of the importance of agriculture through education and community-building.

Listen to episode 6

Episode synopsis

Seven months on from the October Budget, and following a technical consultation process, the government has confirmed that it has no current plans to change proposed IHT legislation. In this episode, host James Frankland, Partner in the HCR Agriculture and Estates team talks to Lisa Millington, Partner and Head of the HCR Agriculture Private Client team – as they discuss how farming families can adapt to the changes brought by the Budget.

Listen to episode 7

Episode synopsis

We end the first series of Talk Farm on the important subject of mental health in farming, something which has become more widely talked about in recent years.

Host Rory Hutchings and Malcolm Thomas MBE, Trustee and former Chairman of the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI), discuss some of the causes from the weather and livestock disease to loneliness and a perceived lack of public support.

Listen to episode 8

Episode synopsis

In this first episode, James Frankland, Co-Host and Partner in our Agriculture and Estates team, speaks with Roz Scott, Gleaning Coordinator at Still Good Food – a charity making a big impact in Suffolk by reducing surplus farm produce and redistributing it to the community.

James and Roz discuss how supermarket policies shape what ends up on our plates – and what doesn’t.

Episode synopsis

Host Rory Hutchings is joined by Aled Owen, Partner in our Agriculture and Estates team, and Lynne Adams, Legal Director in our Employment and Immigration team, to unpack a recent case involving migrant workers and the lessons it offers for the farming community.

The case concerns a leading dairy farm in Wales, known for its high standards in animal welfare, regulatory compliance and progressive waste management. After Brexit, the farm hired migrant workers to address a labour shortage but was later raided by immigration authorities.

Episode synopsis

Welsh farmers face a tough climate. Beef prices are high due to a national shortage, while milk prices have dropped. Arable farmers are struggling after years of unpredictable weather, avian influenza continues to affect poultry producers and changes to inheritance tax remain an overriding concern.

In the latest episode of Talk Farm, Bryn Thomas speaks to Abi Reader, Vice President of NFU Cymru and dairy farmer, about the current state of Welsh farming.

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